Elon Musk tells 226 million followers to cancel Netflix, movement goes viral

Elon Musk told his 226 million X followers to “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids” at 7:42 AM on October 1, 2025, and he had already replied “Same” to a user’s cancellation the night before, which sparked a #CancelNetflix wave.

His posts followed a clip of the animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park and renewed circulation of screenshots attributed to creator Hamish Steele after the September 10, 2025, killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Within hours, “#Cancel Netflix” trended on X, and the call drew millions of views. Netflix shares slipped about 2 percent in early trading, though analysts said the move tracked broader market jitters.

Netflix had not issued an on-record statement at press time. Steele later denied celebrating Kirk’s death. 

Dead End: Paranormal Park ended in 2023, yet remains streamable.

What exactly did Elon Musk say, and when and where did he say it?

Elon Musk’s sequence of posts unfolded on X across three days, each tied to specific clips or claims about Dead End: Paranormal Park.

On September 29, 2025, at 4:04 AM. On X, in reply to a Libs of TikTok clip, Elon Musk wrote,

“This is deeply wrong.”

On September 30, 2025, evening. He amplified boycott chatter by replying “Same” to a user who posted a cancellation screenshot.

The reply appears at 7:03 PM on his profile.

On September 30, 2025, he also reacted to the kids' clip with “This is not ok,” which circulated widely among boycott posts.

On October 1, 2025, at 7:42 am, he issued the explicit call. As per the X post dated October 1, 2025, Elon Musk said,

“Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.”

The post had 7.3 million views shortly after it went live.

Context for reach and market flash

Elon Musk has 226 million followers on X, which explains the fast spread of the message.

Financial outlets noted a roughly 2 percent pre-market slip in Netflix shares the same morning, while cautioning that the broader market selloff could be the dominant driver. Netflix did not immediately comment.

Why target Netflix? The Hamish Steele and Charlie Kirk controversy behind the trend

The trigger was a confluence of two things that Elon Musk highlighted.

First was a resurfaced clip from Dead End: Paranormal Park, a kids and teen animation with a transgender lead character, which became a fresh flashpoint for critics who argue the show’s themes are inappropriate for children.

Second was a renewed focus on screenshots of Hamish Steele’s profanity-laced remarks posted after the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a killing that has been covered extensively by major wires.

Note: Dead End: Paranormal Park was canceled after two seasons in January 2023. It is no longer in production, yet its episodes remain available on Netflix.

Steele’s responses: On October 1, 2025, Hamish Steele said on Bluesky,

“I have mostly been very ok today and found it all quite funny, while really appreciating everyone who has reached out, but the extremely nasty weird homophonic and antisemitic emails have started rolling in and it is getting a little scary so I apologise if I take longer to respond to stuff.”

In reference to claims he celebrated Kirk’s death, Steele also clarified,

“which I never did,”

Elon Musk’s setup for the boycott lines up with those posts and the show clip. He reacted, called the content harmful to kids, and then escalated to a cancellation call.

Stay tuned for more updates.