Jane Fonda Stands by Don Lemon Following His Arrest: “They Made a Mistake”
Don Lemon was released from jail in Los Angeles on Friday, with actress Jane Fonda present to offer her support. Fonda, a two-time Academy Award winner, urged the public to “speak up” against “autocrats” following Lemon’s indictment for covering an anti-ICE protest at a Minneapolis church earlier this month.
“We are not ready to sit and be quiet. We have to speak up. Every American who believes in our constitution has to speak up,” Fonda stated in a video shared by TMZ. “Don Lemon is a professional journalist. He and his producer were doing their job, nothing more, nothing less. And he’s been arrested. And they’ll make up all kinds of defamatory things to say about him, that’s what they’re doing. That’s how autocrats act. We can’t fall for it. We have to speak up. When a red line is crossed like this, we cannot be silent.”
Fonda added, “I know Don Lemon. My husband created CNN, and I will fight for their right to speak, which is guaranteed in our constitution. They arrested the wrong Don.”
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Lemon was released from custody on a no-cash bond and took a moment to thank supporters outside the Los Angeles courthouse.
Don Lemon outside of the downtown Los Angeles federal court building Friday
“I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” Lemon remarked. “In fact, there is no more important time than right now this very moment for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”
This incident unfolds against the backdrop of Fonda’s recent efforts to reinvigorate her father Henry Fonda’s McCarthy-era Committee for the First Amendment, which she relaunched in October with backing from 550 industry figures amidst ongoing tensions with the FCC over issues of free speech.
