No, Netflix’s $7 Million Donation to Kamala Harris’ Campaign is a Myth

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has personally donated $7 million to a super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. However, the company itself did not make the donation.

The fundraising momentum for Harris surged after President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her in late July. Her campaign, which has now raised over $200 million, revealed that the majority of the funds come from first-time contributors.

Social media has been rife with calls to boycott Netflix, fueled by erroneous claims that the company donated $7 million to Harris’ campaign.

An X post with over 350,000 views incorrectly stated, “Netflix just donated 7 million dollars to Kamala Harris. I just canceled my subscription!” This caused multiple inquiries questioning the legitimacy of the donation.

THE QUESTION

Did Netflix donate $7 million to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign?

THE ANSWER

No, Netflix did not donate $7 million to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign. The donation was made personally by Netflix’s co-founder Reed Hastings.

WHAT WE FOUND

Contrary to viral posts, it was Reed Hastings, not Netflix, who donated the $7 million to support Kamala Harris. A Netflix spokesperson affirmed, “This is a personal donation by Reed, and totally unrelated to Netflix.”

Hastings shared in an interview with The Information that he made the donation to the Republican Accountability PAC, a super PAC that recently started an ad campaign supporting Harris. The donation represents Hastings’ largest-ever contribution to a single candidate.

“Congrats to Kamala Harris — now it is time to win,” Hastings posted on X on July 23.

FEC regulations cap direct campaign contributions from individuals at $3,300 per election. Super PACs, however, can accept unlimited funds from individuals, corporations, or other PACs, as long as their efforts are independent of the candidates they support.

Open Secrets, a campaign finance watchdog, explained, “Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates. They are prohibited from donating money directly to candidates and must not coordinate spending with candidates.”

Super PACs are required to disclose their donors to the FEC either monthly or semiannually during non-election years. Hastings’ donation will appear in upcoming filings, as the most recent records are only up to June 30.

Attempts to reach the Republican Accountability PAC for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

This story is reported by Arizonanews.org. The Associated Press contributed to this report.