The L.A. Politico Battling Hollywood Job Drain, Trump ‘Bribery,’ ICE Masks
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman once produced Angelina Jolie and Olsen films — now she fights for existential freedoms and to keep film & TV in SoCal
I write about TV from L.A. and host The Ankler podcast. I wrote about the talent agency using an AI assistant, the microdrama boom and how Hollywood is muscling in. My Sellers’ Guides reveal what shows networks and streamers are buying. I’m elaine@theankler.com
Gov. Gavin Newsom called it a “win for free speech everywhere.” Glen Powell happily popped by for the first show back on ABC. Richard Rushfield cried.
Yes, Jimmy Kimmel is on the air again. Still, the political can of worms opened by his suspension from ABC won’t be resolved anytime soon. Speaking to me on Tuesday ahead of Kimmel’s first night back on air, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, elected in November to represent California’s 30th district, called his reinstatement by Disney a “positive development.” But there’s “a much more important concern here about Trump’s desire to clamp down on dissenting speech,” she says.
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“We have companies that are asking for different types of business changes that need approval from the FCC, who seem to be the first ones willing to censor comedians that Donald Trump says should be off the air,” says Friedman, whose district includes Burbank (home to both Disney’s and Warner Bros.’ studio lots), Glendale, West Hollywood, and parts of L.A. and Pasadena. “That’s the concern. What happened to Jimmy Kimmel is the symptom of a much bigger and more dangerous problem.”
Speaking of companies seeking government approval for big moves, Richard Rushfield hosted an hour-long Town Hall Zoom yesterday on the dangers of the merger-happy entertainment landscape — and the threats of a potential Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. Discover in particular — with ex-policymaker Matt Stoller, who writes about monopoly power on his Substack BIG. Former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya and FTC chair Lina Khan both joined in to offer insider insights and specific, actionable steps that you can take to make your voice heard on these issues. You can watch the whole conversation here.
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Reaching out to your elected officials really matters, Bedoya said at the Ankler Town Hall. “People in these positions of authority and their staff pay attention to these things,” he added. Indeed, public pressure clearly had an impact on Disney’s speedy reinstatement of Kimmel. Friedman and I spoke one day after she led a press conference and rally to advocate for Kimmel’s reinstatement alongside Reps. Ted Lieu (CA-36) and Judy Chu (CA-28) and other officials as well as Hollywood unions, including the Writers Guild of America, Teamsters, Directors Guild of America and IATSE. Earlier this summer, she co-sponsored the No Masks for ICE Act, prohibiting local and federal agents from covering their faces during immigration raids. And on another issue close to home for many Angelenos, she’s advocating for a federal tax credit for film & television production.
In addition to representing tens of thousands of constituents with stakes in the entertainment industry, Friedman, 58, was a film producer for several decades before running for office (first as a member of Glendale city council, with a year as Glendale’s mayor, then as a member of the California Assembly from 2016-2024). She executive produced Angelina Jolie’s 1996 film Foxfire, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s It Takes Two, and Jamie Lee Curtis’ House Arrest, in addition to working on movies and series from Howard Stern’s Private Parts to HBO’s Oz.
“This job is more fulfilling,” she says of politics. “Honestly, I loved working in film and television, and it was always a thrill to watch a movie on the screen with an audience for the first time, but it’s nothing compared to seeing a policy that you worked on get implemented and see it change people’s lives for the better.”
On Tuesday, I spoke with Rep. Laura Friedman (condensed and edited for clarity) about what Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension says about Trump’s grip on free speech, her push to safeguard Hollywood’s future, and the real-world consequences ahead for anyone who works in this industry.
Today:
The ways Trump’s FCC could upend TV as we know it
Inside Nexstar’s $6.2B deal — and why it should scare Hollywood
Why concentrated media ownership is a direct threat to democracy
How Hollywood’s contraction is already rippling through California’s economy in unexpected ways
The tax credit that could make or break U.S. film and TV jobs
What Friedman’s past life as a film producer taught her about governing
Why she thinks Hollywood vision-making is perfect training for politics