Pamela Abdy used her first public appearance since her departure from Warner Bros. to deliver a forceful warning about the state of Hollywood, arguing that women in the business remain under attack and questioning what kind of industry is being left to the next generation.

Abdy took the stage Thursday at Women in Film’s annual WIF Honors event at the Beverly Hilton, where Nancy Meyers presented her with the inaugural Vanguard Award. The recognition honors a leader whose career reflects qualities that move the industry forward.

The award had been announced before Abdy and Mike De Luca exited the legacy studio. Their departures came as Paramount Skydance completed its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. last month.

During her 15-minute speech, Abdy reflected on her work with filmmakers and her efforts to make movies that generate meaningful discussion. She also criticized a media environment that she said had traded analysis and facts for clickbait.

After thanking the female directors, executives and producers with whom she has worked, Abdy turned to what she described as “pure, unadulterated rage” over the treatment of women.

“Rage for these women, rage for me, and even more rage for the entire generation of women who deserve to have their potential recognized and elevated,” she told the audience. She said women’s health and well-being are too often treated as secondary to how they present themselves in a room, while female leaders are expected to suppress their anger.

Abdy Rejects the “Difficult” Label

Abdy detailed the criticism she has faced during her career, saying she had been called difficult, emotional and combative. She also recalled being told to smile more and to “put on my big-boy pants.”

The executive challenged claims that films starring or directed by women have limited audiences or weaker financial prospects. She also called on male directors to support female filmmakers with the same energy they show one another.

Despite women reaching some chairperson positions, Abdy said she does not believe the industry has truly cleared a path for those coming behind them.

“It is getting harder, not easier, to be a woman in the business,” she said. Abdy pointed to the existence of rankings devoted to Hollywood’s most powerful women, contrasting them with the absence of an equivalent list for men because, as she put it, “they are the list.”

Her speech then widened into a larger question about Hollywood’s future: whether the business being handed to emerging storytellers and executives is healthy, and whether women can enter it without confronting the same battles still being fought today.

Abdy said this week’s election gave her some hope after seeing women appointed to top political positions. She also thanked those who had supported her through professional highs, lows, successes and “very public failures,” including De Luca.

Closing the speech, Abdy said it had taken 31 years in the business to speak in her own voice and stop worrying about being characterized as difficult. If passion for getting movies made fits that description, she indicated that she would accept the label and continue fighting for the work she loves.

“I’m not done,” she told the crowd.

Her Next Move Remains Open

Earlier in the evening, Abdy told The Hollywood Reporter that she and De Luca had “no idea” what they would do next. Rather than framing that uncertainty negatively, she said it was “kind of a nice thing to not know.”

She also addressed the recent departures of several senior female executives amid layoffs and restructuring. Cindy Holland exited her position as Paramount’s streaming chief, while Bela Bajaria was ousted as Netflix’s chief content officer.

Abdy called the developments upsetting but emphasized that a single career moment does not define any of the women involved. Instead, she said, their records should be measured by the work they have done, what they leave behind and what they hope to accomplish next. She added that executives must continue supporting the next generation of storytellers and artists.

The WIF Honors ceremony recognized several other figures. Adria Arjona received the WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award. Gemma Chan and Beth de Araújo were honored with the Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film for their work on Josephine, while Hannah Waddingham received the Crystal Award for Advocacy in TV for Ted Lasso.

Salma Hayek Pinault was presented with the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award by Fonda herself.

ShowBiz Take

The timing gave Abdy’s remarks particular weight. Accepting an award created to recognize forward-looking leadership, she used the moment not simply to celebrate her career but to challenge whether Hollywood is making genuine progress for women.

Her message also connected her own Warner Bros. exit with a broader concern about women disappearing from senior positions during a period of layoffs and corporate restructuring. Yet Abdy stopped short of treating those departures as final judgments on the executives involved. Her insistence that careers are defined by the work before and after a setback made her closing declaration unmistakable: whatever comes next, she intends to remain part of the business.

What Happens Next?

Abdy has not announced her next professional move, and she said she currently does not know what she and De Luca will do. For now, her first appearance since leaving Warner Bros. has established the terms of her next chapter: she is speaking in her own voice, rejecting labels that once constrained her and making clear that her career is not finished.