Elon Musk cancels Netflix subscription amid backlash to trans-inclusive show
Elon Musk cancelled his Netflix in response to Hamish Steele’s comments (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Elon Musk cancelled his Netflix in response to Hamish Steele's comments (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
X boss and free speech stalwart Elon Musk has cancelled his Netflix account amid a right-wing backlash to a trans-inclusive show that was cancelled more than two years ago, and comments made by its queer creator.
Musk, who was recently condemned by Downing Street for using “dangerous and inflammatory” language at Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, took to his platform X, formerly Twitter, to announce he had ended his Netflix subscription.
Musk’s decision came off the back of right-wing backlash to Hamish Steele‘s Netflix animation Dead End: Paranormal Park having trans representation, with infamous figures like Libs of TikTok and Gays Against Groomers sharing video clips from the show and claiming it “pushes trans ideology”.
The animation, which ran for two seasons in 2022, is centred around 17-year-old gay and transgender boy Barney Guttman (Zach Barack) who starts working at a paranormal theme park alongside his pal Norma Khan (Kody Kavitha) and talking pug, Pugsley (Alex Brightman). The trio “team up to battle demons at a haunted theme park — and maybe even save the world from a supernatural apocalypse,” Netflix’s synopsis reads.
Back in January 2023, Steele announced his animation had been cancelled by Netflix and said in a statement: “It was always the plan to give these characters the proper ending they deserve. But sadly, the powers that be don’t want any more.”
In response to Libs of TikTok, which is run by anti-LGBTQ+ influencer Chaya Raichik, sharing a clip of Barney talking about being trans in the show, Musk replied: “This is not ok”.
In another post, depicting an image of a Trojan Horse and suggesting Netflix is using a “transgender woke agenda” to get to “your kids”, Musk wrote: “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.”
Other far-right users subsequently responded to Musk by sharing screenshots of Steele criticising Labour leader Starmer for issuing a statement in the wake of the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was shot in the neck at an open air debate in Utah on 10 September.
Kirk was well-known for his far right views, including his gun advocacy, conspiracy theories and anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 30, 2025
“Why the f**k are you even commenting on this, dickhead? You [sic] sympathy for any of the families being slaughtered by your own weapons but a random Nazi gets shot and it’s a public statement. You’re such a f**king evil s**t,” Steele wrote in his post.
Following this, former nuclear scientist Matt Van Swol announced he had cancelled his Netflix account, citing “Hamish Steele celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder” as the reason, to which Musk reshared the post and commented “same”.
Over on Bluesky, Steele shared their own screenshot of Musk’s response to Libs of TikTok, writing: “It’s probably going to be a very odd day.”
Steele subsequently commented that it is “genuinely funny that Elon Musk has now seen a clip from Dead End”, adding: “He’s on the list with people I know for a fact have watched it along with Ben Shapiro and Eric Adams.”
In a further post, Steele clarified to their followers that they have “mostly been very ok today and found it all quite funny, while really appreciating everyone who has reached out”, but added they had received “extremely nasty weird homophonic and antisemitic emails” and “it is getting a little scary”.
“My Instagram comments are now flooded with replies saying I AM CHARLIE KIRK and that I celebrated his death (which I never did) and all I can think of is Yvie Oddley shouting “WHAT HAS THAT GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?”,” they added in another post.
Speaking to PinkNews back in 2022, Steele responded to right-wing backlash to Dead End: Paranormal Park, which called on broadcasters to change age ratings so parents are aware when children’s shows include so-called “disturbing” LGBTQ+ content, by saying they were “happy for the free publicity”.
Steele described Dead End as “queer in its bones”, saying: “I understand that kids’ media can be escapism but it can also be a little beacon to tell people that you’re not alone, and other people are going through what you’re going through.”
