*Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos found himself under intense scrutiny during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing Tuesday, where Republican lawmakers challenged him over the streaming giant’s content decisions for young audiences.
The hearing, ostensibly focused on Netflix’s proposed $83 billion Warner Bros acquisition, quickly turned into a broader examination of the company’s programming philosophy.
Senator Josh Hawley led the charge with pointed questions about Netflix’s children’s content strategy. The Missouri Republican directly asked Sarandos “why is it that so much of Netflix content for children promotes a transgender ideology?” The executive declined to engage with the premise, instead offering a blanket denial of political motivation.
Netflix is pushing transgender ideology on our kids
And they see no issue with it
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 3, 2026
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Sarandos maintained throughout the hearing that the company has “no political agenda of any kind.” He emphasized Netflix’s commitment to diverse programming across the political spectrum, telling senators the platform offers content “for all left, right and center.”
The accusations appeared to draw from a recent Heritage Foundation report that painted Netflix as wielding disproportionate cultural influence. Senator Eric Schmitt joined his Missouri colleague in pressing Sarandos on what he characterized as “overwhelmingly woke” programming choices, including criticism of DEI initiatives and casting decisions, Deadline reports.
“The overwhelming majority of your stuff right now is overwhelmingly woke, and it’s not reflective of what the American people want to see,” declared Schmitt. “Both you and Netflix have made a habit of promoting DEI and wokeness. I’ll just give a few examples, Netflix content is synonymous for the modern phenomenon of race swapping both historical and real and fictional characters.”
When asked directly whether Netflix stands by its content production choices, Sarandos pivoted to discussing parental control features. He told Senator Schmitt that Netflix provides “state of the art tools for parents to manage what their kids see on Netflix.”
The hearing demonstrated the increasingly politicized scrutiny facing major streaming platforms. While the subcommittee lacks direct regulatory authority over the merger, the Department of Justice maintains actual power over the deal’s fate, with Paramount simultaneously pursuing its own hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery.
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