Jane Fonda Dismisses Outrage Over Abortion ‘Murder’ Quip from The View, Blasts Critics Focused on ‘Passing Jokes’ Over ‘Real Threats’

Jane Fonda responded to outrage over her recent abortion-related comments on The View by accusing her critics, which includes Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), of focusing on “passing jokes” more than “real threats.”

During a Friday appearance on The View with her Moving On costar Lily Tomlin, Fonda was asked about the state of abortion rights post Roe v Wade. Joy Behar asked the actress and activist what people could do beyond “marching and protesting.” Fonda jokingly said she’s thought about “murder,” something Greene and other critics took quite literally.

“While women’s reproductive rights are a very serious issue and extremely important to me, my comment on The View was obviously made in jest. My body language and tone made it clear to those in the room – and to anyone watching – that I was using hyperbole to make a point,” Fonda wrote in a public statement.

The actress didn’t target any critics by name but accused them of moving focus away from “real threats” by focusing so heavily on “passing jokes.”

Fonda’s full statement:

While women’s reproductive rights are a very serious issue and extremely important to me, my comment on The View was obviously made in jest. My body language and tone made it clear to those in the room – and to anyone watching – that I was using hyperbole to make a point.

Women across the country are facing real threats when it comes to our bodies, and people lose faith in our mission to protect women when others choose to focus on tangential issues and passing jokes instead of the actual problem at hand.

Greene was so offended by Fonda’s View appearance that she declared she was “reporting” the actress for her comments. In the same Twitter rant where she said she’d report Fonda, Greene also insulted Fonda’s age and suggested being 85somehow meant she should be quiet on the subject of abortion.

On Friday, Fonda insisted there was no “going back” on abortion no matter what new laws pop up.

“We have experienced for many decades now of having agency over our bodies, of being able to determine when and how many children to have. We know what that feels like. We know what that’s done for our lives. We’re not going back,” she said. “I don’t care what the laws are. We’re not going back.”

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]