There Are No Girls on the Internet Episode: Chris Pratt is the Least Interesting Thing About the Hallow App (A Message to Live Action)
Host: Bridget Todd (with producer Mike)
Date: March 4, 2026
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Overview

In this incisive and unapologetic episode, Bridget Todd responds to a critical article published by the anti-abortion group Live Action, which took issue with the podcast’s previous coverage of the Hallow app—a popular Catholic prayer app endorsed by celebrities like Chris Pratt, Mark Wahlberg, and Russell Brand. Bridget and Mike dissect the app’s deeper structural, financial, and ethical issues, far beyond celebrity endorsements, centering the conversation on data privacy, investor motives, and the problematic records of the app’s backers and spokespeople. With wit and righteous anger, they highlight the hypocrisy and omissions in Live Action's critique, while re-asserting the importance of honest analysis of how marginalized voices interact with faith and technology.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

“Why All This Fuss About Chris Pratt?” (02:35–09:55)

• Bridget and Mike reflect on the outsized reaction to their recent mild criticism of Chris Pratt’s involvement with Hallow.
• Live Action’s blog post (“Chris Pratt takes heat for partnering with Catholic Pro Life Hallow app”) fixates on this, ignoring the actual substance of BNOITI’s original segment.
• Bridget calls out the pattern: “if you read Nancy’s whole piece without having heard my episode, you might think that my entire beef with the Hallow app is that Chris Pratt is one of their spokespeople. And I personally find Chris Pratt annoying. That’s it. The whole thing?” (06:21)
• Mike quantifies that Chris Pratt was only a minor portion of the original discussion; Mark Wahlberg, privacy, and funding dominated.

“Let’s Go Deeper: The Real Issues Behind Hallow” (09:55–18:13)

• Bridget offers to deliver the deep-dive Live Action seemed to demand: a full critique of the Hallow app’s backers, privacy issues, and the values it espouses.
• Hallow is not just a prayer resource—it’s a venture-capital-backed entity, with tens of millions in funding from people like Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance.
• Peter Thiel’s other business ventures, including Palantir (a major surveillance and data analytics company) and the 28 fertility app (with questionable privacy protections), put user data at risk—fueling concerns about how intimate, sacred data (like prayers and confessions) could be misused.
• “Your body, your location, your immigration status, your fertility. These things that we used to think of as intimate and special and sensitive. And now apparently also your prayers.” (16:57)

“Hallow’s Privacy Policy: Consent Fatigue & Legal Loopholes” (18:13–23:57)

• Mike, in his role as a data scientist, highlights “benign” but ambiguous privacy policy language (“parties you authorize, access, or authenticate”) that can easily result in users accidentally sharing sensitive spiritual data with unknown third parties.
• “Privacy advocates call this consent fatigue. And tech companies know it’s a thing.” (19:34)
• Legal obligations could force the app to share prayer/journal data about issues like abortion or miscarriage with law enforcement, especially in the post-Dobbs climate.

“The Spokespeople Problem: Who Are Hallow’s ‘Incredible Christians’?” (24:29–54:32)

Mark Wahlberg (30:48–42:11)

• Bridget details Wahlberg’s violent, racist record: attacks on black children, hate crimes against Vietnamese men, and the lack of meaningful accountability or apology.
• His “redemption” arc, including a delayed apology (coinciding with a liquor license application, not genuine remorse) and failed anti-racism commitments, is exposed as self-serving.
• “What an asshole. You make being not a good person an art form. You’re, like, Picasso—the Picasso of being an asshole.” (42:32)

Jim Caviezel (43:39–49:28)

• Beyond playing Jesus, Caviezel is a public promoter of QAnon and anti-Semitic conspiracy tropes, e.g., “adrenochrome” myths about child abuse.
• He starred in “Sound of Freedom” (anti-trafficking film based on Tim Ballard), whose real-life subject was ousted for alleged sexual misconduct.

Russell Brand (49:34–54:32)

• BNOITI meticulously recounts Brand’s timeline: from multiple rape/sexual assault allegations and highly publicized investigations (well in public domain before Hallow’s partnership), to Hallow’s subsequent regret and “mistake” statement only after criminal charges were filed.
• “A mistake is something that you do when you, like, don’t have enough information. There was a lot of information about the accusations... when you do have that information... it seems a little hard to call this one a mistake in my book.” (53:26)

Chris Pratt (57:46–60:54)

• The alleged podcast “obsession” with Pratt is addressed: “I do not particularly like Chris Pratt. We’ll get to that. But that is merely a footnote in what I said.” (06:49)
• Bridget critiques Pratt’s “victim” narrative, noting the contrast between this and the sustained industry/online harassment received by women and people of color.

