Where is Jonathan Meijer now? 'The Man with 1000 Kids' earned a fortune as serial sperm donor
TANZANIA, EAST AFRICA: Nowadays, there is a YouTube account credited to Jonathan Meijer, the protagonist of 'The Man with 1000 Kids,' where he shares videos about his sperm donor journey, methods for exorcising demons, and his thoughts on wife swapping. He appears to be traveling the world, as evidenced by videos showing him speaking on a Tanzanian beach and another from Italy.
In April 2023, a Dutch court barred Jonathan from donating any more sperm. He was required to write to clinics worldwide, including those supplying potential parents in the UK and Ukraine, instructing them to destroy any existing samples from him.
One exception to this restriction was that parents who had already used Meijer's sperm to conceive children and intended to have more in the future were allowed to continue using the remaining stock.
The court further stated that if Jonathan violated the verdict, he may face a punishment of up to £88,000 per donation. Jonathan clarified that he had not fathered 1,000 children and emphasized that he was solely a sperm donor. In May, he shared a video with a message addressed to his children.
In the video, he mentioned that he was forced to cease communication with some of the families he had helped due to the legal issues he faced.
"I never charged money, I never intended on having sex, I am seeing 75% of the children and families regularly and doing everything for my donor children that they feel loved, wanted in my life, and that they are unique human beings and souls," Jonathan wrote in an email to Newsweek.
Jonathan Meijer calls Netflix 'misleading' for choosing a title
Addressing the Netflix documentary directly, Jonathan stated that he refused to participate in the program. He mentioned that he was initially informed the working title for the show was 'The Fertility Fraudster', which he characterized as a term "he could not work with".
Jonathan criticized the title of 'The Man with 1000 Kids' as "sensationalizing and misleading," claiming that it does not make it immediately evident that he is a donor. Jonathan further stated that the figure "1000" is not one he considers to be correct.
"I want to talk freely; I want to have [a say] in my own story," he said, explaining why he declined to join the Netflix project.
He added, "I've seen the trailer; somebody sent it to me because I don't watch Netflix. I don't have Netflix; I think it's evil [...] I live in nature; nature is important to me, not my story, something artificial. I help people; that's it. But I'm more sad that they decided to change the lives of all my donor children [...] It's not right to sensationalize. They should have asked all the parents and children [before making the documentary]."
Jonathan stated that he declined to participate in Netflix's documentary and therefore had not seen it yet. "Already the title is super misleading. Deceptive," Jonathan said. "No surprise to anybody, Netflix is like any other corporation, company, focused on making money."
Jonathan told Newsweek that the individuals who appeared on the show were a small minority who aimed to defame him. "This little group of bullies are in no way a representation of the wonderful parents that I have helped worldwide and are extremely grateful for my help," Jonathan said.
How much did Jonathan Meijer charge for each donation?
An Australian couple spent more than $6,500 to the Danish reproductive clinic Cryos International for his sperm, which he provided under the alias Ruud. Ms Vanessa van Ewijk approached Jonathan in 2015 through the Desire For a Child website, paying €165 (S$240) plus transportation charges for his services.
How many children does Jonathan Meijer have?
While the exact count is uncertain, it is believed that Jonathan's sperm was used to conceive at least 500 children, possibly up to 600. A new Netflix teaser for 'The Man with 1000 Kids' hints that the number could be as high as 800. Given this startling ratio, many of his descendants have been hesitant to initiate sexual connections in case they accidentally fall for a half-sibling and commit incest.
In addition to donating sperm through formal channels, Jonathan is known to have arranged private meetings with individuals seeking to conceive after connecting with them online. As a result, a group of worried parents formed the Donorkind Foundation and filed a legal claim against Jonathan.
Eva, a woman who had a kid with Jonathan's sperm in 2018, spoke about the matter, saying, "This behavior is dangerous for the mental well-being and health of donor children. By preferring his reproductive urge, the donor is acting unlawfully. In addition, he violates the agreements with the clinics and with the prospective parents, because they trusted his promise that he would father a maximum of 25 children."
'The Man with 1000 Kids' premieres on Netflix on 3 July.