Elon Musk has urged his followers to cancel their Netflix subscriptions due to what he describes as Netflix's "woke bias" and the promotion of LGBTQ+ storylines in children's shows. The controversy centers on the animated Netflix series "Dead End: Paranormal Park," which features a transgender character named Barney and is marketed for children as young as seven. Musk called for cancellations specifically "for the health of your kids," reposting content accusing Netflix of pushing a "transgender woke agenda." This call follows criticism of the show's creator, Hamish Steele, who was accused by some conservative accounts of making inflammatory comments. Musk has ended his own Netflix subscription and made multiple posts encouraging others to do the same.
This campaign has caused Netflix shares to drop by a few percent and has sparked debate about content and representation on streaming services, but analysts believe the impact on Netflix’s overall business will be limited given its large subscriber base.
In summary, Musk’s call to cancel Netflix stems from conservative backlash against the representation of transgender characters in children's programming on Netflix, which he strongly opposes and has framed as a health concern for children.