Elon Musk has been widely criticised for spreading misinformation about Netflix‘s new hit series, Adolescence.
Starring Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper, the show follows a young boy who is arrested for the murder of his classmate, with the show exploring the aftermath of the crime, as well as the psychological and social factors that led to it.
Also examined in the four-part series is the rise of misogyny among young boys and how social media has impacted their attitudes towards women, as well as the challenges faced by parents navigating their children’s upbringing in an increasingly online world.
After the series aired, Ian Miles Cheong took to X/Twitter to allege the show was “based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer”. He went on to say they had “race swapped the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy” and altered the story so “he was radicalized online by the red pill movement”, something Cheong called “anti-white propaganda”.
Netflix has a show called Adolescence that’s about a British knife killer who stabbed a girl to death on a bus and it’s based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer.
So guess what. They race swapped the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy and the… pic.twitter.com/6EdPFdcLT0
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 20, 2025
The attack he referenced occurred last year when at a Taylor Swift dance class held on July 29, three children were horrifically killed in a knife attack at a themed dance and yoga workshop on Hart Street in Southport.
However, Adolescence was first announced on March 14, 2024, and was already in production and being filmed before the Southport tragedy happened.
Despite the inaccuracy of Cheong’s claims, Musk replied: “Wow”, with scores of X users slamming him for politicising the deaths of the Southport victims and fuelling the erroneous claims.
“The amount of viral nonsense that is posted as news on this app, often amplified by Elon Musk, is mind-boggling,” wrote one user. “Adolescence is not based on the Southport attack or a single case. It was already in production and being filmed before Southport happened.”
Another echoed that sentiment, writing: “Elon Musk’s reckless amplification of misinformation, like the false claim that “Adolescence” is based on the Southport attack, fuels division and distorts reality. The show was in production before the incident, tackling broader issues of knife crime and incel culture, not a single case. Musk’s pattern of spreading viral nonsense on X is dangerous.”
In a four-star review of Adolescence, NME wrote: “Its unflinching commitment to the darkest corners of the story will remain with you long after the credits have rolled. These four episodes alone won’t stop the encroachment of the so-called ‘manosphere’ on regular boys’ lives but it has the power to start some much-needed conversations.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month The Bear star Ayo Edebiri recalled receiving “insane death threats and racial slurs” after Musk spread claims that she had been cast in a “fake reboot” of Pirates of the Caribbean.
The Tesla CEO reshared a post that falsely claimed Disney was considering the 29-year-old Edebiri as a replacement for Johnny Depp in a proposed sixth instalment of the franchise.