“Live Action, Lila Rose, and the Business of Anti-Abortion Media” (62:33–69:34)

• Bridget explains Live Action’s roots and deceitful projects, such as collaborations with now-disgraced “sting” propagandist James O’Keefe.
• Even other anti-abortion Catholics have criticized Lila Rose for deceptive tactics and self enrichment at the movement’s expense.
• BNOITI notes the hypocrisy: “These people are liars. Their own community, their own people call them out as fraudsters, grifters and liars.” (86:35)

“Debating the Faith: Who Gets to Represent Christianity?” (74:32–81:42)

• Bridget addresses the condescending “assume you’re not Christian” rhetoric from Live Action: “Nancy, I am a person of faith... My critique ... is not anti Christian. In fact, I would argue that it is pro faith, because I am asking whether or not billionaires should be monetizing one of the most intimate relationships that people have, the relationship they have with their God.” (78:09)
• The hosts amplify the voices of Catholics on Reddit questioning the commercialization of prayer: “Prayer is not a product, sacramentals are not magical talismans, and Christianity is not a self-improvement fad.” (79:21)
• They raise the issue of the Hallow app being pulled from EU markets—framed by the CEO as “Christian persecution,” but, in reality, likely an issue of privacy law.

“Abortion, Public Opinion, and the Biggest Lie of All” (86:35–91:22)

• The episode closes by exposing Live Action’s (and similar groups’) attempt to present themselves as the “moral majority.” Multiple polls show only 8% of Americans want abortion illegal in all cases; support for legal abortion is a consistent national majority.
• “Organizations like Live Action know that their actual positions are deeply unpopular... which is why they have to write a piece about Chris Pratt instead of engaging with the substance of my actual argument. Because if they actually engage... they would lose. And they know it.” (90:57)

Notable Quotes & Moments

Bridget on Venture Capital and Faith (16:57):

“Your body, your location, your immigration status, your fertility. These things that we used to think of as intimate and special and sensitive. And now apparently also your prayers.”

Mike on Consent Fatigue (19:34):

“Privacy advocates call this consent fatigue. And tech companies know it’s a thing. And I think a lot of less scrupulous companies take advantage, knowing people aren’t going to read privacy policies...”

On Mark Wahlberg’s “Redemption” (42:32):

“What an asshole. You make being not a good person an art form. You’re, like, Picasso—the Picasso of being an asshole.” — Bridget

On Russell Brand and Hallow’s “Mistake” (53:26):

“A mistake is something that you do when you, like, don’t have enough information. There was a lot of information about the accusations... it seems a little hard to call this one a mistake in my book.” — Bridget

On Faith and Critique (78:09):

“Nancy, I am a person of faith... My critique ... is not anti Christian. In fact, I would argue that it is pro faith, because I am asking whether or not billionaires should be monetizing one of the most intimate relationships that people have, the relationship they have with their God.” — Bridget

On Data Aggregators and Christian Victimhood (82:22):

“It is sort of funny to frame privacy protections as persecution. Like, no, they’re not persecuting Christians. They’re protecting them from data aggregators.” — Mike

On Abortion and Public Opinion (90:57):

“Organizations like Live Action know that their actual positions are deeply unpopular... which is why they have to write a piece about Chris Pratt instead of engaging with the substance of my actual argument. Because if they actually engage... they would lose. And they know it.” — Bridget

Segment Timestamps

• Chris Pratt Fallout & Live Action’s Article: 02:32–09:55
• How Hallow is Funded: The Peter Thiel Connection: 12:48–18:13
• Privacy Policy & Legal Risks: 18:13–23:57
• Celebrity “Incredible Christians” Deep Dive
  • Mark Wahlberg: 30:48–42:11
  • Jim Caviezel: 43:39–49:28
  • Russell Brand: 49:34–54:32
• Chris Pratt’s Victim Narrative: 57:46–60:54
• Live Action & Lila Rose: History of Deception: 62:33–69:34
• Debating Who Represents Faith: 74:32–81:42
• EU Privacy, Religious Persecution Narrative: 81:42–84:48
• Abortion Opinion Data & the “Moral Majority” Lie: 86:35–91:22

The Episode in a Nutshell

Bridget and Mike take no prisoners as they reveal how religious branding, celebrity endorsement, and Silicon Valley surveillance capitalism are entangled in the Hallow app. They call out Live Action’s refusal to address substantive critiques—data privacy, predatory business models, celebrity violence and abuse—while amplifying empty “Christian victimhood.” They reaffirm: honest, critical faith-based conversation is not anti-Christian; it is, instead, a necessary defense against exploitation. Far from fixating on Chris Pratt, this episode spotlights the real power players—and the patterns of harm—at the intersection of faith, tech, and right-wing activism online.