Elon Musk, who labels himself a “free speech absolutist,” has initiated a campaign urging his extensive 227 million followers on X — the platform he oversees — to cancel their Netflix subscriptions.
Over the past three days, the billionaire known for his conservative stance has published and shared calls to terminate Netflix at least 26 times, criticizing the company relentlessly. Musk, boasting a fortune of approximately $500 billion, has declared that he has already canceled his own Netflix service and is encouraging others to follow suit.
“Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,” Musk tweeted on October 1, citing a meme shared by another user that depicted Netflix’s “transgender woke agenda” as a Trojan horse infiltrating a castle labeled “your kids.”
Musk’s anti-Netflix initiative began on Tuesday when he wrote “This is not ok” in response to a post from the right-leaning activist account Libs of TikTok, showcasing a clip from Netflix’s “Dead End: Paranormal Park” featuring a transgender protagonist. “Dead End Paranormal Park, a Netflix show, is promoting pro-transgender themes to kids. This show targets 7-YEAR-OLDS,” claimed Libs of TikTok, referring to its TV-Y7 rating, indicating that it is suitable for viewers aged 7 and up. (Netflix has since canceled “Dead End: Paranormal Park” after two seasons and is no longer advertising the series.)
Following this, Musk has shared comments highlighting trans themes in other children’s programming on Netflix, such as “CoComelon” and “The Baby-Sitters Club.” He has also lent support to allegations of Netflix favoring anti-white hiring practices and criticized political contributions made by executives to the Democratic Party.
In response to Musk’s campaign, Netflix has opted not to comment. As Netflix ceased reporting its subscriber statistics quarterly, gauging the effects of Musk’s mobilized boycott might prove challenging.
On Thursday, Musk retweeted a user who commented, “Transgender propaganda isn’t just quietly lurking in the background on Netflix. They are actively promoting it,” while referencing a March 2025 article on Netflix’s Tudum about celebrating Trans Day of Visibility.
He also reacted with a “👊” to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson’s assertion, stating, “The actual reason the Netflix cancellation campaign has become popular: Netflix is sexualizing children by disguising explicit topics as ‘children’s entertainment.’ What they’re doing transcends a cultural battle. It’s immoral. It should be illegal…”
On Wednesday, Musk shared a user’s comment labeling content as “Demonic” in response to Ian Miles Cheong’s post about “CoComelon,” which he described as featuring interracial gay fathers raising a child to be transgender while making it perform in drag. This aligns with the “woke” interpretation of Bacha Bazi.
Musk also shared a claim from Libs of TikTok claiming that all political contributions from Netflix employees in 2024 favored Democrats. Additionally, he responded with “Cancel Netflix” to a post by the account discussing Netflix’s 2023 diversity report, which claimed, “@netflix openly boasts about discriminating against White individuals. In their diversity report, they celebrate the increase in racially underrepresented directors and lead characters. Why doesn’t Netflix hire based on merit instead of skin color?”
Musk is also the father of a transgender child, Vivian Wilson, who changed her name and gender in 2022. In an interview the previous year, Musk stated, “I lost my son, essentially,” claiming he was “tricked” into endorsing gender-affirming treatment for her. He asserted that she had been “destroyed by the woke mind virus.”
Musk’s anti-Netflix campaign garners support from figures like conservative actor and comic Rob Schneider, who expressed gratitude to Musk for opposing what he sees as the “evil Trans indoctrination programming” on Netflix and Disney, concluding with, “God bless you, Sir!”
Conversely, not all are in favor of Musk’s viewpoints. “This guy went from self-identifying as a ‘free speech absolutist’ to being the most reactionary, whiny figure advocating for cancel culture,” remarked Tommy Vietor, co-founder of Crooked Media and co-host of “Pod Save America,” posted on X, criticizing Musk’s approach on Wednesday.
Netflix has previously faced boycotts spearheaded by conservative circles. In 2020, the outcry surrounding Netflix’s film “Cuties,” which featured underage characters in sexualized scenarios, led to a massive surge in account cancellations in the U.S., although that trend subsided within days.
Separately, the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel by ABC last month for his comments on MAGA supporters sparked a significant number of Disney+ and Hulu users to cancel or pledge to cancel their subscriptions. Kimmel’s show was reinstated on September 23.
In its well-known Culture Memo, Netflix asserts in the “Artistic Expression” section: “Representation matters. Our audience comes from diverse backgrounds, and they wish to see a plethora of stories and characters on screen. This diversity is enriching, though it can create real tensions since we all hold different views concerning what’s acceptable and what’s harmful on television.” The memo further emphasizes, “We endorse the artistic expressions of the creators we collaborate with,” and recognizes that “As employees, we support these principles even when certain stories contradict our personal values. If you find it difficult to endorse the breadth of our content lineup, Netflix might not be the right fit for you.”
Back in 2021, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended comedian Dave Chappelle after he faced backlash for his remarks about transgender individuals during the stand-up special “The Closer.” This incident also included a walkout by Netflix employees. Sarandos additionally defended Netflix’s decision to proceed with three specials from Tony Hinchcliffe, following his controversial comment about Puerto Ricans at a Trump rally last year that sparked immense media scrutiny.
Amidst the intensifying “cancel Netflix” initiative led by Musk, the company and its executives have so far chosen to remain silent.
