The Committee for the First Amendment was originally founded in the 1940s to protect against attacks on free speech.
LOS ANGELES — Jane Fonda, renowned actor and activist, is spearheading the revival of a pro-First Amendment organization that originally came together during the Cold War’s Red Scare. Fonda believes that “forces of repression” have made a comeback.
The Committee for the First Amendment was initially established in the 1940s by a group of Hollywood icons including Fonda’s father, Henry Fonda, as well as celebrities like Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, and Lauren Bacall. The group was formed to oppose the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee, which conducted investigations into alleged communists in the United States after the conclusion of World War II.
At that time, numerous Hollywood figures were accused of being communists or having communist ties. Although many accusations were baseless, they caused significant damage to many careers.
A statement on the group’s website claims, “The federal government is again undertaking a concerted effort to stifle dissent within its ranks, including in media, the judiciary, academic circles, and the entertainment sector.”
More than 550 actors, directors, writers and others in the entertainment industry have signed.
The statement criticizes those “who benefit from our labor while jeopardizing the jobs of ordinary workers, succumbing to governmental censorship, and cowing to forceful intimidation: we recognize you, and history will remember.”
Recently, the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show by ABC faced backlash in Hollywood. This occurred in light of remarks by FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who, some believe, subtly threatened Disney and ABC over Kimmel’s commentary on the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said in the days following Kimmel’s remarks, adding that he wanted the broadcast network to “take action” against Kimmel.
ABC temporarily suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after station ownership groups Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would preempt Kimmel’s show on the local ABC affiliates they own. Kimmel returned to his show after a nearly weeklong suspension. Both Nexstar and Sinclair have since started airing the show again as well.
The Committee also shared an invitation letter from Fonda, which begins: “I’m 87 years old. I’ve seen war, repression, protest, and backlash. I’ve been celebrated, and I’ve been branded an enemy of the state. But I can tell you this: this is the most frightening moment of my life.”
The open letter posted to the Committee for the First Amendment’s website contains signatures from figures across the media landscape. The names on the list include directors Spike Lee, J.J. Abrams and Aaron Sorkin, musicians John Legend, Billie Eilish and Janelle Monáe, and actors Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Kerry Washington, Pedro Pascal and Natalie Portman, among many others.
“We know there is power in solidarity and strength in numbers,” the open letter reads. “We will stand together — fiercely united — to defend free speech and expression from this assault. This is not a partisan issue. That is why we urge every American who cares about the First Amendment — the cornerstone of our democracy — and every artist around the globe who looks to the United States as a beacon of freedom to join us.”
