‘Remember the “Hathahate” of the 2010s?’: Anne Hathaway is beloved on social media again, but fans still haven’t learned their lesson

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  via @DiscussingFilm

  A split image of Anne Hathaway in The Odyssey and in The Devil Wears Prada 2.

• Over a decade later, 2026 is the first time Hathaway has been this present in the spotlight since that backlash finally waned. So far, her media appearances, which will likely continue into the summer when the press tour for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey begins, have been embraced with open arms. Have we as a culture forgotten how we treated Hathaway in 2013, or have we merely moved on? Is this warm welcome back, in some ways, an apology, or have we just redirected our resentment to other celebrities? How about all of the above?

• 
  via @DiscussingFilm

  The poster for The Devil Wears Prada 2.

• On the one hand, Hathaway’s positive press may be a byproduct of the nostalgia machine that is The Devil Wears Prada 2. On the other hand, Hathaway herself has appeared to be more relaxed, seemingly enjoying the opportunity to talk about all these projects. However, although some corners of the internet have re-evaluated how “Hathahate” reflected our problematic perceptions of successful women, the cynic in me cannot help but feel that we have not really evolved that much. Based on how other contemporary pop culture figures, from Sabrina Carpenter to Taylor Swift, have so quickly fallen in and out of favor with the public, it’s hard not to feel like this problem is ongoing. It might be tempting to pat ourselves on the back and treat Anne Hathaway the way she should have always been treated, but the truth of the matter is that we have not yet learned our lesson.

  
   

• The Aftermath of “Hathahate”

  Normally, winning an Oscar propels an artist’s career, but for Anne Hathaway, it was quite the opposite. Despite successfully transitioning from teen movie star (The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted) to serious actress (Brokeback Mountain, Rachel Getting Married) in the 2000s, the 2010s proved to be a challenge after the debacle that was “Hathahate.” In 2024, Hathaway opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the difficulties of this period. She explained how Christopher Nolan was the only major filmmaker willing to cast her at the time, and put her in the 2014 science fiction epic Interstellar. Now, The Odyssey will mark Hathaway’s third collaboration with Nolan.

  
   

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  via @Kalshi_Culture

  A tripartite image of Anne Hathaway in 3 Christopher Nolan films: The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, and The Odyssey.

• Although Hathaway only appeared in a handful of major studio films throughout the last decade, she remained consistent as an actress, turning in several strong performances in underrated projects. She was the highlight in Ocean’s Eight, playing a vain actress with a clever self-awareness. Plus, she deserved far more attention for her portrayal of Rebekah Neumann in Apple TV+’s WeCrashed and for smaller independent films like Armageddon Time and Eileen. It might have taken some time for the public to be “ready” for another “Year of Anne Hathaway,” but those of us who were always paying attention to her work in this interim period aren’t surprised to see that she can still carry a movie.

  
   

• 
  via @MTVUK

  A photograph of Anne Hathaway posing with her Oscar on a red carpet in 2013.

• That’s because “Hathahate” was never about Anne Hathaway’s talent. It was about her public persona, which is not entirely shaped by the actress herself. Persona is also shaped by media and culture. Unfortunately, how we perceive successful women in entertainment is part of the problem here. Folks who grew sick and tired of Anne Hathaway winning every award that season did not exactly say the same thing about Daniel Day-Lewis, who also swept the season in his category and ultimately won his third Oscar that year. Sure, Day-Lewis had cultivated a persona as a “serious actor” who imbues his roles with gravitas and profundity, but these are qualities that we often only attribute to men in this field. If Anne Hathaway was able to claim that persona, things may have turned out differently.

  
   

• The Return of Hathaway in 2026 and a Warning Sign for the Future

  There is far more love for Anne Hathaway now than there was in 2013. She is one of those actresses that has graduated to “mother” status on the internet. She even went viral recently when she casually used the Arabic phrase “Inshallah” in an interview. In 2013, people would have called that pretentious. Today, she was embraced humorously as “Sister Anne” and was even presented with a copy of the Quran at the London premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2. 

  
   

• 
  via @andrayofficial

  A freeze frame of Anne Hathaway in a 2026 interview.

• Hathaway knows that the public sentiment has shifted once again. She recently said as much when she was featured on a New York Times “Popcast” episode, acknowledging that she is well aware of the fact that the memes are in her favor “for now.” That comment is also a recognition of how internet culture itself can be hot and cold with public figures. These shifts are often fast and widespread. Look at the swift backlash after Timothée Chalamet’s comments on ballet and opera, or Sabrina Carpenter’s recent apology after expressing confusion at a fan’s ululation during her Coachella performance. Then, there’s Taylor Swift, who has gone back and forth between receiving collective adoration and intense vitriol throughout her career. 

• 
  via @Filmfanatics__

  A collage of stills from Anne Hathaway's five film projects in 2026.

• As a fan, I am relieved that Anne Hathaway can finally return to high-profile projects again and that the public has gotten over whatever bizarre resentment they felt back in 2013. I am also relieved that she is getting her praise for consistently delivering strong performance after strong performance. However, I am still wary of how the rest of the year will shake out. Hathaway has three more projects to promote this year following the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2. Since internet culture continues to have a problem with celebrities, especially women, who are at the top of their game, I worry not just about Anne Hathaway’s potential overexposure but also about our inability to learn from our mistakes. 

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