Jane Fonda Relaunches Committee for First Amendment

Jane Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, the Cold War–era free-speech group her father Henry Fonda helped found in 1947, to push back against what organizers call a renewed campaign to silence critics. The 21st-century incarnation has been signed by more than 550 actors, directors, writers and musicians, including Billie Eilish, Pedro Pascal, Viola Davis, Spike Lee and Barbra Streisand, and publishes a mission statement vowing to resist government censorship, intimidation, and corporate capitulation. Fonda called the moment “the most frightening” of her life and framed the relaunch as a historical response comparable to opposition to McCarthyism. Organizers specifically cited recent tensions between the entertainment industry and the Trump administration — most notably ABC’s brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after criticism from FCC Chair Brendan Carr and pressure from the president — as part of the impetus for the revival. The committee says it will present a united front across film, television, music and other creative fields to defend free expression, and its relaunch has drawn coverage and support from major outlets and civil-liberties advocates.