Netflix Exec Claims Ketamine Treatment Confession During Company ‘Trust Exercise’ Cost Him $1.1M Job
A former Netflix executive says disclosing medically supervised ketamine treatment helped cost him a $1.1 million job. The claim comes from a new lawsuit, not a court ruling. Still, the dispute exposes a familiar problem. Ketamine may be entering mainstream medicine, but many patients still fear judgment when others learn about their treatment.
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| Key takeaway | What the case involves |
|---|---|
| The employee | Kevin Baillie led creative work at Eyeline Studios, a Netflix visual effects division. |
| The disclosure | He discussed past ketamine treatment during a company trust exercise. |
| The treatment | Baillie says a clinic treated his depression under medical supervision in 2022. |
| The termination | Netflix fired him in April 2026, according to the lawsuit. |
| The central dispute | Baillie alleges the ketamine disclosure influenced his firing. Netflix has not publicly answered the claims. |
| The wider issue | The case may test how employers respond to legal mental health treatment and private medical information. |
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A Disclosure Made During a Trust Exercise
Baillie says the dispute began at a company retreat in January 2026. Employees took part in an exercise that encouraged vulnerability and personal disclosure.
He told colleagues that he had received ketamine therapy after his mother died. The treatment occurred at a Santa Barbara clinic during October and November 2022.
According to the complaint, a company investigator questioned him about the disclosure in March. Baillie alleges the questioning suggested possible recreational drug use.
Netflix terminated him the following month. The lawsuit claims a company attorney acknowledged that the ketamine issue influenced the decision. It also says Netflix denied him up to one year of severance.
Netflix Has Not Presented Its Side
The complaint also describes concerns involving alcohol use and profanity. Baillie argues that both occurred within a workplace culture that tolerated candid language and social drinking.
A court has not determined why Netflix fired him. The company had not publicly responded when the story appeared. Baillie is seeking lost wages, emotional distress damages, additional compensation, and a jury trial.
That distinction matters. The lawsuit contains allegations from one party. It does not yet establish unlawful discrimination or prove that ketamine treatment caused the termination.
Ketamine Treatment Still Carries a Stigma
Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance. The FDA approved it as an anesthetic, while clinicians may prescribe it off label for depression. The FDA separately approved esketamine for certain depressive disorders under medical supervision. (FDA Access Data)
Legal treatment does not remove every workplace concern. Employers may address conduct, safety, and job performance. However, federal guidance says employers cannot fire someone simply because that person has a protected mental health condition.
Disability related questions during employment must generally relate to the job and business necessity. Employers also must avoid assumptions based on a diagnosis or prescribed treatment.
Whatever the lawsuit’s outcome, the disclosure offers a warning. Patients may view ketamine as health care while colleagues still hear the name of a controlled drug. That gap can shape careers, privacy decisions, and whether people feel safe discussing treatment at all.
