By Actress Patricia Heaton says hostility toward conservatives in Hollywood became so intense that she and other entertainment industry figures helped build a secret network where people could speak openly without jeopardizing their careers.
The Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle star discussed Friends of Abe during an interview released Monday on Andrew Gold’s Heretics podcast, describing how a small gathering of conservatives, libertarians and other Hollywood dissenters eventually grew to between 2,000 and 3,000 members.
“We ended up having to make a secret group to talk freely without worrying about losing your job and to let other people know who was safe on a set,” Heaton said.
Patricia Heaton says Hollywood became so politically one-sided that she helped build a private network for people to meet in secret just to speak freely… pic.twitter.com/sU5rxhrdpI
— Andrew Gold (@AndrewGold_ok) August 25, 2026
The organization began after actor Gary Sinise quietly approached Heaton and her husband, producer David Hunt, about bringing together a small group of like-minded people in the entertainment industry.
According to Heaton, what initially appeared likely to be an intimate gathering quickly revealed a much larger constituency of people who felt unable to express their political or cultural views openly.
“It ended up being 2,000 to 3,000 members,” Heaton said.
Friends of Abe, named for Abraham Lincoln, developed into a private networking and social organization for Hollywood conservatives. Earlier reporting described the group as an invitation-only refuge for actors, writers, directors, producers and technicians who believed expressing conservative views could damage their careers.
Its better-known participants and supporters included Sinise, Heaton, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight and Clint Eastwood. The organization hosted speakers ranging from Republican political figures to conservative commentators and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The secrecy was deliberate. Members were discouraged from discussing meetings publicly, photographing events or revealing the identities of other participants. The organization maintained a private website and guarded its membership roster.
That secrecy eventually brought Friends of Abe into a confrontation with the federal government.
While seeking formal recognition as a tax-exempt nonprofit, the organization came under scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service over the political nature of some of its events. Friends of Abe resisted an IRS request for access to portions of its website containing member information, arguing that disclosure could expose members to professional retaliation.
“They asked that the organization provide all the names of who’s in it,” Heaton recalled.
The dispute became public in 2014 as the IRS was already facing national criticism over its handling of conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status. Friends of Abe ultimately received its 501(c)(3) designation that year.
The organization began winding down its formal nonprofit structure in 2016. Executive Director Jeremy Boreing told members at the time that Friends of Abe would eliminate its dues, website and costly administrative infrastructure while retaining the informal relationships that had developed among members.
Screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd, one of the group’s organizers, said its success had made the formal organization less necessary because conservatives in the industry had established their own networks.
“We’ve made it clear there are thousands of conservatives who work and belong in Hollywood – that we’re here and we’re successful here,” Chetwynd said at the time.
Heaton’s account comes as she continues to speak publicly about what she sees as growing ideological conformity in the entertainment industry.
During the Heretics interview, Heaton also argued that “Hollywood’s dead,” discussed political pressures inside comedy writers’ rooms and described younger writers objecting to jokes they considered offensive. She also addressed her experiences as an outspoken Catholic and pro-life actress in an overwhelmingly liberal industry.
The story of Friends of Abe offers a striking glimpse into the political divisions that existed behind Hollywood’s public face well before the current battles over cancel culture, diversity mandates and political speech.
For Heaton, its extraordinary growth demonstrated just how many entertainment professionals believed that remaining quiet about their views was not simply a matter of avoiding arguments — but a condition of remaining employable.
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