Elon Musk has launched a campaign urging his 227 million followers on X to cancel Netflix, accusing the streaming service of pushing 'transgender propaganda' in children's programming. The world's richest man, with a net worth of around $500 billion, said he has personally cancelled his subscription and posted or reposted at least 26 attacks on the company in three days.
Musk's campaign began after a clip from the cancelled Netflix series 'Dead End: Paranormal Park' was surfaced by the right-wing account Libs of TikTok, showing a transgender protagonist. Musk posted 'This is not ok' and later supported claims of anti-white hiring bias and Democratic Party donations by Netflix executives. He also reposted criticism of LGBTQ+ themes in shows such as 'CoComelon' and 'The Baby-Sitters Club'.
Musk has a transgender daughter, Vivian Wilson, who in 2022 changed her name and gender. In a July interview, Musk said he was 'tricked' into approving gender-affirming care and described his daughter as 'dead, killed by the woke mind virus'. Wilson responded on Threads, saying her father 'doesn't know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn't there'.
Supporters of the boycott include conservative actor Rob Schneider, who thanked Musk for 'standing up against the evil Trans indoctrination programming of our children'. However, critics have called Musk hypocritical, with progressive podcaster Tommy Vietor labelling him 'the most reactionary, whiney little cancel culture loving bitch on the internet'.
Netflix has declined to comment on the boycott. The company no longer reports subscriber numbers quarterly, so the impact may be difficult to measure.
