The show must go on.
Jane Fonda was interrupted by technical difficulties while accepting the lifetime achievement award at the SAG Awards 2025 in Los Angeles Sunday.
The iconic actress’ passionate speech applauding the SAG-AFTRA union was derailed when the pre-recorded announcer started speaking over her.
However, Fonda laughed off the brief disturbance as she dramatically quipped on stage, “I can conjure up voices!” She then flexed her arms in triumph.
The 87-year-old activist and philanthropist also used the platform to share a politically charged message about empathy.
“Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke — and by the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people,” Fonda said. “Back to empathy, a whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way.”
She continued, “And even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent because we are gonna need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us.”
“We must not isolate. We must stay in community. We must help the vulnerable,” Fonda added.
“We must find ways to project an inspiring message of the future. There will still be love. There will still be beauty. And there will be an ocean of truth for us to swim in.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus presented the achievement award to her friend at the Shrine Auditorium following a montage of highlights from Fonda’s decades-long film and television career.
“Your enthusiasm makes this seem less like a late twilight of my life, and more like a go girl, kick ass. Which is good because I’m not done,” Fonda — a self-described “late bloomer” — said in her speech.
“I have had a really weird career. Totally un-strategic. I retired for 15 years and then I came back at 65, which is not usual, and then I made one of my most successful movies in my 80s. And probably in my 90s, I’ll be doing my own stunts in an action movie.”
Previous recipients of SAG-AFTRA’s lifetime achievement award include Barbra Streisand, Sally Field, Helen Mirren, Robert De Niro, Alan Alda and Morgan Freeman.
