Warner Bros. recently wrapped up a lengthy struggle over its ownership by Discovery, a saga marked by several dramatic events. There was a notable sit-in to sway President Trump, a series of high-profile Congressional hearings, an intense bidding war, and, surprisingly, a tampon.
That’s right—a tampon.
While negotiating the deal, Netflix found itself trying to persuade doubtful Republican lawmakers that it wasn’t a typical left-wing company attempting to expand its influence via Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). During a visit to Netflix headquarters, some lawmakers were taken aback to find a basket of tampons in the men’s restroom, leaving them shocked and uneasy.
Now, to clarify, CEO Ted Sarandos had several reasons for pulling out of the almost finalized acquisition of WBD’s studios and streaming services. The “tampon incident,” as it’s taken to be known on Capitol Hill, has definitely contributed to the Republican Party’s staunch resistance to Sarandos’ ambitions.
“This is 2026, not 2020,” remarked one Republican staff member familiar with the situation. “What were they thinking?”
According to a Netflix report, Sarandos’ bid—valued at $73 billion for a significant stake in WBD—was suddenly canceled last Thursday. The reasoning was that Sarandos didn’t want to be involved in a bidding war with Paramount Skydance, which had just accepted a more aggressive offer of $80.5 billion for the company.
David Ellison’s Paramount, despite being a smaller media entity, boasts considerable financial backing thanks to his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whose net worth is around $200 billion. This wealth supported Ellison’s expanding bid for the entire company.
In contrast, Sarandos leads a public company that suffered a staggering $200 billion loss in market value amid a costly acquisition process, which shareholders were apparently not pleased about. Sarandos stated: “This deal has always been a ‘nice-to-have’ at the right price, not a ‘must-have’ at any price.”
However, it wasn’t just the price that posed a challenge for Sarandos. Throughout the six-month bidding war, many Republican lawmakers and White House officials began to view Netflix as potentially creating a streaming monopoly, a critical avenue for American entertainment.
Netflix countered this viewpoint, insisting it faces competition from social media and platforms like YouTube, but it seems that the pushback has only grown stronger recently. A major concern remains that Netflix might leverage its potential clout from WBD to bolster progressive themes in its programming.
Sarandos has long maintained that Netflix’s offerings cater to diverse political views, yet conservative advocacy groups have cited research suggesting that many of its shows promote themes such as transgenderism and inclusivity, often aligning with more liberal ideologies.
Interestingly, both Sarandos and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings are known supporters of the Democratic Party and progressive ideals. Susan Rice, a former senior official in the Obama administration and a critic of Trump, is on Netflix’s board. Her offhand comments disparaging companies working with President Trump have been said to further harm Sarandos’ chances with the White House regarding the WBD deal.
Last month, Sarandos faced tough questions from the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee led by Republican Sen. Mike Lee from Nevada. Not long after, he voiced concern over Republican lawmakers and the White House potentially jeopardizing the deal due to antitrust worries.
Adding to his difficulties, a few weeks ago, a group of Republican lawmakers visited Netflix’s headquarters in Los Angeles. This visit was part of an annual congressional tour to various Hollywood studios coinciding with the Grammy Awards.
One notable attendee was Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith, a prominent member of Congress and chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, who has expressed skepticism toward Netflix’s claims of being politically neutral. Sources later relayed that upon visiting the men’s room during his meeting, he noticed the tampon basket.
“Let’s just say the chairman was pretty upset,” commented a source.
In recent years, several tech firms have placed tampons in men’s facilities as part of initiatives promoting inclusivity for transgender employees. However, many conservatives view these actions as attempts to normalize transgender issues, leading to potential societal repercussions such as influencing children or diluting traditional family structures.
They argue that these values deeply intertwine with Netflix’s programming, and the tampon incident serves as a clear indication that Netflix isn’t straying from its established policies.
A spokesperson for Rep. Smith declined to provide any comment, while a Netflix representative also had no statement to make.
