Billie Eilish and More Stars Join US Free Speech Fight

More than 550 actors, directors, writers, and musicians, including Billie Eilish, Spike Lee, and Viola Davis, have joined forces to revive the Committee for the First Amendment, a group originally formed during the McCarthy era in 1947.

Jane Fonda, whose father Henry Fonda was among the original committee’s members, is spearheading the initiative (as per Rolling Stone). The group has issued a statement declaring their opposition to what they perceive as government censorship and intimidation tactics targeting critics across various sectors including government, media, judiciary, academia, and entertainment.

“The McCarthy Era ended when Americans from across the political spectrum finally came together and stood up for the principles in the Constitution against the forces of repression,” the group stated. “Those forces have returned. And it is our turn to stand together in defense of our constitutional rights.”

The committee’s revival follows recent tensions between the entertainment industry and government officials over free speech issues. The catalyst appears to be the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! by ABC last month after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr criticised Kimmel’s commentary regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Hours after Carr appeared on a conservative podcast calling Kimmel’s remarks “truly sick” and warning Disney faced “a very, very serious issue,” ABC announced the indefinite suspension of the late-night programme. Major broadcasting groups Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group had already announced they would preempt the show.

President Donald Trump praised the suspension and suggested NBC should fire late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. Following widespread outcry from Hollywood and consumer boycott threats, ABC resumed airing Kimmel’s show on September 22nd, with Nexstar and Sinclair eventually returning to carry the programme.

The original Committee for the First Amendment featured major stars including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra, who produced radio broadcasts and travelled to the Capitol in protest. Despite their efforts, the Hollywood Ten – writers and directors who refused to answer questions about their political affiliations – were jailed for contempt of Congress and effectively banned from working in Hollywood for years.

Additional signatories to the reformed committee include Aaron Sorkin, J.J. Abrams, Whoopi Goldberg, Anne Hathaway, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David, Bill Maher, Julianne Moore, Glenn Close, Mark Ruffalo, and Sean Penn.

In their Wednesday statement, the newly reformed committee emphasised that free speech and free expression “are the inalienable rights of every American of all backgrounds and political beliefs — no matter how liberal or conservative you may be.” The group hasn’t announced specific plans for action beyond the joint statement.