Jane Fonda is once again proving that some Hollywood activists never met a left-wing cause they wouldn’t defend — even when it involves the disruption of a church service and a federal indictment.
The actress, long known more for political theatrics than acting in recent decades, launched into a heated defense of former CNN host Don Lemon after his arrest on charges tied to an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota. Speaking to a sympathetic crowd, Fonda declared, “They arrested the wrong Don,” insisting Lemon was merely doing journalism and claiming he was the victim of defamation.
Federal authorities tell a very different story.
Lemon was arrested by agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI after a grand jury indictment connected him to a January 18 incident in which activists stormed Cities Church in Minnesota. According to investigators, the group interrupted a worship service and harassed parishioners while falsely accusing the pastor of being an ICE official. The episode shocked many Americans who saw it as a disturbing escalation — targeting a church in the name of political protest.
Yet Fonda framed the arrest as authoritarian overreach. “This is how autocrats act,” she said, accusing the Trump administration of crossing a “red line” and warning the public not to remain silent.
For critics, the comments were a familiar echo from a figure whose political judgment has long been questioned. Fonda’s 1972 trip to North Vietnam — where she posed with an anti-aircraft gun used against American forces — earned her the enduring nickname “Hanoi Jane” and cemented her reputation among many veterans and conservatives as a celebrity willing to side with America’s adversaries. To them, her defense of Lemon is simply the latest chapter in a decades-long pattern.
Social media reactions were swift and cutting. One user wrote that Fonda was again showing where her sympathies lie, accusing her of defending disruptive activism over basic respect for law and order. Others mocked what they saw as Hollywood’s reflexive instinct to shield political allies while dismissing the concerns of ordinary Americans trying to worship in peace.
Conservative actor James Woods also weighed in, blasting what he described as media hypocrisy and selective outrage. His remarks reflected a broader frustration on the right: that elite cultural figures routinely excuse behavior from activists they agree with while condemning far less from their opponents.
Lemon himself reacted angrily to the arrest, claiming federal agents targeted him for doing his job. He insisted the First Amendment protected his actions and vowed to fight the charges in court. But legal experts note that press freedom is not a blanket shield against participation in alleged unlawful activity, particularly when it involves trespassing or disrupting a religious service.
The case now heads to the courts, where facts — not celebrity speeches — will determine the outcome.
What remains clear is that many Americans are growing weary of political activism that spills into intimidation, especially in spaces traditionally considered off-limits, like churches. Fonda may see a heroic journalist under siege. Others see a troubling example of how far activist culture is willing to go — and how quickly Hollywood is willing to excuse it.
