Furious fans defend 2000s icon as he’s trolled over his ‘below average’ looks at 48

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Fans strongly defended a popular TV star from the 2000s after people criticized his appearance, calling him ‘below average‘ at age 48.

In late December, a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) sparked conversation about actor Tom Welling’s appearance.

Someone on 4chan posted a side-by-side photo comparing the TV star in his twenties to how he looks now in his forties, sparking a conversation about his changing appearance.

A lot of Welling’s supporters felt it wasn’t fair to compare him using bad pictures, and they criticized the person who called him ‘below average’.

People on social media complained about a side-by-side comparison of a polished professional photo from his time on ‘Smallville’ and a blurry, poorly lit recent picture. They felt the comparison wasn’t fair.

This happened almost a year after the actor was arrested for driving under the influence. At the time, many fans criticized the use of a photo resembling his police booking photo to make comments about his appearance.

Tom Welling became well-known for his role as Clark Kent in the TV series Smallville, which aired from 2001 to 2011.

He’s also famous for playing Lieutenant Marcus Pierce, who is secretly Cain, in the third season of the Fox show Lucifer.

Someone on social media came to Welling’s defense, tweeting that he still looks great in response to the original post.

Someone on X responded to a recent selfie posted by Welling with a series of confused question marks. The user then added, ‘He still looks amazing though!’

One fan commented that Welling ‘still looks good for his age,’ and pointed out that it’s unrealistic to expect someone to look 23 forever.

Someone else tweeted, “What are you even saying? He’s still capable!” in reply to the first post.

The post has quickly become very popular, reaching 6.4 million views. It’s generated 490 comments, with many fans speaking out to support the star and push back against criticism that he’s declined in appearance after naturally aging over the past two decades.

‘He’s literally so sexy,’ another fan tweeted. ‘Leave him alone fr.’ 

A user on X expressed shock and disbelief at earlier statements, responding with: ‘Seriously? Is that what you consider an average guy?’

‘That’s just a bad photo of him from 2022,’ one fan tweeted in strong defense of Welling. 

The X user suggested he likely gained some weight and lost some of his previous fitness during the pandemic, something many people experienced. They then shared newer, more flattering photos of Welling.

‘Bruh he is a handsome dude, what y’all on about,’ another person added in agreement. 

One fan dismissed the post as silly and criticized the photo used, though they did add that the actor still looks good.

‘Below average’ and it’s the hottest picture of a man you’ve ever seen,’ an X user chimed in. 

Someone commented on Twitter that he looks remarkably good for his age, noting that he appears to be aging naturally for a 47-year-old white man without having had any cosmetic surgery.

One person criticized those making fun of Tom Welling, saying it was strange to use a bad photo to try and claim he hadn’t aged well. They added that he still looks good.

This appearance happens less than a year after his first public event – a panel discussion with fans – following his arrest for driving under the influence.

In February 2025, he went to MegaCon in Orlando and joined a Superman discussion with other actors who have played the character.

Shortly after midnight in late January 2025, Welling was arrested for driving under the influence in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in Yreka, California.

According to TMZ, police say his blood alcohol content was at or over the legal limit of 0.08%.

Welling nor his family did not immediately publicly comment on his arrest. 

The actor shares two sons, seven-year-old Thomson Wylde and four-year-old Rocklin Von, with his wife, Jessica Rose Lee, who is a horse enthusiast.

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2026-01-02 04:34