The two-time Oscar-winning Hollywood star Jane Fonda is speaking out to slam Netflix’s $82.7 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros.
Fonda Sounds Off
“Regardless of which company ends up acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery or its parts, the resulting impact is clear,” Fonda, 87, wrote on Instagram. “Consolidation at this scale would be catastrophic for an industry built on free expression, for the creative workers who power it, and for consumers who depend on a free, independent media ecosystem to understand the world. It will mean fewer jobs, fewer creative risks, fewer news sources and far less diversity in the stories Americans get to hear.”
“Consolidation is even scarier in the Trump era because the administration is comfortable using its merger review power to extract political concessions that put our Freedom of Speech at risk,” she added.
Should Netflix go through with purchasing Warner Bros., it would give the streamer control of Warner Bros.’ film and TV studios. It would also give them control of HBO and HBO Max
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies — from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends — with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we’ll be able to do that even better,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO and former chief content officer, said in a Friday morning press release. “Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling.”
The statement goes on to say that Netflix “expects” to continue releasing Warner Bros. films theatrically. It remains to be seen if that will actually happen.
Fonda’s ‘Tough Year’
This comes after Fonda, who is set to turn 88 later this month, admitted that 2025 has been a “tough year” for her. Indeed, she’s dealt with a lot of loss, as she’s been hit with the passings of her fellow Hollywood legends Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and Diane Keaton.
“It’s been a tough year,” Fonda confessed to People Magazine last month.
When asked directly about Hackman, Fonda replied, “You know, there’s him and Redford.”
“He came down here to support GCAPP. And we screened Barefoot in the Park,” she later added. This was a reference to the classic 1967 romantic drama that she starred in with Redford. Sadly, Redford died in September at the age of 89.
Nearly one month later, Keaton died at the age of 79. This came after a private battle with pneumonia. Indeed, her death came as a shock to even her closest friends, as only her family seems to have known that she was even ill. Keaton and Fonda had previously starred together in the 2023 comedy Book Club: The Next Chapter.
“And Diane Keaton — I just finished working with her,” Fonda lamented. “Boy, I was shocked. Really shocked. You get to be old and everybody is dying around you.”
It seems that Fonda isn’t in the best place in her life right now. Here’s hoping that she finds some peace as she prepares to turn 88!