The proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is dead, and a Trump administration official is saying what we already knew: this had nothing to do with politics.
“The idea that somehow enforcement has been politicized is ludicrous,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi this week. He was referring to the government’s skepticism of Netflix’s attempt to buy WBD, one of the largest proposed business acquisitions in history.
Assefi is right. Netflix withdrawing its purchase bid for WBD wasn’t about right-versus-left. It was about right-versus-wrong, and the biggest winner in all of this is American families.
I say this as a proud father. The enormous footprint of this merger would have given Netflix more leverage to distribute content to our children that many find alarming. This has been a problem for years, and Netflix acquiring WBD would have only made it worse.
In late 2020, Netflix released “Cuties,” a controversial film ostensibly made to criticize the youth beauty pageant scene. But “Cuties” also sexualized actresses as young as 12. It was a movie so overtly inappropriate that some lawmakers called for an investigation into whether federal laws against producing and distributing child pornography had been broken. Even “Insatiable,” a supposed comedy, promoted dangerous attitudes toward weight and body shape, while often featuring shocking violence.
The Netflix show “13 Reasons Why,” meanwhile, depicts a high school girl who kills herself but leaves behind clues to help her classmates determine why. The first season is consumed with rape scenes presented as causes of her mental decline. From there, the show romanticizes self-harm and even suicide in the name of telling compelling stories.
And it’s not just conservatives who were turned off by 13 Reasons Why. An article in Rolling Stone declared of the second season, “It teeters over the exploitative line that it was always in danger of crossing, and then decides that it’s not that big of a deal.”
In response to such content criticisms, Netflix actually had to set up a portal to a self-harm/suicide hotline. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse since then.
Concerned Women for America – a group that protects and promotes Biblical values and Constitutional principles through prayer, education, and advocacy – found in a study that 41% of Netflix kids’ shows included LGBTQ themes, even in content deemed appropriate for audiences seven years old and up. Even the youngest weren’t spared with fully 21% of Netflix programming rated TV-Y – suitable for 2-6 years old – including LGBTQ content.
In many of these instances, the mentions were far more than just passing. Of the LGBTQ content on Netflix during the study period, 19% – nearly a fifth – had characters who clearly identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or nonbinary. Another 10% had non-primary characters or “queer-coded” characters and 5% involved gay families or participants in reality programming. This raises even more serious questions.
Netflix has even inserted LGBTQ references into reboots of older series, or later seasons of long-running series where none previously existed, such as The Magic School Bus, Power Rangers, The Baby-Sitters Club and The Fairly OddParents.
These protracted content issues are one reason why Elon Musk previously advised parents to “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.”
Considering what Netflix has done with its own programming, it’s frightening to think how it might have handled WBD properties such as DC Comics, the Harry Potter franchise, and a long list of other movies and original programming.
Through regulatory activity from the Trump administration, as well as pressure from consumers and shareholders, the merger that would have created the greatest machine for LGBTQ content in TV history has been stopped. WBD will instead be purchased by Paramount-Skydance, an entertainment company that will hopefully demonstrate a better record when it comes to protecting children.
At a time when so much of our culture seems to be moving in the wrong direction, this is a rare and welcome victory for families. Not everything is about politics; sometimes the reason is good, old-fashioned common sense.
Larry Provost is a columnist and commentator in Washington, D.C. A 26-year Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, he holds a Master of Divinity from Liberty University, an M.P.S. in legislative affairs from The George Washington University and an M.A. in defense and strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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