Jane Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, an initiative originally founded by her father, Henry Fonda, in the 1940s to fight for the protection of free speech during the McCarthy era.
In an Instagram post shared Wednesday, the Committee announced its relaunch “to stand against repression, industry complicity, and intimidation.”
The 87-year-old Oscar winner and prominent activist penned a personal letter to the Hollywood community sharing her reasoning for reconvening the committee.
“When I feel scared, I look to history,” Fonda wrote in the letter obtained by CNN. “I wish there were a secret playbook with all the answers – but there never has been.” She went on to highlight the importance of solidarity and “binding together, finding bravery in numbers too big to ignore, and standing up for one another.”
“That’s why I believe the time is now to relaunch the Committee for the First Amendment – the same Committee my father, Henry Fonda, joined with other artists during the McCarthy era, when so many were silenced or even imprisoned simply for their words and their craft.”
A spokesperson for the newly reformed committee told CNN that Fonda felt compelled to reconvene the group in response to “the onslaught of attacks on free speech from the current administration.” She hopes to create a “united front against government censorship, intimidation, and fear.”
Fonda has already gained the support of more than 550 celebrities and industry workers, including Pedro Pascal, Whoopi Goldberg, Billie Eilish, Quinta Brunson, Kerry Washington, Natalie Portman, Aaron Sorkin, Spike Lee, Viola Davis, and Ben Stiller.
Other high-profile signatories included Sean Penn, John Legend, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, Janelle Monae, Barbra Streisand, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gracie Abrams, Ethan Hawke, Judd Apatow, Lena Dunham, and Rosie O’Donnell.
“The McCarthy Era ended when Americans from across the political spectrum finally came together and stood up for the principles in the Constitution against the forces of repression,” per the Committee’s website. “Those forces have returned. And it is our turn to stand together in defense of our constitutional rights.”
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It added: “We refuse to stand by and let that happen. Free speech and free expression are the inalienable rights of every American of all backgrounds and political beliefs — no matter how liberal or conservative you may be. The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even mock those in power is foundational to what America has always aspired to be.”
The campaign relaunch comes as fears mount nationwide over the crackdown on free speech.
Just last month, Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show was reinstated after a brief suspension due to on-air comments he made related to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel’s suspension was immediately met with an outpouring of support from politicians and celebrities alike, who warned it was an “attack on free speech.”
“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” former President Barack Obama wrote on X at the time.
“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
Kimmel’s suspension came months after CBS said it would be ending its Late Night franchise, currently hosted by Stephen Colbert, in May 2026. The shocking news came days after Colbert called out the network’s parent company, Paramount, for its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump.
While CBS insisted the decision to axe Colbert was purely financial, multiple staff members told The Independent they weren’t buying the network’s claims. Instead, many felt it was a continuation of the “Trump shakedown settlement.”
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump later gloated on Truth Social. “His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
