Our Work
Jane Fonda relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment on October 1, 2025 in response to rising authoritarian censorship and retaliation towards journalists and entertainers. This year, we turned alarm into action, mobilizing entertainment industry members to defend free expression, press freedom and democracy, and inspiring the broader public to take action. Here’s a look.
#BlockTheMerger →
They said it was a done deal. We made it a fight.
When Paramount moved to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a $111 billion deal — the largest transaction in Hollywood history — they had vastly more money, political influence and institutional power than our scrappy coalition across labor, our partners, and our members.
But our members understood what was at stake: thousands of jobs, fewer opportunities for artists and workers, and extraordinary control over American news and culture concentrated in the hands of one company. So we joined forces. More →
Rise Up, Sing Out →
A Nationwide Celebration of the First Amendment.
On June 14, while the White House hosted a cage fight on the South Lawn, the Committee for the First Amendment filled New York City’s historic Town Hall with a different vision of American collective power.
Rise Up, Sing Out brought together artists, activists and musicians for an evening celebrating the five parts of the First Amendment, the role culture and art have always played in resisting authoritarianism — and invited people across the country to gather, sing and act together. More →
Artists United for Our Freedoms →
Artists and creatives speak up for the freedom to create, speak and dissent.
On March 27, the day before millions of Americans took to the streets for No Kings, the Committee for the First Amendment brought artists, writers, musicians and journalists together outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and inspired more people to take action the next day to show up at No Kings. More →
Political education and community building →
Developing the knowledge, relationships and courage to act together.
The Committee is more than a network. We are building a community across the entertainment industry that understands the threats to free expression, knows how to respond, and trusts one another enough to act together when it matters. More →
Groundlings workshops →
Harnessing comedy as a tool to resist authoritarianism.
In partnership with The Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles, the Committee brings together comedy writers, performers, directors and producers for collaborative workshops that turn the biggest threats to free expression and free speech into sharp, funny content built to educate and inspire the public into action. More →
Interested in taking part? Become a member today — and follow us to stay up to date.