A group of furious fans has rushed to defend 2000s heartthrob Tom Welling after one X user went viral for comments describing his looks at age 48 as “below average.”
The social media troll contrasted a recent photo of Welling with one taken when he was in his early twenties.
Welling, who made headlines last January for driving under the influence, famously played Clark Kent in the superhero series Smallville for a decade, from 2001 to 2011.
Image credits: Getty/J. Merritt
He is also known for appearing in Lucifer as Lt. Marcus Pierce/Cain and in Cheaper by the Dozen, where he played Charlie Baker, the eldest son of Steve Martin’s character.
The anonymous post by The 4Chan Archives described a young Welling as “one of the best-looking actors ever” with a “model face,” claiming he had become “below average” two decades later.
The post has racked up 6.4 million views on X at the time of writing, along with hundreds of replies.
Image credits: Getty/Tristar Media
Users on X criticized the comparison between a professional photo from Welling’s Smallville days and a lower-quality image taken in unfavorable lighting.
“Bruh he is a handsome dude, what y’all on about,” one fan wrote.
“That’s just a bad photo of him from 2022, he probably just put on weight and let himself go a bit through the pandemic, a lot of us did,” shared another.
Social media trolls contrasted a photo taken when Welling, 48, was in his twenties with a recent image
“Bro is a happily married dad, he’s not worried about what 4chan dorks think about his looks,” remarked someone else.
One user said Welling is “still a gorgeous man,” while another asked, “What are you talking about?! He can still get it.”
“Idk why they expected him to look 23 forever,” a separate comment read.
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Image credits: Getty/Evan Agostini
“’Below average’ and it’s the hottest picture of a man you’ve ever seen,” another user chimed in.
Others said Welling looks like a typical 48-year-old who has not undergone any cosmetic procedures. “This is how most white guys age without surgical enhancements.”
Fans also agreed it was “weird” to compare two photos taken decades apart to analyze how “well” or “badly” someone has aged, adding that the actor was still handsome.
Image credits: Getty/Barry Brecheisen
Welling lives in California with his wife, equestrian Jessica Rose Lee, and their two sons: 7-year-old Thomson Wylde and 4-year-old Rocklin Von.
The New York native was a construction worker in the late 1990s when he was discovered by a casting director who suggested he try modeling.
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He later relocated to Los Angeles and modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Calvin Klein.
Still, he said his ambition was always to become an actor, a dream he pursued while modeling for the major brands.
“To me, it’s not a very expressive job,” he said of modeling. “It’s really based solely on what’s the outside. I didn’t find that it was fulfilling at all. I find acting to be much more fulfilling. You can be much more expressive and you can show a lot more of who you are.”
Image credits: Getty/Stefanie Keenan
His first acting role came in 2001 in the legal drama Judging Amy, in which he played a karate teacher, Rob “Karate Rob” Meltzer, the 10-years-younger love interest of Amy Gray.
Though he had originally signed a contract to appear in three episodes, the storyline received positive feedback, and producers kept him on for three more.
Image credits: Warner Bros
After a long audition process, he was cast as Clark Kent in the WB superhero drama Smallville.
“I went to the final screen test between me and another fellow. I was on my way back from the Warner Bros. studio, and I stopped in a gas station to call my manager and tell him how it went,” Welling recalled.
“I called and got him on the phone and he said, ‘Can you hold on a second?’ Next thing I know, there are literally seven people on the other line and almost in unison they say, ‘Tom, you got it!”
Image credits: Fox
The pilot, which aired in October 2001, was the highest-rated debut for The WB at the time, with 8.4 million viewers.
That year, he was named one of People magazine’s Breakthrough Stars. He also took home the Teen Choice Award for Breakout Star (Male) in 2002.
Welling, who admitted that he wasn’t a Superman fan before landing the role, launched a podcast titled Talkville in 2022 with fellow Smallville actor Michael Rosenbaum, in which the co-stars comment on every episode of the show.
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In February 2025, he attended MegaCon in Orlando to participate in a Superman panel alongside other actors who have portrayed the DC superhero in the past.
The Winchesters actor’s appearance came a month after he was arrested for a DUI incident in a fast food restaurant parking lot in Yreka, California.
According to a TMZ report, his blood alc*hol level was measured at or above the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Image credits: Warner Bros
The charges against him were dismissed in May after he pleaded no contest. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $619 in fines, $150 in restitution, and attend a DUI program.
Image credits: Instagram/tomwelling
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This year, Welling is set to star in Chasing Summer, a comedy-drama film about a woman who returns to her hometown and reunites with her childhood friends and former flings following a breakup and the loss of her job.
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