Jane Fonda’s Political Statement at the Oscars
Actress Jane Fonda made a bold political statement at the Oscars on Sunday by wearing a pin that read “Stop the merger.” This was in reference to her opposition to the deal between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Mergers negatively impact workers. Many will lose their jobs, and prices will rise. It will give us less control over our actions,” Fonda expressed, seemingly caught up in her passionate speech. She referenced Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s comments, saying, “That’s why he believed, ‘CNN cannot come quickly enough under Paramount’s control.’ What Trump wants… I slept with the guy who created it. I have a personal stake in it.”
When discussing CNN’s history as a supposedly unbiased news source, Fonda lamented, “We could trust it! CNN didn’t take sides. It reported the news. But now, with everything happening, we must put a stop to it,” she said, her thoughts trailing off.
It’s worth noting that many of Fonda’s assertions are misleading. Major studios frequently increase prices for their streaming services, and ticket prices have surged over the years—up 60 percent since 2016. Hollywood has also been facing extensive layoffs for some time now. To address another point, CNN has often ranked low among news networks, with recent corrections of misinformation in their broadcasts.
Fonda later mentioned her friendship with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, indicating they had discussed his company’s bid to acquire Warner Bros. She articulated that her protest against the merger is not just limited to Paramount; many mergers, in her opinion, pose significant issues.
She stated, “For the merger to get approval, they had to concede to President Trump’s demands,” and then added somewhat optimistically, “But we’re going to win. We’re going to win.”
In a competitive move, Paramount Skydance has secured a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal valued at $110 billion, surpassing Netflix’s offer. However, this merger still awaits regulatory clearance both in the U.S. and internationally.
