An argument has broken out on X over a cartoon show on Netflix, which has led to a number of high-profile individuals publicly claiming that they are canceling their Netflix accounts.
At the center of the row is the TV show, Dead End: Paranormal Park, and its creator, Hamish Steele. The show was canceled in 2023, but it has become the subject of an online argument because it had a transgender character.
Steele, meanwhile, has been criticized after social media accounts claimed that he celebrated the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Newsweek has contacted Steele for comment via email and has reached out to Netflix via an online contact form.
Why It Matters
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10. The right-wing activist was the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth movement.
His assassination has sent shock waves through the country and comes amid fears of increasing political violence in the United States, highlighting divisions gripping the country.
While there has been an outpouring of grief for Kirk over different sides of the political spectrum, there have been some social media posts and videos that have celebrated his killing, while others have responded to his death by sharing criticism of his political beliefs. This has in turn heightened tensions online, and is something that the Trump administration quickly responded to, with Vice President JD Vance encouraging people to report those who may be celebrating his killing to their employer.
The fallout over Dead End: Paranormal Park comes as the Trump administration takes steps to unravel protections for transgender people. Controversy about trans people and trans rights has played out online for years, becoming one of the most significant aspects of the culture wars currently going on in modern society.
What To Know
The origin of the drama involving Netflix, Steele, and the Dead End: Paranormal Park TV show is not exactly clear, given that it was canceled more than two years ago.
On September 29, the account Libs of TikTok shared a post on X, which read in part, “OMG. Dead End Paranormal Park, a show on Netflix, is pushing pro-transgender on CHILDREN. This show is advertised for 7-YEAR-OLDS It’s being promoted on @netflix, kids now. Parents- BEWARE.” This post, which as of press time has been viewed more than 26 million times, appears to be one of the first and most viral posts about the show.
Libs of TikTok then followed up this post with one that alleged that Steele had made negative comments, mocking the murder of Charlie Kirk. Steele has denied this.
The posts from Libs of TikTok have received millions of views and significant traction online.
The narrative about Netflix and the Dead End: Paranormal Park, in multiple posts on X, is that Netflix is pushing “transgender ideology” onto children, and that Netflix is actively promoting the show.
Dead End: Paranormal Park premiered its first season on Netflix in June of 2022, and the second in October of that year. In January 2023, Steele announced that the show had been canceled. It was based on a comic, created by Steele, called DeadEndia.
The Netflix synopsis for the TV show reads, “Two teens and a talking pug team up to battle demons at a haunted theme park—and maybe even save the world from a supernatural apocalypse.” It is rated PG and tagged as being for Kids. The main protagonist of the show is transgender.
The existence of the show marketed toward children with a trans character has sparked backlash online from high-profile conservative figures.
Musk has made multiple posts about the show and claimed that he is canceling his Netflix in response. He shared the Libs of TikTok post, and wrote “This is not OK,” and in a separate post, wrote “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.”
He also shared a post from the account @matt_vanswol which read “Just canceled my Netflix subscription,” and wrote “Same.”
Following the online fallout, Steele has set his X profile to private but has made multiple statements on the social media platform Bluesky. He shared Musk’s post about the show, writing “It’s probably going to be a very odd day,” and addressed the allegation that he had celebrated Kirk’s death, writing “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?””
Dead End: Paranormal Park had a positive critical reception, with a majority of positive reviews on IMDB, a 100 percent average Tomatometer score and a 76 percent average Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What People Are Saying
Zach Barack, the actor who plays the character of Barney in Dead End: Paranormal Park, responding to the post from @Libsoftiktok: “hey, i play barney! im trans & have been out for 10 years. im happier than ive ever been & if someone had shown me this television program as a kid it wouldve saved me years of hating myself! you can fear monger all you want, but kids & parents have told me it saved their lives!!”
The account @MAGAVoice on X: “The mass cancellation of Netflix is happening thanks to Elon Musk. Keep it going.”
Hamish Steele, the creator of Dead End: Paranormal Park in a post on Bluesky: “It’s all lies and slander! Netflix is NOT promoting at the moment!”
Gunther Eaglman, a political commentator, on X: “Have you canceled your Netflix yet? Do it for the kids.”
The account @NebsGoodTakes in a post on X viewed over 60,000 times: “elon suddenly trying to boycott netflix over a cartoon that already got canceled years ago feels like when they all suddenly pretended to care about some squirrel being put down.”
Jeffery Mead, a social media influencer, on X: “This is not appropriate for 7 year olds. but apparently Netflix thinks it is. Be careful and pay attention to what your children are watching.”
What’s Next
Netflix has not publicly responded to the fallout at the time of reporting.