Jennifer Lawrence Says She’s Team Gale, and Her ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Take Still Stings
Love triangles have a way of turning casual viewers into warring factions. Team Edward and Team Jacob had full-blown online battles in the ‘Twilight’ era, and the Team Peeta and Team Gale debate was nearly as heated. Few people understand that better than Jennifer Lawrence, who spent 4 films caught in the middle of one as Katniss Everdeen.
She also proved how risky it can be to pick a side, even as an outsider. Last year, while promoting ‘Die My Love’ with Robert Pattinson in a video for MUBI, Lawrence revealed that her friends had ordered her not to share her opinion on ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’. She did it anyway, saying she was Team Jeremiah and calling Conrad toxic.
The reaction was swift. The clip drew more than 8 million views, and fans filled the comments with strong feelings, many invoking her own history with ‘The Hunger Games’. One viewer joked that picking Jeremiah was like saying she was Team Gale, which is exactly the connection Lawrence has now made herself.
Appearing on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast, Lawrence has now addressed her love-triangle record directly. She said she was Team Gale, even after the character’s role in the franchise’s most heartbreaking moment, a joke that shows she has no regrets about being on the unpopular side. She then returned to her ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ comments, saying the hate she received was bigger than any controversy she has ever been involved in.
That is a striking claim for an actor who has weathered plenty of headlines over the years. It also shows how intense fandoms can become, even over a Prime Video teen romance. Lawrence’s take was not a statement about politics or a film role, but a casual opinion on a fictional couple.
The fandom’s fault lines were already deep. Based on Jenny Han’s book series, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ follows Belly (Lola Tung), who is caught between brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). The series finale ended with Belly and Conrad together, months after her engagement to Jeremiah ended, and the majority of the fandom was overwhelmingly Team Conrad.
The online conversation turned ugly at times. Actors were targeted by harassment, and the show’s own social accounts reminded viewers that the show is not real but the people playing the characters are. Lawrence’s remarks landed in the middle of that atmosphere, which may explain the scale of the reaction.
The podcast appearance also delivered bigger franchise news. Asked about going back to Katniss, Lawrence confirmed her return to the ‘Hunger Games‘ universe for ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’, which opens on November 20. She described the experience as unbelievable, with the same crew and the same camera team, and called it emotional to be back with Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson.
She added that Hutcherson and she barely walked anywhere without their arms around each other. She joked that Harrelson came through the window of her hotel room uninvited, since it would not be the same otherwise. Reports from last year said Lawrence and Hutcherson would return, but it had not been officially confirmed until now.
Witness the beginning of the revolution. #TheHungerGames: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters & IMAX November 20. https://t.co/fKCrWXIk3T
— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) September 16, 2026
The film follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Francis Lawrence directs, and Joseph Zada plays the younger Haymitch, a role Harrelson played in the original films. Lawrence and Hutcherson are expected to appear in a flash-forward sequence mirroring the novel’s epilogue, with a grown Katniss and Peeta listening to Haymitch recount his games.
It adds to a busy press run for Lawrence, who is also promoting her new haircare brand, Mes. The attention is a reminder of how durable her connection to Katniss remains. More than a decade after the last film, audiences still want to know her take on the love triangle.
Whether her Team Gale confession wins forgiveness from fans remains to be seen. It may be wise for her to avoid any new picks for a while. Then again, honesty has always been part of her appeal.
Which side of the love-triangle debates are you on?
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