When The Pitt premiered last year, fans quickly embraced Noah Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. He even earned an Emmy Award for his performance in the medical drama.

Wyle again impressed viewers in the season 2 finale, with fans calling it worthy of back-to-back Emmys.

“That is an Emmy-winning performance,” one fan said on X.

However, during season 2, some fans began turning on Wyle. Viewers found Robby’s interactions with female colleagues problematic, and a few also blamed him for Supriya Ganesh’s exit.

In a recent interview, Wyle addressed his character’s alleged misogynistic behavior, but his comments proved divisive, fueling further backlash. As a result, despite his best efforts, the actor cannot seem to escape backlash.

Noah Wyle addressed criticism against Dr. Robby’s season 2 turn

Image credits: HBO Max

In season 2, Robby frequently screamed at female colleagues, including Dana, Mohan, and Javadi, while appearing to favor male subordinates such as Langdon and Whitaker.

This drew backlash toward both Wyle and his character on social media.

After the finale aired Sunday, star and executive producer Noah Wyle spoke with GQ. In the interview, Wyle admitted that he was aware of the online criticism surrounding his character’s treatment of women.

Image credits: HBO Max

He said, “I made jokes [on set] this season where I’d get done yelling at somebody and say, ‘Someone bring me another woman to yell at!’”

The actor described the female doctors as “rock stars,” adding that it frustrated Robby to watch them squander their potential. He explained that Robby felt inferior to them, leading him to voice his frustrations.

“It’s not cruelty, it’s certainly not ab*se. If anything, it’s pure projection,” Wyle added.

Fans criticize Noah Wyle for defending Dr. Robby’s workplace behavior

Image credits: HBO Max

Wyle’s comments quickly went viral, with fans disagreeing with his take on the character’s behavior.

On X, some viewers argued that Robby’s position of authority over female colleagues made his insecurity-driven outbursts unjustifiable.

“I’d argue getting screamed at by your boss in front of your colleagues is in fact cruelty and ab*se, but okay,” one user wrote.

A second commented, “Robby may have an understandable way for behaving that way, but it doesn’t make it not nasty behaviour!”

Image credits: HBO Max

Others argued that Robby’s pattern of being disparaging toward women reflected a broader issue with how the show treats female characters.

“And ppl really were calling us idiots for suspecting the misogyny in the show is not intentional LOL,” a third person said.

Another added, “Quite impressive that Noah Wyle keeps proving my hate for him still has ample room to grow.”

Noah Wyle’s performance in The Pitt season 2 finale received praise

Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Despite his controversial comments, Wyle’s acting chops in the finale garnered acclaim. The episode finally resolved Robby’s internal turmoil and ended his downward spiral by comforting an abandoned baby.

Viewers praised the performance as a complex, emotionally nuanced portrayal of depression.

“Hate Noah Wyle all you want, but man, can that dude act his ass off,” one viewer said on X.

A second wrote, “The Pitt finale is good, Noah Wyle Emmy again.”

Image credits: HBO Max

“The Pitt S2 finale was fantastic. No one is doing it better than Noah Wyle right now,” a third shared.

The hit medical drama has been renewed for a third season, with most of the main cast returning except Supriya Ganesh. However, season 3 currently does not have a confirmed release date.

The Pitt is streaming on HBO Max.