Jane Fonda Made Me Do It!*

*Or, Why I'm Returning to Facebook

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I’ve long admired Jane Fonda—not just for her talent and multi-hyphenate status, but for the sheer, unflinching courage she has to speak her mind.

So when she revived the Committee for the First Amendment – originally founded by her dad Henry Fonda, during the 1950s Red Scare – I didn’t hesitate to sign up.

After all, history is repeating itself in many ways, and the many threats to our democracy all have the same name: Donald J. Trump.

I was thrilled to get an invitation to the Committee’s holiday open house at the gorgeous Wilshire Ebell Center.

Hubby Laurence couldn’t make it (the holidays are his busiest – and most profitable – time of year). And I’m not exactly the “walk into a party full of strangers” type.

But this? This mattered too much to let my social anxiety win. So I RSVP’d yes, flinging caution to the wind. So two weeks ago, I fought my jittery nerves (and insane rush-hour traffic) and made the long drive to Hollywood.

“Hi, I’m Leon Acord,” I told the gentleman at the door once I arrived.

“Like the car!” he replied before scanning his list.

Gee, never heard that one before! I thought, but I smiled politely.

He looked up and returned my smile but said nothing.

“Uh, am I there?” I finally asked.

“Yeah, go on in, Leon!” he chirped.

And so I did.

I slapped a name tag on the leg of my black Levis (I’m not about to put a sticky tag on my favorite jacket) and stepped into a large hall with a bar, a buffet, just a few tables, and 200 or more people… none of whom I knew.

Gulp.

Okay, Leon. Just circle the room once, then you can go home. This is what Quentin Crisp used to call the “smiling and nodding racket.”

As I made my wide sweep, I spotted Morgan Fairchild at one of the tables. Then, there she was: Ms. Fonda herself, surrounded by friends and admirers, all patiently awaiting their turn to approach and speak.

Now, I would love to thank her for the invitation, for the inspiration – but elbowing my way to celebrities has never been my style. So I kept walking, making a wide U-turn… toward the buffet. Priorities.

As I loaded a plate, a brunette woman in a smart leather jacket – 50? 70? I can never tell in this town! – approached and introduced herself.

She shared that she was a former child actor on several episodes of Wonderful World of Disney and was now a semi-retired lawyer who once argued a First-Amendment case before the Supreme Court.

“Wow! Which episodes?” I asked, genuinely unimpressed with the legal side of her résumé. (I’ve spent most of my adult life working around lawyers. Yawn.)

Instead of answering, she said she really wanted to meet Ms. Fonda – and asked if I’d go with her.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said, “but only if you do all the talking.”

And just like that, I became  a wingman at the holiday event of my year.

Luck was on our side. Just as we approached Ms. Fonda, the woman she had been speaking with moved aside, and suddenly—there she was. The film icon herself, turning to face us. Us!

She’s taller than I expected, I thought, as my newfound friend made introductions. Suddenly, I was shaking Ms. Fonda’s hand. I managed to say something like, “Thank you for bringing us together. It’s always empowering to see how many others feel exactly the same way about what’s happening.”

Or I spoke in tongues. It’s possible!

Whatever I said, she nodded and smiled. Warm. Sincere. Then my companion launched into her Supreme-Court monologue.

Poor Jane. I recognized that look immediately—the one that says, “Time to move on.” She turned her head ever so slightly, glanced toward the left, smiled politely, nodded, and gracefully acknowledged her next conversation partner while my friend continued talking – like an award-winner fighting the play-off music to get to the end of her speech.

Ms. Fonda was clearly an old pro at the “smiling and nodding racket”!

Me? I recognized a cue. I took my friend’s arm and gently shifted us away from Barberella. She was very disappointed that she couldn’t regale Ms. Fonda longer. I changed the subject to politics and the odious Mr. Trump.

After all, that’s why we were there. Not to star fuck.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/7b0fe2_1084dd31f59f4007be64bf71091469cf/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Ms. Fonda begins her speech

Jane’s speech was inspirational. She told us the Committee went from a few hundred members to several thousand industry professionals within days. She explained that we don’t really know how to truly resist yet, because we don’t know how far they will go.

“We’re building this plane while we’re already flying,” she said.

She shared the Committee was working with the world-famous Groundlings comedy troupe to create humorous content to raise awareness. She encouraged us to use our social media accounts to do the same.

Oh shit, I thought. Sorry, Jane. I don’t have Facebook or Instagram anymore!

For the first time, I actually felt guilty for deleting my Meta accounts.

I stuck around for the speeches by Jane Fonda’s Fire Drill Friday criminal lawyer, and the manager of the Wilshire-Ebell venue, who was happy to donate the space for this very worthy cause.

Okay, Leon, now you can go home … but not before one last stop at the buffet!

I’d just popped an olive in my mouth when, from behind me, I heard that voice.

“You didn’t get a chance to tell me what you do.”

Oh shit. Is she talking to me?

I turned around. Oh shit. She is talking to me!”

I swallowed the olive whole and began to blather:

“Oh. I’m an actor. And writer. Sometimes a producer. Uh, I created and wrote and acted in a streaming sitcom for a while. Now I’m just trying to re-establish myself as an actor for hire and –” Thankfully, she interrupted me.

“You write, act, and produce? You should be creating content!”

“I’m not really on social media anymore. I deleted all my Meta when Zucker– “

“Why? Why would you voluntarily stifle your own voice? We need loud liberal voices!”

I quickly explained I deleted my Meta products after Zuckerberg gave Trump $25 million and fired the Facebook fact-checking team.

“But what better way to strike back than on his own platform?” she countered.

Before I could argue it was an echo chamber, she was gone.

I tossed my plate into the trash. I dashed out to my car a slightly quivering mess.

My God, did I just get schooled by Jane Fonda?!

Driving home, I debated with myself. Had I made a mistake leaving Facebook? Should I eat humble pie and go back? If I did, how much “We knew you couldn’t stay away!” would I hear?

Maybe that sharp, fearless, unapologetic, energetic icon had a point. By deleting all my Meta accounts, I had silenced my own voice – a bit. Watching Jane Fonda in action reminded me – while I may be uncomfortable working a room like she does, I could still show up and speak out – at protests and on social media.

I had missed Facebook a bit. I certainly missed being able to vent about the mess this country is in. I missed communicating with my “audience,” i.e., the friends I’d made from both my series and my books. And I think some of them missed me, too, based on how often I was asked to return!

God knows, I never could've gotten Trump-loving "Thindy Brady" fired from her radio gig back in 2015 if not for the power of Facebook!

So heaven help me, here’s the plan: in 2026, I’m back on Facebook. I’ll be posting political (and career) stuff, but only on my “actor page.” (www.facebook.com/LeonAcordActor) which Laurence managed since I deleted my accounts. I hope you'll follow me there.

That way, I’m unable to give in to the occasional temptation to go after MAGA’s multitude of morons. (Fun though that may be!) But it will also make it harder for them to come after me! (Sorry, Thindy Brady fans!)

And I'm already brainstorming about what "content" I can create.

Hey, Fonda made me!

Now she could be wrong. Maybe posting on Facebook and Instagram won’t make one bit of difference. Maybe I’ll just be adding to the “noise.”

But if the fight for the First Amendment – and for the very soul of our nation – calls for “loud liberal voices,” I certainly want mine to be among them!

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