Tensions between Megyn Kelly and Jane Fonda have been simmering publicly for some time now.
The clash kicked off roughly four months back, right around the launch of Kelly's program on NBC. Fonda was among her earliest guests, and the conversation took an uncomfortable turn when Kelly raised the topic of cosmetic procedures. Fonda shot back with visible irritation, asking, "We really want to talk about that now?" During a subsequent sit-down with Entertainment Tonight, Fonda acknowledged she was "a little bit" caught off guard by the inquiry. "It was a strange thing to bring up, whether I've had plastic surgery or not," she remarked. "I have, and I've spoken about it openly, but it just didn't feel like the right moment or setting to go there."
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Kelly has now hit back directly, dedicating a portion of her broadcast to the running disagreement. The friction flared up again last week when Fonda stopped by Today alongside her Grace and Frankie co-star Lily Tomlin and alluded to the widely discussed exchange. Tomlin quipped about Fonda's "first face lift," prompting Fonda to retort, "Who are you, Megyn Kelly?"
On Monday's edition of Megyn Kelly Today, Kelly fired back, claiming Fonda "appears to be fixated" on the interview from earlier in the year. "When she first griped publicly after the show — and more than once — I decided to stay quiet, because my usual approach is that what others think of me isn't my concern," Kelly stated. "However, Fonda was at it again last week, including here on NBC and then in other outlets, so it's time to push back on the 'poor me' routine."
Kelly went on, "The reality is, most older women don't resemble Fonda, who is now 80. And if Fonda genuinely wants a frank conversation about how older women are portrayed culturally, then her own cosmetic work is hard to overlook. Fonda understands this herself, which is why — to her credit — she's talked about her procedures almost everywhere before sitting down with us.
"I offered her a platform to uplift other women, young and old, on a topic she claims to know well, and she turned it down. That's her prerogative. But I stand behind the question without apology. Nor do I need Jane Fonda schooling me on what's appropriate. After all, this is a woman whose very name evokes controversy," Kelly added, before referencing Fonda's well-known "Hanoi Jane" chapter. "Consider how she treated our service members during Vietnam — many veterans still bear that grudge because of her radio transmissions aimed at shaming American soldiers. She was photographed on an anti-aircraft weapon used to bring down our pilots."
