Netflix was able to celebrate a new series hit early in 2025 with Adolescence. The miniseries deals with the complex topic of toxic masculinity and violence against women. While most critics praise the series, it is Elon Musk who spreads the criticism that the series is anti-white. The main actor and creator of the series commented on this in an interview.
What kind of series is Adolescence? The miniseries premiered on March 13, 2025, on Netflix and quickly became a success. According to Variety, the series reportedly reached 24.3 million viewers in its first four days, despite only having 4 episodes.
The series follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is arrested on suspicion of murder. Throughout the 4 episodes, it is not only clarified whether he committed the crime but also where the motive may stem from. The series discusses themes such as toxic masculinity, violence against women, and the influence of social media.
While critics and many viewers praise the series to the skies, there is also some absurd criticism. A user on X voiced opposition to the series, claiming it is anti-white propaganda
. This was commented on by none other than Elon Musk, who spread the tweet.
Main actor and creator of the series responds to the criticism
What is the supposed criticism? In his tweet, Ian Miles Cheong criticizes the series for allegedly being based on a real case. According to him, the series is based on an event in which a teenager killed 3 children in Southport in 2024 (via Tagesschau). According to Cheong, Netflix whitewashed the perpetrator, whose parents are from Rwanda, in the series and altered the motive to create anti-white propaganda
.
Elon Musk commented on this tweet with Wow
(via x.com), drawing much more attention to it. By the time of the tweet, the criticism
had already been debunked as nonsensical by many sources. Journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh wrote in a X post that the series is not based on a real case and was already filmed by the time of the Southport incident.
Under this tweet, there is also a comment (via x.com) that adds that it is not about a murder case at all, but about the dangers of toxic masculinity, incel culture, and misogyny triggered by social media.
What does the creator of the series say about the criticism
? In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Stephen Graham, one of the creators and the main actor of the series, spoke about the alleged criticism that was shared by Elon Musk. He also stated in the interview that the series was already filmed by the time of the Southport murders.
You have completely misunderstood it. Because if you looked at the facts, you would see that the terrible thing that happened in Southport happened after the end of our [show]. That just doesn’t make sense. So they are using that to pursue their own agenda. I understand the whole concept of free speech, I get it, and I understand what they want to say. But I think there is a thin line between free speech and hate.
Stephen Graham on the criticism that Adolescence isanti-white propaganda
He further adds that some say the series is a woke ideology
. To this he states that it was never about skin color, but about the representation of a family that could live normally on any street. It could be your sister’s children or, God forbid, your own child. Everything that influenced me was social realism.
Elon Musk has long been known for opposing the alleged wokeness
. He also commented on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, criticizing that a streamer promotes the terrible
game. Ubisoft did not let that slide: Ubisoft defeats Elon Musk in his own game
