Rob Bonta accepted campaign contributions from Netflix.
Posted by The John Phillips Show, Checked
- Sources
- 3 contradict1 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 55%
The John Phillips ShowOct 17, 2026
The sources support that money from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings' wife, Patty Quillin, flowed to Bonta-aligned campaign vehicles, including over $1 million to Smart Justice California. They do not show Netflix the company giving money, and the donor was an individual linked to Netflix, so the claim's literal donor is not confirmed.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Nobody, yet that was a top five issue for him because he accepts so much money from the Indian tribes. Same thing with the merger in Hollywood. At what point in his political career was that ever a passion for him? The answer is, it wasn't. And then for him to take it up at the same time he's taking all kinds of money from Netflix, where he's acting as if he's an attorney for Netflix to try to block that deal, he is 100% pay to play, with the combination of suing Donald Trump every opportunity he has, because in a very partisan environment, in a Democratic state, that causes the …
The John Phillips Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The reported donor is an individual, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings' spouse, and the Smart Justice gifts went to an independent committee rather than directly from Netflix the company to Bonta. No source reports Netflix itself contributing to Bonta.[1][2][3]
Supports. Campaign-finance records reviewed by Fox News show Patty Quillin, wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, gave $1 million to Smart Justice California Action Fund in March 2022, and that group later gave $150,000 to a Bonta-linked effort.[3][4]
Supports. A 2021 LA Times report says Smart Justice California received $127,000 that year from Patty Quillin, wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and the group was backing Bonta's campaign.[2]
Supports. An opinion piece says Quillin gave Bonta's 2021-22 attorney general campaign a maximum $16,200 contribution, and that she later donated to Bonta's wife, Assemblywoman Mia Bonta.[1]
Context. The Netflix-donation allegations come from Republican challengers, a Paramount-sourced report, and partisan outlets, and no fact-checker or authority has examined this specific claim.[3][5][6]
Sources
6 sources: 5 not rated, 1 rated low
- 1Bonta’s Paramount lawsuit isn’t reform — it’s a million-dollar favorwashingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 2California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta leads challengers in campaign cash, buoyed by reformerslatimes.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 3Rob Bonta accused of Netflix donor favor in Paramount merger ...foxnews.com · rated low for factual reporting by Iffy.news · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
- 4Netflix-Linked Contributions Dog Dem AGs Trying to Block ...redstate.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Paramount Brass Believe Netflix Contributions Fuel California AG's Lawsuit to Stop it From Buying WBD, According to a New Reportcordcuttersnews.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 6Rob Bonta accused of Netflix donor favor in Paramount merger suitreddit.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Rob Bonta accepts campaign contributions from Indian tribes.True
- Rob Bonta took legal action to block a merger in Hollywood involving Netflix.Mixed
- Rob Bonta is a candidate for reelection in 2026.True
- Rob Bonta has been covering for corruption as Attorney General of California for years.Can’t tell
- Rob Bonta served as a member of the California state legislature before his appointment as Attorney General.True