Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he has cancelled his Netflix subscription after Netflix director Hamish Steele mocked the killing of Charlie Kirk. Steele is the creator of DeadEndia and Netflix’s Dead End: Paranormal Park, who last month shared a expletive-laced post on Bluesky targeting Charlie Kirk.
In the post, the London-based animation director referred to Kirk as a “nazi”. Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political activist, was shot and killed in public on September 10. His funeral drew a crowd of thousands, with Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump in attendance.
Elon Musk cancels Netflix
Elon Musk on Wednesday responded to a post criticizing Netflix for employing Hamish Steele. The post came from former Department of Energy nuclear scientist Matt Van Swol, who accused Netflix of pushing pro-trans content and said he had cancelled his subscription to the streaming giant for hosting content from a director who celebrated Kirk’s murder.
“Just cancelled my Netflix subscription. If you employ someone who celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk and makes content that pushes pro-trans content on my kids...you will NEVER get a dime of my money,” Van Swol wrote.
“Same,” Musk said in response to the post, indicating that he too had cancelled his Netflix subscription.
{{/usCountry}}“Same,” Musk said in response to the post, indicating that he too had cancelled his Netflix subscription.
{{/usCountry}}Backlash against Hamish Steele
Backlash against Steele grew after a clip from his Netflix show, Dead End: Paranormal Park, began circulating on Musk-owned social media platform X. The animated show, aimed at children, was accused of promoting anti-transphobic ideology.
After the clip gained attention, screenshots of his old post also began to circulate online.
Besides cancelling his Netflix subscription in protest, Musk also called Steele a “groomer”.
The Tesla billionaire's past statements suggest he holds a critical view of transgender rights and care. His stance has been linked to the transition of his daughter, whom he has described as having been influenced by what he calls a “woke mind virus.”