Elon Musk urges Netflix cancellations over LGBTQ+ kids’ shows

New Delhi: Elon Musk has urged his followers to cancel Netflix, attacking the streamer over children’s titles that include LGBTQ+ characters and accusing it of pushing a “woke” agenda. 

The push followed a resurfaced clip from the animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park, which features a transgender protagonist. Musk amplified the clip on X and called for a boycott, helping drive a broader right-wing backlash against Netflix.

In a series of posts this week, Musk wrote “This is not ok” and “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,” and said he had ended his own subscription. The remarks were tied to criticism of Dead End, a show that ended in 2023 after two seasons. 

Musk and allied accounts also flagged other titles as evidence of alleged ideological bias, citing examples from The Baby-Sitters Club and CoComelon Lane. Tech and culture outlets framed the campaign as part of a wider push against trans and queer representation in youth programming. 

Netflix has not issued a formal response. Creators and talent connected to the shows defended the portrayals; Dead End’s creator publicly rejected Musk’s claims, and performers pointed to positive feedback from viewers who saw themselves represented on screen. 

Markets reacted modestly. Netflix shares slipped by roughly two per cent during Thursday trading after Musk’s posts circulated, though it’s unclear how much of the move was directly tied to the boycott calls.

The episode underscores a recurring tension for streamers: children’s content has become a flashpoint for political identity debates, even when the titles at issue are older or niche. In this case, Dead End has been off the service’s new-release slate for two years, yet the clip’s recirculation and Musk’s megaphone transformed it into a fresh battleground overnight.

For Netflix, which now runs both subscription and ad-supported tiers, the practical question is whether hashtag boycotts translate into sustained churn or advertiser skittishness. Past flare-ups have rarely produced long-term subscriber damage, but they can shape content decisions and brand-safety calculations around kids’ programming.