Pamela Abdy's "pure, unadulterated rage" speech after leaving Warner Bros.

Pamela Abdy has not been seen in public since her Warner Bros. exit. When she finally stepped on stage, she had a lot to say, and she started with one word: rage.

What happened?

Abdy appeared on Thursday at the Women in Film (WIF) Honors in the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. It was her first public appearance since she and Mike De Luca left Warner Bros., where they had run the film studio since 2022.

She received the inaugural Vanguard Award, presented by filmmaker Nancy Meyers. The honor was announced before her exit, which came after Paramount Skydance closed its roughly $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. on October 1.

What did she actually say?

Abdy first thanked, by name, the female directors, executives and producers she has worked with. Then she turned to what she called "pure, unadulterated rage" for these women, for herself and for a whole generation of women who deserve to have their potential recognized.

She said she has been called difficult, emotional and combative, and told to smile more. She also said she was told that films starring or directed by women make less money. And she called on male directors: they show up for each other, she said, so where is that same support for women directors?

"It is getting harder, not easier, to be a woman in the business," she told the room. She asked, "What business are we leaving for future vanguards?" She closed by saying it took her 31 years to speak in her own voice. If "difficult" means being passionate about getting movies made, she added, she will keep fighting. "I'm not done."

Earlier in the evening she told The Hollywood Reporter she has "no idea what we are going to do next," and that not knowing is "kind of a nice thing." She also called it upsetting to see so many women executives leave top jobs. Cindy Holland left her role as Paramount's streaming chief, and Bela Bajaria was ousted as Netflix's chief content officer.

What's next?

Abdy has not said what her next move is. The night also honored Adria Arjona, Gemma Chan, Beth de Araújo, Hannah Waddingham and Salma Hayek Pinault, who received the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award from Fonda herself.