Netflix’s latest documentary, The Man With 1000 Kids, looks into the case of Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a Dutch sperm donor. Reportedly, Meijer has fathered more than 500 confirmed biological children via sperm donation. Josh Allott, the director of the three-part limited series, includes interviews with women and families who claimed they received sperm donations from Meijer under pretenses. He made sperm donations worldwide, of which 11 banks were from the Netherlands.
Following the premiere of the hit documentary series, Jonathan Jacob Meijer alleged that Netflix misrepresented him. Meijer, who regularly posts on his YouTube channel, released a video arguing that the number in the title is inaccurate. He stated that he has fathered close to 600 children through sperm donation. He also described the series as “sensationalist and misleading,” reported Elle Magazine.
The Man With 1000 Kids: Where is sperm donor Jonathan Jacob Meijer now?
Jonathan Jacob Meijer, the subject of The Man With 1000 Kids, continues to post on his YouTube channel after the documentary’s premiere. Netflix reported that he recently visited Zanzibar and has been “very transparent about where he is in YouTube videos,” stated executive producer Natalie Hill. She further added, “And from what we know, he’s not had a steady job of any sort.”
Director Josh Allott revealed that they offered Meijer the chance to appear in the documentary, which he denied. Allott said, “I did meet [Jonathan] in order to speak to him about being in the documentary.” He claimed they “approached him a number of times to be interviewed and gave him a right to reply at the end.” However, Meijer “refused to comment on any of the allegations in the series.”
Elle Magazine stated that Jonathan Jacob Meijer violated regulations concerning sperm donation. As a Dutch sperm donor, he was allowed to make donations to 12 different mothers legally in the Netherlands for a total of 25 children. However, he ended up fathering 500 kids after donating sperm to 11 banks in his native country. Additionally, he made private donations and has a confirmed number of 500 children. The Man With 1000 Kids documentary claims that he possibly has up to 3000 children biological children.
Meijer initially alleged that he had planned to make sperm donations to a limited number of families. The Netflix documentary, which includes interviews with families and victims, delves into his lies and refusal to stop making donations. Eventually, Meijer confessed to fathering “nearly 600” biological children in court. A court in the Netherlands banned him from making new donations. The court also ordered him to “request that sperm banks destroy any of his semen available to new parents.”
According to Forbes, Jonathan Jacob Meijer is now trying to sue Netflix for its The Man With 1000 Kids documentary. He dropped a video on this YouTube channel on July 5, 2024, claiming that he had filed a slander report against the streaming giant. The report concerns a statement that alleges he swapped or mixed sperm with another donor named Leon. In a recent interview with The Independent, he refuted the assertion that claimed he and Leon mixed/swapped their sperm to see whose would “win.”
In the video, Meijer stated, “I’ve never done that, it’s a blatant lie and Netflix will have to remove it or I will make a legal case.” Regarding the statement, he further said, “Is that in the documentary? No, that’s total slander. It’s insane. Why would I do that? Why should anyone do that?” Furthermore, he said, “If it’s in the documentary, be prepared, I will definitely sue the hell out of the whole Netflix crew.”
Jonathan Jacob Meijer, who is now threatening to sue Netflix, first became a sperm donor in 2007. He was 25 years old at the time. The sperm donor documentary The Man With 1000 Kids is now streaming on the platform.