Jane Fonda has never shied away from political controversy throughout her long and eventful career. Dubbed “Hanoi Jane” after a widely criticized 1972 photo showed her sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun, she’s certainly faced her fair share of public backlash.

Even in the 1960s, Fonda was a polarizing figure, openly supporting the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panthers—stances that didn’t sit well with certain parts of society.

This past weekend, she received the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) Life Achievement Award and took the opportunity to subtly criticize President Donald Trump during her acceptance speech.

Given the tense political atmosphere in the U.S., it’s no surprise that many high-profile celebrities are using their platforms to speak out.

For 87-year-old Fonda, Sunday’s SAG Awards served as an ideal moment to make a statement.

“Thank you SAG AFTRA. Your enthusiasm makes this seem less like a late twilight of my life, and more like a go girl, kick a**. Which is good because I’m not done.” Fonda said.

While she didn’t call out Trump by name, she did allude to Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of him in 2024’s The Apprentice.

Jane Fonda’s speech

“Though you may hate the behavior of your character, you have to understand and empathize with the traumatized person you’re playing,” she said.

She then took a moment to defend the concept of ‘wokeness,’ making it clear that caring about others should not be seen as a flaw.

“Empathy is not weak or ‘woke.’ And, by the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a damn about other people.”