Actress and activist Jane Fonda wrote an op-ed in The Ankler on Thursday, warning that the possible sale of Warner Bros. Discovery “threatens” the First Amendment – especially given how the Trump administration has historically “used expected mergers as tools of political pressure and censorship.”
Fonda’s op-ed – previously published Netflix confirmed the acquisition of Warner Bros. on Friday — argued that while it was unknown at the time which company would ultimately purchase the legendary movie house, “we don’t need to know the ultimate outcome to understand the danger.”
“The threat of this merger in any form is an alarming escalation in a consolidation crisis that threatens the entire entertainment industry, the audiences it serves, and – potentially – the First Amendment itself,” she wrote.
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Fonda continued: “Regardless of which company ultimately acquires Warner Bros. Discovery or parts of it, the resulting impact is clear: Consolidation on this scale would be catastrophic for an industry built on free speech, for the creative workers who power it, and for consumers who depend on a free, independent media ecosystem to make sense of the world. It will mean fewer jobs, fewer opportunities to sell work, fewer creative risks, fewer news sources and far less diversity in the stories Americans hear.”
As noted in Netflix’s Friday statement, the streaming giant only bought the studio side of the business, as well as HBO and HBO Max. The cable news side of Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN, TNT and Discovery, will be split into its own publicly traded company, Discovery Global.
Fonda continued her criticism, claiming that any company Warner Bros. Discovery, “would have the power to roll up every guild—SAG-AFTRA, the WGA, the PGA, the DGA, IATSE, everyone—making it harder for workers to negotiate, harder to advocate for themselves, and harder to make a living in the first place.”
The actress warned that no matter how dangerous the “economic fallout” may be, that’s not what scares her most about selling.
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“What terrifies me – and should terrify anyone who cares about a free society – is how this administration has used expected mergers as tools of political pressure and censorship,” she wrote. “We’ve already seen this at work. During the Skydance-Paramount merger process, the FCC chairman launched an investigation into 60 Minutes for routinely editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris — a move that his own predecessor said was ‘fundamentally inconsistent with the First Amendment.'”
President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with Senate and House of Representatives Republicans in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Fox News Digital has contacted the White House for comment.
The actress claimed that “the First Amendment is not partisan and neither will stand up to defend it,” claiming that even conservative leaders have warned that the Trump administration is “operating outside legal and ethical boundaries.”
Fonda concluded her thoughts by calling for an organized effort to oppose Trump, warning that “if we don’t speak now, we may have no industry – and no democracy – left to defend.”
American actress Jane Fonda at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. (Portfolio Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori via Getty Images)
“This is not a partisan fight. It is a fight for our creativity, our livelihoods, and our most basic rights as Americans. I choose to stand. I hope you will join me,” she concluded.
Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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