Should you let your kids watch Hamilton on Disney+?

I plan to be in The Room Where it Happens on July 3. Hamilton comes to Disney+ at 3am EST (midnight PST) on July 3 and I AM SO EXCITED!!

Hamilton is a brilliant show. The music is amazing, it’s a fascinating story, and if you appreciate American History or love good music, we think you’ll enjoy it.

With its release on Disney+, we’re guessing some parents might be wondering if Hamilton is appropriate for kids. If you’re trying to decide if you should let your child watch Hamilton, or curious why it is rated PG-13, we’re here to try and help.

First, let me be very clear – I’m a huge Hamilton fan (aka #HamilFan). I’ve seen it in New York and Orlando, listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times, and can sing along to pretty much the entire show. I absolutely love it. I took my own two boys to see Hamilton in Orlando when they were 8 and 10, so I’m not here to spoil your plans to watch Hamilton Non-Stop on July 3.

I also try not to dish out parenting advice – that is not what this is. Instead, I’m here to give you more details on what is in Hamilton that earned it a PG-13 rating so you can make your own informed decision on whether you think Hamilton is kid-friendly.

In case you’re not familiar with Hamilton, it is a Broadway show that tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and includes other historical figures like George Washington and Aaron Burr. Written by the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also plays Hamilton), the show uses music to tell a {mostly accurate} historical story.

The show is entirely music – there are no spoken lines – and the music is AMAZING. Some rap, some hip hop, some traditional show tunes, it is a blend of styles unlike any other Broadway show I’ve ever seen. If you’ve listened to the soundtrack, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find you know the entire show, minus the secret “bonus song” only in the live show and not on the soundtrack.

The Disney+ version of Hamilton was filmed in the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway, it is the original cast of the show performing on stage, but filmed from various angles and edited into a movie.

So if Hamilton is so amazing and makes a great history lesson, are you wondering why you shouldn’t let your child watch Hamilton?

1. Swear words / cuss words / language
2. The affair

Language

Whatever you call them in your house – swear words, cuss words, curse words, bad language – if swearing bothers you, or your child isn’t old enough to understand what should and shouldn’t be repeated, you might want to watch it yourself first. There are more than a few instances of foul language in Hamilton. The good news is that the music is fast, the swear words blend right in {for the most part}, and you know your kids best. The language is used for emotional impact and to tell a story, it is not just thrown in randomly.

With the show on Disney+, some have wondered if the language in Hamilton will be censored. On Twitter, responding to a fan, Lin-Manuel Miranda has said that fans will be getting “the whole show, every note & scene,” but did say some changes had to be made in order to preserve the film’s PG-13 rating, namely the covering up of two “f–ks” leaving just one in the movie. There are also quite a few sh!ts sprinkled throughout.

A few examples of lines with cuss words:

-How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore (first line of the show)
-That was my wife you decided to / Fuuuu—
-‘Cause he’s been kickin’ ass as the ambassador to France
-Pops, if you had only heard the shit he said about you.

The Affair

Alexander Hamilton had a documented affair in real life, and it is part of this show. Although nothing even remotely inappropriate is acted out on stage, it is something you might have to explain to your kids as it is a noticeable part of the storyline in the second half. We don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, if you want to read more about the affair or the songs and lyrics that go along with it, there are plenty of descriptions online.

If you have concerns about either the foul language, or explaining the idea of an affair , we’d recommend watching it yourself first to decide whether to let your kids watch Hamilton on Disney+.

The Hamilton Sountrack is on Amazon Music

Did you know you can listen to the Soundtrack for free on Amazon Music if you have an Amazon Prime membership? There is a Clean version and an Explicit version. (The Clean version isn’t entirely clean – it still includes words like bastard and whore).

Whatever you decide for your family, we do highly recommend the show for any teenagers and adults, and hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

With pretty much all 4^th of July Fireworks canceled in 2020, the release of Hamilton on July 3 gives us something to look forward to this weekend!