kamala harris with a mic
(Chris duMond/Getty Images)

Conservatives Are Boycotting Netflix Over Chairman’s Harris Donation, Apparently

Another day, another hissy fit.

As if this year’s election cycle couldn’t get any weirder, MAGA Republicans are now trying to “cancel” Netflix over a recent controversy involving Vice President Kamala Harris. Sigh. Let’s get into it.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably well aware that President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid over the weekend after facing mounting pressures from congressional Democrats and members of his inner circle to resign. It’s hard to say what exactly marked the moment left-leaning voters lost faith in Biden, but we can likely point to a combination of his age (he’s 81 years old—the oldest American president, btw), his stance on Gaza, and his admittedly poor debate performance against Donald Trump—it’s not an easy watch.

Since pulling out of the race, Biden has reinvigorated faith in the Democratic Party by endorsing current Vice President Kamala Harris, because let’s be real—things weren’t looking too hot. In just a matter of days, self-proclaimed BRAT Harris has raised over $120 million in donations to fund her campaign in what is being dubbed a “blue tsunami.” With such an unprecedented wave of support, it seems more than likely that Harris will snag the party’s nomination at the DNC in August.

Still, not everyone is hopping on the #KHive bandwagon, as angry conservatives are now threatening to boycott Netflix after co-founder Reed Hastings donated to a super PAC in support of Harris’ presidential campaign. Tudum …

Netflix exec Reed Hastings gives $7 million gift to pro-Kamala Harris super PAC

Per The Information, the streaming service’s co-founder and executive chairman publicly backed Harris on Tuesday, revealing that he’d donated a frankly mind-boggling $7 million to her campaign. Hastings told the outlet, “After the depressing debate, we are in the game again,” flexing that this was the largest contribution he’d ever given to a single candidate. We’re never beating the “woke Hollywood” allegations. According to the outlet, this generous gift came at the recommendation of his fellow billionaire buddy (and LinkedIn exec) Reid Hoffman.

Given that Hastings has been more than vocal about his feelings towards the 2024 Presidential Election (he is a longtime Democratic donor, after all), it’s not exactly surprising to see him going all-in on Team Harris. Earlier this month, the businessman called on Biden to resign in a piece for The New York Times, saying, “Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” echoing sentiments of House Democrats and voters alike. On Monday, Hastings even tweeted, “Congrats to Kamala Harris — now it is time to win.”

Well, Harris certainly has a ringing endorsement under her belt, and the Netflix exec sure seems confident about her odds of beating Trump. But believe it or not, MAGA Republicans are pissed about the whole thing. Shocker! Now, #CancelNetflix is trending online, but what do they actually hope to achieve?

So, you want to “cancel” Netflix …

Hastings’ $7 million donation is ruffling feathers online, with conservative commentators crawling out of the woodwork and onto social media to whine about a rich dude supporting his political party, as if that’s … odd? Clearly, some people have no idea how presidential campaigns work, or are just upset that one of the founders of a streaming service they may or may not subscribe to has expressed his opinion. Either way, Republican Twitter (X) is absolutely losing their s***—here are some highlights.

Still, as this user pointed out, the irony of this situation is absolutely rich when considering that Donald Trump himself donated $6 thousand to Harris’ campaign when she was the attorney general of California back in 2011. LOL. For people who sure like to claim that Democrats and leftists are the ones who try to cancel everything, this seems a smidge hypocritical, no?

Suffice it to say, Netflix will probably be A-OK without your monthly subscription fee of $15.49. Look, I don’t have particularly strong feelings on the matter one way or another, but what I do recognize is that Silicon Valley tech bros have a long and storied history of donating to politicians. For reference, venture capitalist David Sacks, billionaire Doug Leone, and even Elon Musk (okay, maybe not) have all pledged to back Trump’s campaign, per CBS News. This is just what rich people do, I fear. However, if you’re really up in arms over Hastings’ donation, maybe consider subscribing to DailyWire+? I hear that’s going great!


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Author
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Amanda Landwehr
Amanda is a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer who lives and breathes Star Wars, Marvel, and all things pop culture. She has worked in digital media since 2021, covering the latest movie/TV releases, casting updates, fan theories, and so, so much more. When she's not rotting away behind her laptop screen, you can typically catch Amanda maxing out her AMC Stubs membership.