Billionaire Elon Musk has taken the lead in a campaign joined by right-wing media figures and bloggers urging Americans to cancel their Netflix subscriptions over an animated series featuring a transgender character.
Musk amplified posts from “LibsofTikTok,” Benny Johnson, and other conservatives calling for a boycott of the streaming service over the show “Dead End: Paranormal Park.” “Transgender propaganda on Netflix isn’t hiding in the background,” claimed one user in a post Musk reposted. “It’s being aggressively pushed on viewers.” The post included a link to a collection of films and programs curated for Transgender Day of Visibility.
When another user asked, “Have you canceled your Netflix subscription yet?” Musk replied with a curt “Yes.”
Netflix has not publicly commented on Musk’s remarks. But the show’s creator, Hamish Steele, noted on BlueSky on Tuesday: “Looks like it’s going to be a pretty weird day.” He also stressed that Netflix is not currently promoting the project, adding that claims to the contrary were false. Variety reported that the series had in fact been canceled back in 2023 after two seasons.
Critics pointed to a scene in which the main character identifies as transgender, arguing that the show targets children. Netflix rated it TV-Y7—for audiences ages seven and up.
Musk has repeatedly attacked liberals and Democrats, criticizing their stances on gender, race, and immigration. This week he wrote: “Cancel your Netflix subscription for the sake of your children’s health,” attaching a cartoon depicting Netflix as a Trojan horse labeled “Transgender woke agenda” being dragged into a fortress marked “your children.” In a separate post, he added: “This is unacceptable.”