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Today, Jane Fonda lent her voice to a protest against President Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center. The event, The titled ‘Artists United for Our Freedom,’ was hosted by the Committee for the First Amendment. The committee was originally formed in 1947 by a group that included Jane Fonda’s father, Henry Fonda, as a response to the McCarthy-era House Un-American Activities Committee. Jane Fonda helped relaunch the committee last fall.
In a speech, Fonda stated, “Today, the Committee for the First Amendment has convened promient figures from across the arts, culture, and media ecosystem, who are witnessing censorship, political intimidation, and a growing effort to reshape American history and cultural life through fear, and attacks on our first amendment.”
She went on to say, “Today, books are being banned, plaques and monuments depicting historical events this administration wants to forget, are being removed, museums, the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts councils, public broadcasting, they’re all being defunded.”
Since early 2025, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has undergone major changes following the Trump administration’s takeover of its leadership. Established as the nation’s cultural center through the National Cultural Center Act of 1958 and opened in 1971, the institution has served as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy, presenting programming in theater, ballet, dance, and more. Beginning with the removal of board members and Donald Trump assuming the role of chairman in 2025, the institution has faced ongoing restructuring, artist withdrawals, leadership departures, and programming shifts.
These changes culiminated in the board of trustees of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts approving a plan to close the Washington, D.C. venue for two years to undergo renovations. The Kennedy Center said the temporary shutdown is intended to allow renovation work to proceed more quickly. See a full timeline of these developments in BroadwayWorld’s recent story HERE.
