TRUE CRIME NEWSVictim's Son Blasts Netflix's 'Unabomber' for 'Made Up' Elements and Dangerous Depiction of Terrorism
One of the Unabomber's victim's son slams Netflix over the upcoming 'Unabomber' movie.
Aug. 29 2026, Published 8:03 a.m. ET
One of the Unabomber’s victims’ sons called out Netflix over their alleged misappropriation of facts in the upcoming movie Unabomber.
Ted Kaczynski, the man behind the moniker, was allegedly depicted in a light in the newly released trailer for the movie that provided rationales and justifications for the notorious murderer’s state of mind and deeds, per Jonathan Epstein.
Jonathan Epstein, son of Dr. Charles Epstein, who was a victim of Ted Kaczynski said Netflix 'made up' elements to sensationalize the upcoming movie.
His father, Dr. Charles Epstein, was a victim of Kaczynski’s rampage in 1993. The doctor was reportedly mailed a bomb by him that went off and resulted in him suffering severe injuries and losing three fingers.
Jonathan told TMZ that the streaming giant “made up a lot of stuff to add dramatic tension to the story” instead of sticking to the facts.
Victim's Son Slams Netflix's 'Unabomber'
Jonathan Epstein said Netflix was trying to increase their viewership with the 'Unabomber' movie.
According to Jonathan, while he understood that Netflix was merely trying to “goose its flattening viewership,” adding sensationalism to an already sensitive subject does more harm than good.
He also called out the “inspired by true events” disclaimer, noting that their depiction couldn't be claimed as such due to just how much they watered down the truth to profit off the incident.
He also pointed out that Ted pleaded guilty to the charges and did not proceed with an insanity plea, so his mental health concerns shouldn't be used to sympathize with him either.
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Ted Kaczynski was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder.
The Unabomber was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder by a court-appointed forensic psychiatrist during his legal proceedings in 1998.
Jonathan also noted that feelings about the Unabomber Manifesto, or Industrial Society and Its Future, the 1995 essay by Theodore John Kaczynski, shouldn't play a part in how people view the killer as well.
Particularly because he targeted people with the intent to kill and harm them “without any understanding of the work they did.”
He added that there is no excuse for the penchant for violence Ted showed.
Unabomber Victim's Son Believes Netflix's Movie Runs the Risk of Normalizing Terrorism
Jonathan Epstein said Netflix's 'Unabomber' movie could end up normalizing terrorism.
Jonathan also stated that Netflix's upcoming movie might end up causing catastrophic harm to society in the future.
“The danger of this made-for-TV drama is that, in a troubled time in our society, it popularizes and risks normalizing terrorism by those that feel disenfranchised,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the Unabomber and his actions accomplished nothing but death and injury,” he continued before adding, “It's time to put this story to bed.”
Ted Kaczynski targeted over 20 people by mailing them bombs.
Dr. Epstein was one of over 20 people who were targeted by Ted. Three people among them died from the attacks, but the doctor wasn't one of them.
Per the outlet, Ted sent a bomb to him because he believed the doctor was involved in genetic engineering. Charles, however, was actually researching Down Syndrome. He passed away in 2011 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Ted, on the other hand, died in prison in 2023, at the age of 81.
Unabomber premieres September 25 on Netflix.
