By Peter Sblendorio / New York Daily News
Megyn Kelly blasted Jane Fonda for leading a “poor-me routine” after their contentious interview last year and criticized the actress over her Vietnam War controversies during a heated segment on her morning show.
Kelly took time out of the program Monday to defend her decision to ask Fonda about her history with plastic surgery last September. Fonda has publicly taken issue with Kelly’s now-infamous question multiple times since.
“Fonda was on to promote a film about aging,” Kelly began. “For years she has spoken openly about her joy in giving a cultural face to older women. Well, the truth is most older women look nothing like Fonda, who is now 80, and if Fonda really wants to have an honest discussion about older women’s cultural face, then her plastic surgery is tough to ignore.”
Kelly then aired a montage of Fonda discussing her plastic surgery during three different TV interviews, before listing several other publications to which Fonda made comments on the topic as well.
Kelly explained she has “no regrets” about the question, and argued Fonda has no right to determine what is deserving of backlash considering the outrage she sparked during the Vietnam War.
“Many of our veterans still call her ‘Hanoi Jane’ thanks to her radio broadcasts, which attempted to shame American troops. She posed on an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot down our American pilots,” Kelly said. “She called our POWs hypocrites and liars and referred to their torture as understandable. Even she had to apologize years later for that gun picture, but not for the rest of it.”
Fonda said in 2011 that she didn’t mean to offend people with the photo, writing in a post to her website that she wasn’t aware of where she was sitting.
Kelly and Fonda’s dispute dates back to the first week of “Megyn Kelly Live,” when Kelly asked Fonda why she’s said in the past that she’s not proud to admit she’s “had work done.”
Fonda was visibly uninterested in discussing the topic, and replied after a moment of silence, “We really want to talk about that right now?”
Kelly went months without responding to Fonda’s reaction to her question, but ultimately decided to respond because the actress won’t let it go.
During an appearance on the “Today” show last week, actress Lily Tomlin joked to Fonda that she knew her “before (her) first facelift.” Fonda then replied, “Who are you, Megyn Kelly?”
Fonda went on to fire off a harsher salvo at Kelly’s expense during a separate interview with Variety, during which they discussed last September’s on-air incident.
“It wasn’t like I was upset. I was stunned. It was so inappropriate,” she explained. “It showed that she’s not that good an interviewer.”
Kelly concluded the segment Monday by referencing an October interview with the BBC where Fonda says she’s not proud of America, though the actress did tell the British outlet she was proud of many citizens coming together to protest against Trump.
Fonda has not publicly reacted to Kelly’s comments.
