Netflix’s latest documentary, The Man With 1000 Kids, explores the story of Jonathan Jacob Meijer, who donated sperm across the globe and fathered more than 500 children for families. The three-part docuseries features in-depth interviews with parents and medical experts involved in the case. Additionally, the project talks about how Meijer deceived parents and broke the law to father so many children. The documentary is available to stream on Netflix.
Per The Mirror, Jonathan Jacob Meijer has previously worked as a mail carrier, civics teacher, and cryptocurrency expert. Moreover, he has his own YouTube channel, where he posts travel vlogs and videos about how he became a sperm donor. According to one of the videos, Meijer comes from a large family and has seven siblings. People Magazine reported that he became a sperm donor after one of his friends told him about being infertile. However, in 2017, the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Netherlands banned him from donating sperm.
ABC News stated that the guidelines laid by Dutch medical agencies allow a donor to father only 25 children. Although it’s not a crime to father more than 25 children, the guideline exists to prevent psychological and other problems. The outlet mentioned that Jonathan Jacob Meijer had already fathered 102 babies before the ban. Additionally, he lied to several parents and clinics by telling them he would only donate to their banks.
Who is Jonathan Jacob Meijer & what did he do?
According to The New York Times, the donor continued to donate sperm by registering with sperm banks globally. Moreover, the outlet claimed that Meijer had offspring in Australia, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, the US, and more. Some families even filed a lawsuit against Meijer and claimed that the fear of “accidental incest and inbreeding will harm their romantic lives as adults,” reported People Magazine. Meijer was subsequently banned from giving his sperm to clinics. A Dutch court ordered him to instruct the clinics to destroy his samples.
Several reports suggest that Jonathan Jacob Meijer fathered more than 500 children. However, the Netflix documentary The Man With 1000 Kids states that the serial sperm donor fathered more than 1000 kids. Meijer has vehemently denied these allegations and said he helped out with 550 children. In a video posted on his YouTube video in June 2024, he said, “I don’t know where they get this number. From my knowledge, I helped out with 550 children. So somehow they manage to magically add 450 children to my records.”
The Man With 1000 Kids is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
