When Andry Hernández Romero was wrongfully deported to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, Crooked Media’s co-founders Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, and Jon Favreau sprang into action. Since its founding in 2017, Crooked Media has championed those fighting political injustice, galvanizing its millions-strong audience to drive real change. In Andry’s case, the team went far beyond reporting—mobilizing their platform, influence, and community to amplify his story, rally support, and push for his safe return home.
Amidst the growing outrage from the American public, Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor first spoke with Andry's legal representative Lindsay Toczylowski on the podcast in April. However, Crooked Media didn’t stop there. With no time to waste, Crooked Media joined forces with The Bulwark to launch the FREE ANDRY rapid-response grassroots campaign to expose Andry’s inhumane detention and fight for his release. The main goals of this campaign and partnership were to bring as much attention as possible to Andry and other individuals wrongfully deported to El Salvador (in an already dystopian landscape), ensure that his plea was brought to the attention of everyday Americans, and ultimately pressure lawmakers to act. This campaign included securing key press hits to drive awareness, planning a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court and raising money for Andry’s legal fund through A Big Gay Live Show during DC’s WorldPride which was hosted by Crooked Media’s Jon Lovett and The Bulwark’s Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell.
The Crooked Media and The Bulwark partnership to FREE ANDRY culminated in a massive fundraiser show in June during WorldPride. Working with the Human Rights Campaign, Crooked Media’s Jon Lovett and The Bulwark’s Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell hosted a A Big Gay Live Show during pride month to raise money for THE Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents Andry Hernández Romero and other individuals detained under similar, terrifying circumstances. To promote the show and drive significant awareness for Andry’s case, Lovett and Miller first spoke with LGBTQ+ media outlet The Advocate followed by key broadcast stops on Inside Politics with Dana Bash on CNN and All in with Chris Hayes on MSNBC. A Big Gay Live Show kicked off on June 6, 2025 at Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC. It was a party with a purpose and a powerful night mixed with political advocacy and comic relief. The program brought together all corners of the LGBTQ+ community and featured surprise guests including Andry José Hernández Romero’s lawyer and President of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Lindsay Toczylowski and Congressman Robert Garcia who had directly questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a House committee hearing in May on whether Andry Hernández Romero was alive.
A Big Gay Live Show was a success but that was only half of the effort to FREE ANDRY. The morning of the live fundraising show, Crooked Media’s civic engagement arm Vote Save America, the Human Rights Campaign and The Bulwark hosted a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court. This rally to FREE ANDRY drew a crowd of over 300 people, many holding homemade signs expressing outrage and demands for Andry’s release. Speakers included Crooked Media’s Jon Lovett, HRC national press secretary Brandon Wolf and senior VP Jonathan Lovitz and Immigrant Defenders Law Center executive director Lindsay Toczylowski, Andry’s legal representation.
This rapid-response campaign generated national media coverage, reaching not just LGBTQ+ audiences but bi-partisan American audiences – shining a massive spotlight on Andry’s case and the broader human rights violations Trump’s administration continues to commit with their harmful deportation practices. By centering Romero’s humanity and urgency, Crooked Media and The Bulwark built broad support and applied sustained pressure on key decision-makers to FREE ANDRY.
The FREE ANDRY campaign successfully played a critical role in the eventual release of Andry and 250 other wrongfully detained immigrants by driving awareness among everyday Americans which ultimately put unignorable pressure on lawmakers to act. The fundraising component, A Big Gay Live Show garnered 200,000 downloads/views, and raised $11,500 for Andry’s legal fund. It also publicized a 300+ person rally on the Supreme Court steps hosted by Crooked Media’s civic engagement arm Vote Save America, Human Rights Campaign and The Bulwark which garnered an additional $5,600 in donations to Vote Save America Advocacy and a $1,000 donation to Immigrant Defenders Law Center. The overall FREE ANDRY campaign generated over 440 million media impressions over the course of a few short weeks.
