Netflix Axes Ibram X. Kendi Show Called ‘Antiracist Baby’ — And Other Woke Projects

Netflix has pulled the plug on Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s show, “Antiracist Baby,” along with several other proposed offerings that would present a nod — or a total-body immersion experience — to woke culture.

According to a report from Variety, Kendi’s “Antiracist Baby” — which was aimed at preschoolers — was one of three animated shows to get the axe. The others were the Ava DuVernay-produced “Wings of Fire” series and a film titled “With Kind Regards From Kindergarten.”

Netflix Scraps Several Animated Projects, Including Ava DuVernay’s ‘Wings of Fire’ and ‘Antiracist Baby’ (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/WyXNzBBBVh

— Variety (@Variety) May 17, 2022

The streaming service also canned another Kendi project, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You,” which was intended to be a “companion piece” to Kendi’s “Stamped From the Beginning.” The latter, according to Variety, is in post-production and is described as “a hybrid documentary and scripted feature that delves into race in the United States.”

Despite a drop-off in revenue growth that cost 150 primarily U.S.-based employees their jobs this past week, sources at Netflix told Variety that the decision to cancel those projects was not financially motivated. “The decisions not to move forward with these projects were creative rather than cost related, meaning they would have taken place regardless of the company’s slower revenue growth,” Variety reported.

“They were doing an “Antiracist Baby” TV show? Good grief,” Mark Hemingway responded.

“It is … weird … that “Antiracist Baby” was ever a show in the mix for being made, tbh,” @SonnyBunch added.

In addition, Netflix recently announced it was canceling a planned feminist animated series from actress-turned-exiled-royal Meghan Markle.

“The series was supposed to revolve around a 12-year-old girl ‘on a journey of self discovery’ inspired by the legacy of famous women from history,” Page Six reported on May 1. “The executive producer on the series — which was being created through Markle’s and hubby Prince Harry’s Archewell Productions — was Elton John’s husband David Furnish.”

Thank goodness for small mercies: Netflix just canned Meghan Markle’s planned kiddie cartoon series https://t.co/3XQ6S2WQHY

— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) May 2, 2022

The announcements come on the heels of a statement from Netflix executives to the streaming service’s employees, warning them that the company may choose to invest in projects that not everyone agrees with.

“Entertaining the world is an amazing opportunity and also a challenge because viewers have very different tastes and points of view. So we offer a wide variety of TV shows and movies, some of which can be provocative,” the statement read. “We support the artistic expression of the creators we choose to work with … we let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices.”

“If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you,” it said.

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