Jane Fonda has been honored with the 60th SAG Life Achievement Award at the SAG Awards 2025.
During the ceremony, held at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Sunday, the legendary actress accepted the highest honor of the night.
Fonda was presented the award by Julia Louis-Dreyfus with a glowing introduction after a moving montage that featured her decades of on-screen work was played for the crowd.
After receiving an enthusiastic standing ovation, the two-time Oscar winner began her rousing and politically-charged acceptance speech.
"It's okay to be a late bloomer as long as you don't miss the flower show. I'm the late bloomer and this is the Flower Show," Fonda said onstage.
She continued, “What we, actors, create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls.
“And make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. By the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people," the Grace and Frankie actress added.
During her heartfelt speech, Fonda made subtle references to the political environment and the Trump administration’s drive to cut federal jobs.
“A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening,” she said, adding “Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to not judge but listen from our hearts.”
Moreover, Fonda also spoke to the power of unions, like SAG-AFTRA , to protect people during unsettling moments in history.
Jane Fonda is the 60th recipient of the Life Achievement honor, joining an impressive list of recent honorees including Barbra Streisand, Sally Field, Helen Mirren, and Robert De Niro.
