Jane Fonda once again publicly protested the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger on Sunday, calling it “a direct attack on free speech” and “flattened freedom of expression.”
The two-time Oscar winner appeared alongside a number of other A-listers at “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” an event presented at The Town Hall in New York City by her Committee for the First Amendment. Fonda, who was married to late CNN founder Ted Turner, noted her personal connection to the outlet and her concerns about the news network’s future if owned by CBS News parent company Paramount Skydance.
“You’re going to get a very thinned-out kind of culture. It’ll be flattened freedom of expression, independence and diverse news,” Fonda said. “I have a personal stake in CNN. I don’t want to see it go that way.”
“Sign a petition to tell your state attorneys general to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger,” the actress and outspoken activist further urged.
The event was held while UFC fights were being conducted on the White House lawn in honor of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The UFC, notably, has a multi-billion dollar streaming and rights deal with the Ellison family-owned Paramount, which went into effect this year.
Julia Roberts, Bette Midler, Ayo Edebiri, Tessa Thompson, Robert De Niro, Patti Smith and more joined Fonda at The Town Hall to speak out against the Trump administration’s actions and the Paramount-WBD merger. Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment has previously released sketches and statements vehemently opposing the merger.
“Good evening everyone, and welcome to all of you who couldn’t get tickets to the White House cage fights,” De Niro joked when he took to the stage Sunday. The “Raging Bull” actor said that the phrase “we all love our country” has become “stuck in my throat, because our country isn’t so lovable right now.”
“I can’t love a country that’s led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant. Let me just say it: I can’t love the country that’s led by Donald Trump and a sycophant Congress,” De Niro continued. “For most of my life, I did love this country. The United States of America welcomed my immigrant ancestors. It gave me, my family and my fellow citizens such rich opportunities and extraordinary freedoms. I want to love my country again. I want my country back.”
On Friday, the Department of Justice approved Paramount’s acquisition of WBD, despite the many public concerns about monopolization presented by the merger and the many behind-the-scenes controversies that have shaken CBS News since the Ellison family took over last year. The merger is still under regulatory review in both the E.U. and the U.K. and some U.S. state attorney generals, like California’s Rob Bonta, have hinted at potentially suing to block the deal, even in the face of federal regulatory approval.
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