Disney+ face backlash after dropping Love, Simon series over "adult" content

25 February 2020, 11:44

By Sam Prance

Hulu will now host the Love, Simon television spin-off, Love, Victor, instead.

Disney+ is coming under fire after confirming that they will no longer release the upcoming Love, Simon series: Love, Victor.

Last year (Apr 11), Disney told The Hollywood Reporter that they would be transforming Love, Simon into a new TV show for Disney+. However, the company has now dropped the series and it will come out on Disney-owned network Hulu instead. Love, Victor will be set in the same universe as Love, Simon and it will follow high-school student, Victor (Michael Cimino), as he moves to a new city and struggles with his sexual orientation.

READ MORE: Disney are being called out over their "first openly gay" animated character

Love, Victor will debut on Hulu this June but fans are angry with Disney+'s explanation as to why they won't host the show.

Why did Disney+ drop Love, Simon?

THR reports that Disney believed that the "comedy featured more adult themes than it was comfortable featuring on family-focused Disney+. Those topics include alcohol use, marital issues and sexual exploration." Executives "feared they would not resonate with families who watch the service with young kids."

People are now calling out Disney+ for their coded language and refusing to air a series led by a queer main character. One person tweeted: "So #Lovevictor is too ‘mature’ for #DisneyPlus yet y’all have a series about a bounty hunter (Mando), a show where a girl almost gets raped (Runaways), an animated show that curses every 2 minutes (Simpsons)".

Another fan added: "Disney+ be like "We want a TV show with a gay character but like.... can he not do anything gay???? No??? Alright well then he can go to Hulu." On top of that, Leslie Grossman, who guest stars in the series, said that it's "really sweet and family-oriented".

Given that the Love, Simon film and book stray away from "adult" themes, it seems bizarre that Disney+ have dropped the series based on that – and it's understandable why people are so sceptical. It's shameful that in 2020, Disney still haven't made a TV show with a queer character in the main role.

What do you think? Are Disney+ out of line?