The Man with 1000 Kids may sound like a fun title for a show, but the Netflix documentary actually covers a very serious subject as it investigates fertility clinics and focuses on one sperm donor who is alleged to have fathered hundreds of children.
Netflix says it "uncovers the gripping tale of a charming Dutch scammer, Jonathan Meijer who is accused of traveling the world deceiving mothers into having his babies on a mass scale".
Here's everything we know about the three-part series…
The Man with 1000 Kids release date
The Man with 1000 Kids is released on Netflix on Wednesday, July 3 at 8 am UK time. It is also released on Netflix in the US on the same date. All three parts will be available to watch at once on the streamer. We have a new on Netflix this week (June 29 - July 5) article for more shows and movies to watch.
What's the heart of the story? Who is Jonathan Meijer?
It looks into Jonathan Meijer but also the wider world of fertility clinics and asks if they protect the people using them enough. Jonathan Meijer is a Dutchman in his early 40s who is accused of being a serial sperm donor. In April 2023 a Dutch court ordered him to stop donating. While Dutch guidelines say a donor should not father more than 25 children, he is alleged to have fathered hundreds. And it's further alleged that Jonathan Meijer didn't just donate in Holland, he also donated in other countries.
In the Netflix documentary, the makers talk to a "group of passionate and aggrieved parents" who want to prevent Jonathan Meijer from donating again and to stop anything like this from happening again.
Is Jonathan Meijer in the Netflix documentary?
No, Jonathan Meijer declined to take part in the documentary. He did though speak to Newsweek via email. He said: "Already the title is super misleading. Deceptive. No surprise to anybody, Netflix is like any other corporation, company, focused on making money." He claimed that the documentary focuses on a small group of parents and not the "wonderful parents that I have helped worldwide and are extremely grateful for my help". He denied misleading parents.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, it opens with the line, "What if I were to tell you that there is a man alive today who may have fathered over a thousand children? What kind of man would do that?". We then see clips of parents who believe their dream of parenthood was tainted by what happened and how they want better protection in place for people using fertility clinics.
For more great shows on Netflix check out our best Netflix shows guide.
