Many fans furiously defended a 2000s TV icon after he was trolled for his 'below average' looks at age 48.

Actor Tom Welling was the subject of online debate after a post about his appearance went viral on X, formerly Twitter, in late December. 

In the post, an anonymous 4Chan user shared a photo of the TV star in his early 20s versus him now in his 40s as they discussed how his appearance has changed.

Many of Welling's fans claimed that it was unfair to use unflattering photos in the comparison and slammed the troll for calling him 'below average.' 

Social media users criticized the comparison between a professional photo from his Smallville days and a low-quality snapshot in poor lighting.

This comes nearly a year after the actor made headlines for his DUI arrest as fans condemned the usage of what some believed was his mugshot to comment on his looks. 

Many fans furiously defended a 2000s TV icon after he was trolled for his 'below average' looks at age 48; pictured in December 2024

Welling first rose to fame after starring as Clark Kent in the superhero drama series Smallville from 2001 to 2011; pictured in May 2001

Welling first rose to fame after starring as Clark Kent in the superhero drama series Smallville from 2001 to 2011. 

Another one of his most well-known roles is as Lieutenant Marcus Pierce/Cain in season three of Fox's Lucifer. 

One social media user defended Welling and tweeted that the actor is 'still a gorgeous man' in a response to the post. 

Another person tweeted confused question marks alongside one of Welling's recent selfies. 'The guy still looks amazing lmao,' the X user wrote. 

One fan added that Welling 'still looks good for his age' and added, 'Idk why they expected him to look 23 forever.' 

'What are you talking about?! He can still get it,' another person tweeted in response to the original post. 

The post has gone viral with 6.4 million views at the time of reporting and received 490 replies — many of which were fans defending the star and criticizing those who claimed he 'became below average' after aging naturally and now looking different after two decades has passed. 

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

Actor Tom Welling was the subject of online debate after a post about his appearance went viral on X, formerly Twitter, in late December.

In the post, an anonymous 4Chan user shared a photo of the TV star in his early 20s versus him now in his 40s as they discussed how his appearance has changed