Senators Grill Netflix Over 'Woke' Content at WB Deal Hearing

Republican lawmakers accuse Netflix of pushing 'propaganda' and not reflecting 'what the American people want to see'

Feb. 3, 2026 at 4:23pm

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At a Senate hearing on Netflix's $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., Republican senators Ted Cruz and Eric Schmitt heavily criticized the streamer for having 'the wokest content in the history of the world' and pushing 'propaganda'. The senators expressed concerns over 'censorship in the media and censorship in Hollywood' and 'hatred of Donald Trump', accusing Netflix of not being 'reflective of what the American people want to see'.

Why it matters

The hearing highlights the ongoing political tensions around the perceived ideological leanings of major media companies and their content. Republicans have frequently accused Netflix and other tech/media firms of liberal bias, while Democrats have raised concerns about consolidation and the potential for reduced diversity of viewpoints.

The details

During the hearing, Sen. Cruz bluntly stated that 'Netflix has long been a left wing company' and questioned whether the combined Netflix-Warner Bros. entity would become 'a propaganda outlet pushing one particular political view'. Sen. Schmitt declared that 'the overwhelming majority of your stuff right now is overwhelmingly woke' and demanded that Sarandos confirm if Netflix stands by its 'content production decisions'. Sarandos defended Netflix's programming, saying it caters to a range of political views and provides parental controls.

  • The Senate hearing took place on February 3, 2026.

The players

Ted Cruz

A Republican senator from Texas who has been a vocal critic of perceived liberal bias in the media and entertainment industry.

Eric Schmitt

A Republican senator from Michigan who joined Cruz in criticizing Netflix's content as being 'overwhelmingly woke'.

Ted Sarandos

The co-CEO of Netflix, who defended the company's programming during the hearing.

Mike Howell

The boss of the Oversight Project, a Heritage Foundation spinoff that produced a report painting Netflix as having an 'outsized role in socially engineering millions of Americans'.

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What they’re saying

“Netflix has long been a left wing company”

— Ted Cruz, Senator (Deadline)

“The overwhelming majority of your stuff right now is overwhelmingly woke, and it's not reflective of what the American people want to see”

— Eric Schmitt, Senator (Deadline)

“We have a great deal of programming on Netflix for all left, right and center. We have state of the art tools for parents to manage what their kids see on Netflix”

— Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO, Netflix (Deadline)

What’s next

The Senate Judiciary subcommittee will continue to scrutinize the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros. merger and the political leanings of media companies' content.

The takeaway

The hearing highlights the ongoing partisan divide over the perceived ideological biases of major tech and media companies, with Republicans accusing Netflix of pushing a 'woke' and 'left-wing' agenda that does not reflect the views of the American public.