Hollywood actress Natasha Lyonne has never exactly kept her feelings about Donald Trump under wraps.
But now, in a surprising twist, she’s setting her political differences aside to take on an issue she believes cuts deeper than party lines—how artificial intelligence is reshaping the entertainment industry.
Fighting for Creators in the Age of AI
Lyonne, best known for her roles in Russian Doll and Poker Face, has stepped into an unlikely new role: lobbyist.
She’s fiercely pushing for safeguards to protect artists and creators from what she sees as the exploitative use of AI in media.
Her goal? To make sure AI companies can’t just vacuum up decades of creative work—scripts, music, images—without paying the people who made them.
“My primary interest is that people get paid for their life’s work,” the 46-year-old told The Wall Street Journal.
A Letter with Hollywood Muscle
Earlier this year, Lyonne took action by helping organize a powerful open letter to the White House.
The message? Don’t let AI innovation steamroll the creative community.
The letter gathered over 400 signatures, including industry giants like Paul McCartney, Ben Stiller, and Ron Howard, and called on President Biden’s administration to block policies that would allow unchecked use of copyrighted media to train AI.
It made a strong statement: “America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries.”
But Here’s the Catch—No One in Washington Knows Who She Is
Despite her efforts, Lyonne’s push is hitting a major snag: she’s a familiar face in Hollywood, but a complete stranger in D.C.
Several aides working closely on AI legislation said they had never even heard of her.
One Republican staffer reportedly dismissed her as “an insane person” upon learning of her lobbying.
A Democratic aide was more amused than informed, admitting they didn’t know about her efforts but added, “Omg I love her.”
A Vocal Trump Critic Now Courting His Administration
Part of the reason Lyonne’s campaign is raising eyebrows is her long history of criticizing Trump and his policies—often in very public, very pointed ways.
She’s spoken passionately about reproductive rights, especially restrictions on abortion under Trump-era policies.
In a 2024 interview, she told The Hollywood Reporter that thinking about a young girl unable to get an abortion “rips me apart.”
And back in 2020, she actively raised money to help Democrats flip Texas, tweeting: “There’s no debate: If we #TurnTexasBlue, Trump is through.” She’s also previously endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Now Partnering With a “Permission-Only” AI Studio
Beyond lobbying, Lyonne is also putting her money where her mouth is.
She’s a co-founder of Asteria, a new AI-powered studio that only trains on media it has the creator’s permission to use.
The aim is to make this kind of ethical model the gold standard across the industry.
But her past attacks on Trump are resurfacing just as the White House’s Office of Technology prepares to unveil its AI policy plan—one that could significantly shape how copyright law interacts with generative AI models.
The Stakes Are High—and Divisive
According to the WSJ, this upcoming plan could shift how U.S. copyright law applies to AI training.
That’s a big deal. And the lobbying battle over it is heating up.
Lyonne and her allies want stricter protections for creators, while tech giants like OpenAI and Google argue that too much regulation could cripple innovation—and let China surge ahead in the global AI race.
Meanwhile, the courts are sending mixed signals.
Disney and Universal are suing AI firm Midjourney over alleged copyright misuse, while Meta and Anthropic recently won legal victories allowing certain kinds of copyrighted training under fair use.
So Where Does the White House Stand?
For now, the Biden administration is staying tight-lipped.
Sources say there’s uncertainty over whether they’ll pick a side at all, given how thorny—and politically risky—the issue is.
The long-awaited AI action plan is expected to drop later this month.
Whether Lyonne’s passionate push makes it onto the administration’s radar remains to be seen.