Hollywood stars unite for common cause: Find out here

Over 150 Hollywood celebrities issued a strongly-worded letter to call out the recent rampant book bans in the United States.

The participants of the open letter, including A-list stars, top musicians, and critically acclaimed authors, are using their heft to discourage the authorities from the spate of book bans.

Former Reading Rainbow emcee LeVar Burton and liberal advocacy group MoveOn headed the effort.

The opening of the letter argues that “restrictive behavior” is both “antithetical to free speech and expression” and “has a chilling effect on the creative field.” Additionally, the government cannot “dictate” what people can create or consume.

It continued, “We cannot stress enough how these censorious efforts will not end with book bans,” the letter reads. “It’s only a matter of time before regressive, suppressive ideologues will shift their focus toward other forms of art and entertainment.”

Some of the well-known names in the letter included Ariana Grande, Guillermo del Toro, Gabrielle Union, Mark Ruffalo, Billy Porter, Chelsea Handler, John Leguizamo, Constance Wu, Christie Brinkley, Idina Menzel, Andy Cohen, Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts and Sharon Stone.

The letter comes against the backdrop of a conservative group movement spearheaded by Republican-led governments to ban books in schools that did not align with their views, such as on LGBTQ+ issues and race. Meanwhile, banning books reached an all-time high in the US in 2022.