When Sci-Fi Meets Social Media

Netflix Inc. (NFLX) is wrapping up 2025 with the final season of Stranger Things, its record-breaking sci-fi series that's been a cultural phenomenon for years. The fifth season is being released in three parts across November and December, and millions of fans are tuning in to see how the story ends. But not everyone is happy with where the show is going, specifically Elon Musk, who has some thoughts about one particular plotline.

Part two of the final season dropped on Christmas Day with three episodes released at 8 p.m. ET, just hours after Netflix streamed two live National Football League games. The first four episodes, which premiered on November 26, pulled in 59.6 million views in their first week alone. With the series finale scheduled for New Year's Eve, the show has plenty of plotlines to wrap up and possibly set up for spinoffs.

One of those plotlines involves Will Byers, a core character since season one, coming out to his friends as gay. "The truth is. I am different. I just pretended like I wasn't because I didn't want to be. I don't like girls," Byers says during an episode.

Musk Weighs In

A user on social media platform X posted that fans were criticizing this moment, claiming "the culture is changing." That caught Musk's attention, and the billionaire shared his take whether or not he's actually watched the show.

"It's completely unnecessary and forced on audiences who just want to enjoy some basic sci-fi," Musk said.

Here's the thing though: most viewers of the series have known Byers was gay for years. In season one, his mother mentions that Will's father used to call him "queer," hinting at his sexuality from the very beginning. The character's arc has been building toward this moment throughout the entire series. Musk either missed these early episodes entirely, or he only chose to speak up when the character explicitly confirmed what fans already knew.

Noah Schnapp, the 21-year-old actor who portrays Byers, came out as gay himself in 2023 with a TikTok video saying he was "more similar to Will than I thought," connecting his real life to the character. The show also features Robin Buckley, another main character who is lesbian.

Interestingly, Musk has previously shared that some of his favorite television shows are Silicon Valley and Black Mirror. Both of those shows feature gay characters and storylines, but they didn't receive the same negative attention from the billionaire.

A Pattern of Criticism

This isn't Musk's first rodeo with Netflix criticism, and it's not even his first time this year. Back in October, the billionaire told his followers to cancel their Netflix accounts after clips from Dead End: Paranormal Park went viral on X. The show's director, Hamish Steele, was accused of making critical comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. The show, which ran for two seasons before being cancelled in 2023, features a transgender character and has a Y7 rating. Several accounts claimed this meant the show was targeted at children and pushing trans ideals on kids.

Musk suggested he had canceled his own Netflix subscription and encouraged his followers to do the same. He shared a post accusing Netflix of "pushing pro-transgender" content to children.

"Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids," Musk said.

Before that, in March, Musk attacked Netflix over the show Adolescence, accusing the streamer of "anti-white propaganda."

Shortly after Musk's October criticism, the Pentagon also went after Netflix for its "woke" content, specifically the coming-of-age military series Boots, which was released on October 9. A Pentagon spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly that the Pentagon does not support the Netflix series, highlighting recent efforts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump to change the military. The show had strong early reviews from viewers, but Netflix recently announced Boots would not be renewed for a second season.

The Business Reality

While Stranger Things set viewership records in December, Netflix is hoping to announce a different kind of record when it reports fourth-quarter financial results in 2026. Analysts expect Netflix to report fourth-quarter revenue of $11.96 billion, according to market data. That estimate is up from $10.25 billion in last year's first quarter and from the record revenue of $11.51 billion reported in this year's third quarter.

The third quarter saw record revenue, advertising revenue, and viewership, though it narrowly missed analyst estimates, marking the company's first revenue miss in nine quarters. Those metrics could all be beaten in the fourth quarter.

It's worth noting that Stranger Things is being released in three parts for the fifth season, and the finale is getting a theatrical release in more than 500 movie theaters on December 31, including some AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) locations. That's a pretty big deal for a streaming show.

The streaming giant could face pressure on subscriptions during the fourth quarter if Musk and the Trump administration were able to convince followers to cancel their Netflix plans over LGBTQ+ content. But Stranger Things, NFL games on Christmas, and other fourth-quarter content could be enough to soften any subscriber concerns. Investors and analysts will be closely watching to see if revenue hits new records, and whether the social media controversy translates into any meaningful business impact.

The real test will be whether viewers vote with their wallets or just keep binge-watching their favorite shows regardless of what billionaires say on social media.