Josh Hawley Puts Netflix CEO on the Hot Seat Over Politics and Jobs

“Our DNA is American”: Senator Josh Hawley Secures Job Commitments from Netflix CEO While Blasting “Highly Sexualized” Gender Ideology in Children’s Programming

In the halls of the United States Senate, where the future of American labor and cultural values often intersect, a recent hearing on a potential blockbuster media merger turned into a high-octane confrontation between government oversight and corporate power. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri utilized his time on the Judiciary Committee to deliver a blistering, two-pronged attack on Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, focusing on the company’s treatment of American workers and its increasingly controversial content strategy for children. The exchange, which featured sharp rhetorical volleys and a rare under-oath commitment, has sparked a national conversation about the responsibility of streaming giants in a rapidly shifting social landscape.

The first phase of the hearing centered on the economic impact of Netflix’s business model. Senator Hawley presented a stark visual—a “straight downward” red line on a chart representing U.S.-based production jobs. He accused Netflix and other major studios of “shipping American livelihoods overseas” to foreign jurisdictions, leaving domestic workers in places like Los Angeles in the dust. Hawley noted that despite Netflix’s 10,000 U.S. employees and a content spend projected to grow to $20 billion, the “overall numbers” for domestic production are declining.

In response, Sarandos insisted that most of Netflix’s production remains domestic and forecasted that those numbers would actually increase. Under intense pressure from Hawley, Sarandos made a formal commitment to increasing domestic production and jobs. “It’s in our business plan… and it’s in our long-term operating DNA,” Sarandos asserted. He further committed to using union labor for all future domestic shoots—a move Hawley insisted on to address the deep concerns of the Teamsters and other labor unions who fear that a larger, merged entity would use its monopolistic power to cut residuals and production roles.

However, the tone of the hearing shifted from economic to cultural when Hawley pivoted to the subject of children’s programming. As a father of three young children, Hawley’s critique was deeply personal and reflected the anxieties of millions of American parents. He confronted Sarandos with data suggesting that a significant portion of Netflix’s content for minor children promotes a “highly sexualized” and “highly controversial” transgender ideology.

Hawley cited the recent $2 million jury award in New York to a former transitioner who claimed she was pressured into detrimental “ideology” by medical professionals. He also pointed to the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, which recently announced it would no longer perform transgender surgeries or offer “gender-affirming care” to minors due to its “detrimental” effects. “Yet, if you turn on Netflix, you’ll find an enormous amount of your children’s programming has this ideology and agenda in it,” Hawley argued. “Is this an advocacy position for Netflix?”

Sarandos vehemently denied that Netflix has any political agenda, characterizing the company’s approach as offering a “wide variety of stories” to meet diverse tastes. He pointed to the platform’s “state-of-the-art tools” for parental management, suggesting that parents have the power to block any title they find offensive. But Hawley was not satisfied with the corporate “parental control” defense. He expressed personal offense that a streaming monopolist would “push” content at parents in a way that he believes “undermines” their right to form their children’s values.

“My personal experience is that I can’t let my three children watch anything on Netflix unless I preview it first,” Hawley said. “I don’t want my kids being pushed an agenda about their sexuality or gender identity when I have not had the opportunity first to discuss it with them.”

The hearing concluded with Hawley expressing grave concern over the prospect of allowing Netflix to become “the largest streaming monopolist in the world” while it continues to promote content that he believes is out of step with the values of many American parents. The clash highlights a growing tension in the digital age: as streaming services become the primary “babysitters” for American youth, the debate over who gets to decide the content of those “stories”—and what those stories tell our children—is only just beginning. For Sarandos, the “complicated” nature of residuals and the denial of an ideological agenda may not be enough to satisfy a growing chorus of parents and lawmakers demanding accountability from the “operating DNA” of Hollywood’s most powerful player.