After watching Bad Thoughts, I genuinely wonder how Steven Seagal has remained one of Hollywood's biggest action stars to date 

I watched Bad Thoughts, Tom Segura's new twisted Netflix comedy, with the expectation of edgy skits and outlandish humor. What I wasn't prepared for was a full-on takedown of Steven Seagal and the weird mirror that it reflected later.

Segura's take on the action star is exaggerated, but it's also uncomfortably accurate. Costumed in a fat suit and shambling along with deliberate slowness, Segura parodies everything from Seagal's body type to his retro martial arts swagger and his strange Russian connections.

It's hilarious, okay —but it also made me wonder: How is this man still one of Hollywood's acclaimed action heroes? What’s more baffling is the split reaction Seagal gets. On one hand, Hollywood insiders still mention him on sets with some degree of reverence. On the other hand, Reddit threads are full of memes and sarcastic posts.

I came across one of the posts on Reddit, where netizens are reacting to a user expressing disbelief over how Steven Seagal managed to become a major action star in the 1990s, despite what they see as some pretty obvious flaws in his acting and film style.

The post reads:

"Under Siege 1 and 2, Hard to Kill, Exit Wounds... Seagal never changed his expressions, he was always filmed from the waist up when he got too fat and the fight scenes were often over the top in their violence..."

There is a debate regarding how Seagal achieved success when all he ever did was stiff movements in movies and even has a controversial public image. And after watching Segura's Bad Thoughts, I couldn't help but explore deeper into this paradox.

Tom Segura's Bad Thoughts pokes fun at Steven Seagal: A legend to some, a meme to many

Tom Segura’s take on Seagal in Bad Thoughts isn’t subtle. It paints a portrait of a man who’s out of touch, stuck in his own legend, and unaware that the world has moved on.

Segura waddles around in slow motion, mimicking Seagal’s stiff action scenes and whispery, try-hard voice. He's not just an actor or a martial artist anymore. Steven Seagal has become a human internet meme. Segura nails that strange combination of respect and mockery exactly in Bad Thoughts.

People make fun of Steven Seagal a lot, especially on websites like Reddit. If you read any discussion about him there, many users are surprised he was ever seen as a real action star. Some say that in his later movies, he hardly moves during fight scenes.

Others joke that watching his fights is like watching someone slowly try to swat flies. The internet has made him famous for being funny without trying. Not because he’s a good actor, but because he still acts very seriously, even though Steven Seagal seems outdated and slow.

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Tom Segura reveals how people love to "talk trash" about Steven Seagal

One of the more surprising things Tom Segura mentioned during interviews about Bad Thoughts is just how often Steven Seagal’s name comes up on film sets — and not in a flattering way. According to Segura, when people in the industry talk about Seagal, it usually turns into a session of trash talk.

During an interview, Tom Segura said (via CineMovie):

"I've been making fun of his a** for over a dozen years... I feel like there's nobody that's probably earned it more than Seagl."

He continued:

"What's funny, you know I've been on a different bunch of sets over the years, and every time there's a stunt coordinator, and you bring up his name... People are like elated to talk trash about Steven Seagal."

What makes it even more fascinating is how widespread this attitude seems to be. It's not just internet trolls or casual movie fans joking about Seagal anymore — it’s the professionals, the stunt coordinators, and the people who live and breathe action films.

Segura’s Bad Thoughts taps right into that energy. He doesn’t just go after Seagal for laughs, he mirrors the way the industry itself seems to view the actor. The comedy, while exaggerated for effect, has a very real foundation. People who’ve worked in Hollywood apparently don't hesitate to call Seagal out, and Segura just amplifies that on stage.

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