Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk continues to voice his opinion on everything, and this time, his ideological leaning leads him to cancel his Netflix subscription. Musk has publicly confirmed the cancellation of his Netflix subscription, citing ideological opposition to the streaming platform’s content and the public commentary of Hamish Steele, the director of the animated series ‘Dead End: Paranormal Park’, over the latter’s controversial social media remarks.
Musk’s decision was revealed when he responded with a simple ‘Same’ to a viral post by former Department of Energy scientist Matt Van Swol, who declared he had cancelled his own subscription. Van Swol specifically condemned Netflix for employing someone who ‘celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk’ (a reference to a controversial expletive-laden comment made by Steele regarding the conservative activist) and for producing content that “pushes pro-trans content on my kids.”
Musk cancels Netflix due to ideological differences
Musk has often used his large social media platform to voice his opposition to content promoting gender identity themes, referencing his personal experiences with his daughter’s transition as a driving factor in his stance against what he views as ideological indoctrination.
The controversy has also shone a spotlight on ‘Dead End: Paranormal Park’, the animated children’s series directed by Steele. Clips from the show, which features prominent LGBTQ+ characters and themes, have circulated on social media. Critics allege that it promotes specific ideological messaging to young viewers, to which Musk labels him a ‘groomer’ in a response to one such circulating post.
Supporters of Steele and the show, however, have countered Musk, defending the series for its positive representation of LGBTQ+ themes and dismissing his remarks as harmful rhetoric aimed at queer creators.
This is not the first time Musk has taken a public stance against a major tech or media entity based on ideological differences. Previously, he has voiced intentions to create rivals to platforms he deems “too woke,” one of which includes his plans for a Wikipedia alternative, Grokipedia.
Netflix yet to respond to Musk’s controversy
As of now, Netflix has not issued an official statement regarding either Elon Musk’s public cancellation or the broader controversy surrounding Hamish Steele’s social media posts. The show continues to be aired on Netflix without any changes.
