Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams and hundreds of other artists are taking a united stand against threats to free speech.
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As announced Wednesday (Oct. 1), Jane Fonda is relaunching the Committee for the First Amendment — an entity that was first founded at the beginning of the Cold War by the actress’ father, Henry Fonda — with the help of 600-plus creators. In addition to the aforementioned pop stars, John Legend, Barbra Streisand, Janelle Monae, Bonnie Raitt, Finneas, Maggie Rogers and Patti LuPone have also joined the cause, which aims to call out and stand against infringements on free speech.
“Today, we relaunch the Committee for the First Amendment,” reads a statement signed by all of the new committee members. “This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs. They targeted elected officials, government employees, academics, and artists. They were blacklisted, harassed, silenced, and even imprisoned.”
“The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry,” it continued. “We refuse to stand by and let that happen.”
Emphasizing that the committee’s mission is “not a partisan issue,” the statement ended with a poignant message. “To those who profit from our work while threatening the livelihoods of everyday working people, bowing to government censorship and cowering to brute intimidation: We see you, and history will not forget,” it concludes. “This will not be the last you hear from us.”
A full list of signatories backing the cause is available to view on the organization’s website, as is more information on the original Committee for the First Amendment. Banding with fellow Hollywood stars such as Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, Henry Fonda originally founded the committee to hit back at the Red Scare, which saw its leader Sen. Joe McCarthy interrogating suspected communist sympathizers in the entertainment industry, the federal government and in society at large.
The relaunch comes as many in the entertainment business have been voicing concerns over perceived threats to free speech, most notably the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September. ABC temporarily paused production on the program after affiliates — under the veiled threat of the FCC revoking their licenses — stopped airing the show due to comments Kimmel had made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Following protests from SAG-AFTRA, the ACLU and countless entertainers, ABC reinstated the show after five days.