Elon Musk is calling on his millions of followers to cancel their Netflix subscriptions. On Wednesday, the Tesla and SpaceX chief tweeted on X, the platform he owns, “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.” He said he had already canceled his own account.
Musk’s remarks came after online criticism of an animated Netflix show featuring a transgender teenage character. His posts added to growing calls from right-wing commentators to boycott the streaming platform.
Netflix shares dropped by more than 2% on Wednesday, though analysts noted the broader market was also volatile that day. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
What sparked the call to boycott?
The controversy centers on “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” an animated fantasy-comedy that ran on Netflix for two seasons between 2022 and 2023. The show follows a group of young characters working at a haunted theme park, including Barney, a transgender protagonist.
Right-wing social media accounts, including Libs of TikTok, accused the program of promoting “transgender ideology” to children. Clips from the show showing Barney discussing his identity were shared widely online.
Musk reposted several of these clips and comments. “This is not ok,” he wrote in one post, while urging parents to cancel the service. In another, he said: “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.”
What does the show’s creator say?
The show’s creator, Hamish Steele, has defended the series and rejected the claims.
“It’s all lies and slander,” Steele wrote on BlueSky this week. “Netflix is NOT promoting the show at the moment.” He added that while some support messages had been positive, he had also received “nasty and weird homophobic and antisemitic emails.”
Steele announced in January 2023 that Netflix had canceled the series after two seasons. At the time, he thanked the company for allowing him to tell the story, writing: “I want to emphasize my gratitude to Netflix for commissioning the show and for giving us the freedom to tell this story.”
How have people responded?
Some users on X said they followed Musk’s advice and canceled their Netflix subscriptions. A number posted screenshots of their cancellation pages. Google Trends data also showed a spike in searches for “cancel Netflix” after Musk’s post.
Still, there is no clear evidence yet that a large number of subscribers have left the platform. Streaming industry analysts say boycotts often generate headlines but rarely cause major long-term losses.
Netflix has faced boycotts before. In 2021, the company came under pressure over comedian Dave Chappelle’s specials, which many critics said contained transphobic jokes. At the time, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said: “It’s impossible to please everybody. We support artistic freedom and the creators that work at Netflix.”
Musk’s history of boycotts
This is not the first time Musk has urged his followers to abandon a company. He previously told users to delete Facebook, describing it as “unsettling.” He also threatened to ban iPhones from Tesla offices over Apple’s partnership with OpenAI, and called for NPR to be “defunded” after the outlet stopped posting on X.
Musk’s personal connection to transgender issues has also drawn attention. His 21-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, is transgender and has publicly distanced herself from him. In a 2024 interview, Musk told Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson that the “woke mind virus” had “killed” his child. Vivian has since spoken against her father’s views.
For now, Netflix has chosen not to respond to Musk’s latest campaign. Analysts will be watching whether his call has any lasting effect on the company’s large global subscriber base, which stood at more than 270 million earlier this year.
