Jane Fonda is taking a stand against the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger.
Paramount recently beat Netflix to buy Warner Bros. The merger has industry people nervous for several reasons. Generally, the merging of two major companies could result in many job losses.
However, the real threat to Paramount lies with the Ellison family. David Ellison serves as Chairman and CEO of Paramount, which means his family controls TikTok and CBS News. With Warner Bros, they will also run CNN. The Ellisons are allies of Trump, and there is concern that America is heading in the direction of state-run media.
What Fonda said
As for Fonda, the iconic actress attended the Academy Awards last night, rocking a "Block the Merger" pin. Fonda was also against the merger when Netflix was expected to take over, fearing that it would mark the end of movie theaters. While that certainly would have created another unfortunate set of problems, Paramount winning the bid is decidedly worse.
Fonda has always been an outspoken activist, so it's no surprise to see her taking a stand on the red carpet. She also made a hilarious joke about the fact that she used to be married to Ted Turner, the founder of CNN.
“The mergers are going to be bad for workers. A lot of people are going to lose their jobs. We’re going to have higher prices. We’re going to have political control of what we do. That’s why Pete Hegseth said, ‘CNN can’t come soon enough’ to be under the control of Paramount. We know Trump wants to hurt… I mean, I slept with the guy who created CNN! I have a personal stake in it," Fonda shared.
"[CNN] did not take positions. It reported the news. To see what’s happening now… we have to stop [it]… This pin is any merger, but the Paramount merger is really problematic. In order to get the permission to do the merger, they felt they had to cave to what Trump wanted. But we’re going to win," she added.
Fans react to Jane Fonda at the Oscars
Fans of Fonda love that she's still taking a stand against injustices at the age of 88. Many people took to social media to comment on her interview and "Block the Merger" pin.
"I endorse Fonda and her efforts to block this rotten merger," u/Secure_Matter_9819 wrote on Reddit.
"Queen!! Always speaking truth!" @DC4Hope commented on X.
"Jane Fonda didn’t just show up to party—she showed up to protest, turning a red carpet moment into a full-on call for media and corporate accountability. Mergers may be business deals, but she’s framing them as worker, consumer, and press issues all rolled into one," @SKithiyon56925 pointed out.
"Jane wearing 'Block the Merger' pin validates activism at awards. Media consolidation concerns plus industry wins timing hits relevant. That’s the activism moment," @LarrryOmooba added.
“'I slept with the guy who created it' is the ultimate flex," @EricMGarcia shared.
Meanwhile, Fonda was also unhappy that Barbra Streisand was the one who got to speak about Robert Redford during the "In Memorium" segment.
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