Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘The Man With 1000 Kids’ shining a light upon Dutch sperm donor Jonathan Jacob Meijer through the experiences of his recipients, we get a documentary series unlike any other. That’s because it integrates both dramatic recreations and exclusive interviews to really explore how he allegedly defrauded vulnerable families across the world to father at least 500+ children. It turns out this charismatic, long blonde-haired, blue-eyed musician as well as YouTuber had started donating way back in 2007, only to be court-ordered to stop in 2023 following a civil lawsuit.
Jonathan Jacob Meijer Found Donating Spiritually Appealing
It was around 1981 that Jonathan was born in a relatively comfortable and religious family in the Netherlands as one of eight children, just to then grow up alongside other big families in the area. “It was a great thing to be surrounded by so many siblings — still a great thing to be surrounded by so many siblings,” Jonathan candidly conceded in one of his videos from February 2024. “In my church also, many big families. I really enjoyed it. Now, there were also people who were not so fortunate to have any children, and that’s always heartbreaking to see. Even as a little child.”
However, it wasn’t until Jonathan learned one of his close friends was infertile while attending college in preparation to become a social studies teacher that he became inspired to start donating. “We thought about possibilities for him and his girlfriend,” he stated. “He told me there was foster parenting, adoption, and also sperm donation. Sperm donation sounded to me like something I hadn’t thought about before. I was never really aware of such a thing til the moment I spoke to my friend about this; then, it became realistic.” He thus discovered all the details regarding its process too, along with how then-recent law changes removing forever anonymity had resulted in many donors backing off as well as clinics shutting down.
That’s when Jonathan realized he could help out — his friend had allegedly sadly already dropped out of school due to depression, yet whenever he came across stories of donations, he felt illumed. “It seemed like something very small thing with a big impact – – enormous impact,” he expressed. “Still, the donor is in the background. He’s not getting medals or rewards or fame or money, and I found it very appealing because I thought, ‘These men, they do something without needing something in return. They spend their time for others.” He believed this notion to be noble plus spiritually fulfilling, driving him to become a donor too — a decision he claimed he took after careful consideration despite knowing his genes were healthy.
Jonathan Jacob Meijer Has Admittedly Fathered Over 550 Kids
It was in 2007 that Jonathan began donating his sperm, but he was never anonymous and abided by the parents’ wishes regarding whether they wanted the child to meet/know him or not. But alas, as per the documentary, he also lied as well as manipulated a lot — he donated to at least 11 fertility clinics in the Netherlands alone despite there being a standard that he can not be affiliated with more than one, was signed up on international donation platforms like Cryos, and made private donations across the world too. As if that’s not enough, he even fibbed during his meetings with the vulnerable clients, stating he planned on helping out merely five of them build their families before stopping for good.
The fact everybody could see the kind of lifestyle Jonathan led through his active YouTube channel (established in 2010) also inadvertently made them trust him, only to learn the truth years later. It was actually in 2017 that an inquiry by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport revealed he’d fathered at least 102 children in the nation, leading the parents involved to become alarmed. It was they who then looked into the matter further, apparently uncovering his travels across the globe were not just for leisure or content purposes but also for donations, resulting in his number of kids being many more.
Hence came their pleas, according to the production, begging Jonathan to stop donating as they were worried he was increasing the risk of incest among their children/future grandchildren. He ostensibly didn’t listen to them or answer any questions they had directly, leaving them no choice but to file a civil lawsuit against him with the help of a set-up to showcase he was still actively donating to new clients. As a result of this as well as his own testimony in court — admitting he has 550-600 known kids — he was banned from ever donating to new parents again, with the stipulation he’d be fined €100,000 per donation if he did so. We should also mention that he used to charge roughly €165 ($200) plus travel costs for every private donation.
Jonathan Jacob Meijer is Still a YouTuber and Musician With No Guilt
Despite the court verdict and the ensuing media storm, Jonathan’s life admittedly hasn’t changed much owing to the fact he’s still exploring the world, making vlogs covering a variety of topics from camping to traditions to cryptocurrency, plus creating original music. After all, he claims he’d actually stopped donating to new clients back in 2019 and that he was only still giving his sperm to families he’d already helped, so the verdict didn’t change a single thing. Moreover, he has since vehemently reiterated the number 600, even though many think he could have fathered up to 1000-3000 children because it’s unclear how many of his fertility clinic donation vials were successful.
It’s also imperative to note that Jonathan has completely denied everything surrounding the allegation he sometimes mixed his sperm with a fellow donor’s for private donations, as indicated in the docuseries. In fact, in his own words, this is a “blatant lie,” and he seriously plans on taking legal action against the makers/participants of ‘The Man With 1000 Kids’ on the grounds of defamation as well as slander. Furthermore, this Dutch native still believes he is a super doner — he does not like the word “serial” owing to its negative connotations — who did absolutely nothing wrong because he did indeed help 225 families welcome happy, healthy children into this world.
“I see absolutely nothing wrong with it,” Jonathan recently told BBC’s Woman’s Hour. “I think it’s very good. I see that they [the kids] have many friends, they meet with each other. And I cannot speak for them, but from what I’ve seen, they are very happy that they have so many siblings. Because they [the half-siblings] meet on donor days, they meet with each other and go on holiday together.” He has also since indicated on his YouTube channel that he does still get to spend time with them if their parents allow it and that while many believe him an addict with a plan to have the record for most children, he sincerely just wanted to help.
Moreover, when asked in the BBC radio program interview if he understood why the parents feel alarmed and betrayed the way they do, Jonathan simply responded, “Why should they be uncomfortable? It’s what they chose. If you want exclusivity, you go to the clinic, you pay 10,000 euros and then your donor is exclusive. If you don’t want to share as a mother, why did you choose this path [of sperm donation]?” So today, at the age of 42, this world traveler seems utterly content to simply continue leading an adventurous life — he is currently exploring Tanzania, plans on relocating his base from the Netherlands for good to be closer to nature, and is happily making new music too. His most recent songs include “Ivory,” “Serenade,” “Daisy,” and “Lost in Sound,” amongst many more.
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