Amy Schumer attends a Los Angeles premiere. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
For better or worse, Amy Schumer is a divisive figure. It seems borderline impossible to read about her online without bumping into people who either glow about her comedy or dislike it intently—and the release of her new movie, Kinda Pregnant, on Netflix appears no different.
Many cinema fans have taken to social media to post about either enjoying the picture or finding it an incredibly tough watch. In response, they’re posting up a storm about Kinda Pregnant.
The divided reaction of online fans and the associated backlash around Kinda Pregnant is an interesting case study in how the online world can encourage polarizing behavior, pushing people to one side or other of a debate. It also displays how even a comedy movie doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and is often part of a wider cultural discussion.
We’ll get there in good time, but, first, let’s talk a little bit about Amy Schumer’s latest film.
What Is ‘Kinda Pregnant?’
Kinda Pregnant is a 2025 movie starring Amy Schumer that Netflix released on Feb. 5. The story follows Lainy—played by Schumer—a woman who pretends to be pregnant after getting jealous of her friend. Things get complex though when she meets the man of her dreams during this ruse:
The cast of Kinda Pregnant includes the aforementioned Amy Schumer, as well as Jillian Bell, Brianne Howey, and Will Forte. The movie was directed by Tyler Spindel, and written by Schumer and Julie Paiva.
How Has The Online World Reacted To ‘Kinda Pregnant?’
On the rating site Rotten Tomatoes, Kinda Pregnant has been universally panned, with an 18% critics score and a 25% user rating. What’s interesting is that social media hasn’t precisely followed this trend. Browsing through posts, it seems that for every negative comment on Kinda Pregnant:
There is someone else posting about enjoying it:
There are even people on TikTok sharing clips of Amy Schumer in Kinda Pregnant that they found amusing:
Despite this, Letterboxd—a community movie review website—has Kinda Pregnant ranked 2.1 out of 5 stars, a comparatively low score with a deluge of negative reviews.
So, what’s happening? Why is there a divide between many of these rating systems and how people are posting on social media?
Analyzing The Divided Reaction To Amy Schumer And ‘Kinda Pregnant’
First things first, when looking at the backlash to Kinda Pregnant, there are a few different factors at play. One of them is Amy Schumer reportedly being a lightning rod for alt-right criticism.
Reportedly, Schumer was review bombed—a trend where people spam online criticism sites with negative ratings—when her standup set The Leather Special was released Netflix.
Alongside this, Kinda Pregnant is receiving some backlash from some on Letterboxd for being a “Netflix original,” a format of movie that critics have been known to dislike. And the company isn’t getting much positive PR with its constantly rising prices either.
Effectively, Kinda Pregnant isn’t a movie that exists in a vacuum. People aren’t reacting to a standalone film, instead there are already cultural forces at play influencing how some online will engage with the film before they’ve even seen it. For example, some of the negativity towards Schumer previously could drive fans to be more vocal and supportive of her work.
We also have to consider the impact social media has on people’s reactions.
A common element behind much online behavior is that people are drawn to those who hold more extreme opinions than their own, whether this is positive or negative. Combine this with the the fact that radical views tend to receive more likes, and we can see a narrative emerging.
Social media thrives on polarizing opinions, as this drives engagement. So while it’s inarguably that some people would’ve loved or hated Kinda Pregnant, it’s likely many more simply believed it was fine. But because the online world prioritizes extremity, it’s far rarer to see these types of balanced posts across social networks.
Ultimately, aspects of the divided opinion and backlash towards Kinda Pregnant and Amy Schumer isn’t just about the movie itself. Instead, it’s a topic that has wide cultural implications that influence how some may react.
Social media doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Yes, it can influence how intensely people react, but when it comes to movies like Kinda Pregnant, there are a lot of other forces at play that can influence and drive fans towards division.
