Pentagon, Trump Officials Criticize Netflix's Boots

The Pentagon publicly rebuked Netflix after the streaming debut of Boots, with Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson calling the streamer’s leadership “woke garbage” and accusing it of pushing an “ideological agenda” while saying the military will not “compromise our standards.” Boots, based on Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine and starring Miles Heizer alongside Vera Farmiga, Max Parker and Liam Oh, is a 1990s-set coming-of-age drama about a closeted gay recruit that has reached Netflix’s top‑10 and earned about 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Wilson framed the criticism as part of President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort to “restore the warrior ethos” and reaffirm uniform, sex‑neutral standards. The backlash comes amid broader Pentagon policies under Trump and Hegseth, including bans on transgender enlistment and revised fitness guidance. The Pentagon’s statement did not directly engage the show’s themes or creative collaborators, and many critics have praised Boots as a respectful yet critical portrayal of LGBT service members under earlier military policies.