Jane Fonda & W. Kamau Bell Set For SXSW 2026 Keynote Session; Other Speakers To Include Andy Cohen, Bob Odenkirk, Demi Moore, Gavin Newsom, More
March 4, 2026 / /
Jane Fonda and W. Kamau Bell will be featured in a SXSW keynote session focusing on the First Amendment and freedom of speech, the festival announced today, with other sessions and speakers to include Bob Odenkirk, Keke Palmer, Demi Moore, Riz Ahmed, Matt Strauss and Andy Cohen, Gavin Newsom, Alanis Morissete and Bill Burr.
See below for Conference and Festival highlights for the 40th annual SXSW March 12-18. For a full schedule go here.
“SXSW has always been the ultimate convergence of culture and innovation, but this announcement takes it to a new level,” said Greg Rosenbaum, SVP of Programming at SXSW. “With our new format this year, the collaboration and crossover between our Conferences and Festivals has never been stronger.”
Highlights of the newly announced Keynote and Featured Sessions include:
- Say It Louder: Artists, Activism & the First Amendment In this Keynote, Committee for the First Amendment founder Jane Fonda, comedian W. Kamau Bell and the ACLU’s Jessica Weitz discuss the vital link between culture and action, sharing how the First Amendment empowers artists to challenge power and how every individual can take concrete action to protect free speech when democracy is at stake;
- A Talk About Life, Sibling Rivalry and The Lonely Island Jorma Taccone and Asa Taccone discuss their work together with The Lonely Island, Electric Guest and other topics;
- Baby, This is Keke Palmer Live Keke Palmer and the cast of I Love Boosters – Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Eiza González, Poppy Liu and Demi Moore – for a live podcast recording;
- Bob Odenkirk: Entering His Action Hero Phase and the State of Action Films with the Team Behind NORMAL Collider’s Perri Nemiroff joins Bob Odenkirk, director Ben Wheatley, writer Derek Kolstad and producer Marc Provissiero to discuss their kinetic neo-Western action film;
- Breaking Barriers, Building Solutions: Meet the Changemakers Transforming Health Innovation Presented by Serena Williams and Reckitt Catalyst, this conversation spotlights underrepresented founders reshaping health through community-driven innovation and scalable change;
- Clips & Conversation with Riz Ahmed Emmy and Oscar-winning actor Riz Ahmed previews and discusses his upcoming Prime Video comedy series Bait, about a struggling actor who auditions for the role of a lifetime only to see his life spiral out of control over four frenetic days;
- Matt Strauss & Andy Cohen: Community, Culture & the Future of Entertainment Matt Strauss and Andy Cohen, in conversation with S.E. Cupp, will explore the evolution of entertainment beyond platforms, exploring how immersive experiences and fandom-building transform shows into expansive worlds and viewers into active participants;
- Networth and Chill with guest Governor Gavin Newsom – Your Rich BFF Vivian Tu for a live-taping of her podcast, Networth & Chill, where she gets up close and personal about the good, bad, and ugly of how money impacts our lives. In this special episode of the podcast Networth and Chill on the SXSW Keynote stage, Vivian Tu will interview Governor Gavin Newsom about why politics matters for our pocketbooks;
- The SXSW Music Festival will feature seven nights of showcase performances from more than 1,000 artists across Austin’s historic clubs and venues. Highlights will include performances by Jack Johnson and Hermanos Gutiérrez, singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress, pop-punk band The Paradox, Chicago DJ and producer Hiroko Yamamura, and rapper, singer and producer Ty Dolla $ign; Spotify 20: Live at Stubb’s will feature Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, rising country music star Ella Langley, and St. Vincent on the decks for a rare DJ;
- The SXSW Comedy Festival will include showcases by Bill Burr, Devon Walker and Alex English, and others;
- Vox Media Podcast Stage at the Hilton Austin, March 13-15, will include sessions with Eric André, Jonathan Glazer and Billy Magnussen, Mark Cuban and Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King.
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