Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin: All About the Actress’ Decades-Long Friendship

'9 to 5' costars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin bond over their shared passions, including comedy and activism

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin have been friends for nearly five decades.

When the actresses crossed paths in 1978, they were already stars in their own right — and are now even bigger household names for their acting, comedy and activism. Beyond the work they’ve done, though, their friendship has been the subject of the spotlight, too.

After Fonda and Tomlin met backstage at one of Tomlin’s one-woman shows, the two quickly found common ground in their careers and personal lives. Today, they've worked together on three films, like the iconic 9 to 5 with Dolly Parton, and seven seasons of Netflix’s sitcom Grace and Frankie.

In an interview with T: The New York Times Style Magazine in 2024, Fonda implied that their days of collaborating were far from over. While speaking about their 2023 movie Moving On, she referenced a common theme in the reviews. "Almost every one of them talked about our chemistry. It was like, ‘Well, maybe we should always work together,’ ” she recalled.

Apart from being multi-time costars who celebrate their individual achievements, they also support each other during difficult moment, including Fonda’s cancer diagnosis in 2022, when Tomlin praised her strength and described her to PEOPLE as “indomitable.”

At the May 2024 premiere of the documentary Still Working 9 to 5 — examining gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace since the movie’s 1980 release — Tomlin told PEOPLE that their friendship has “meant a great deal” to her, and Fonda added that she feels “lucky” for their close bond.

Here’s everything to know about Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and their decades-long friendship.

They met in 1978

Fonda and Tomlin first met in 1978, backstage at a performance of Tomlin’s one-woman show, Appearing Nitely, in downtown Los Angeles.

Fonda was already a well-known actress, largely for her titular role in Barbarella and her Oscar-winner performance in Klute, but she was “knocked off [her] feet” when she saw Tomlin onstage. “I was totally smitten by her,” Fonda said during an appearance with Tomlin on the The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022.

As it turned out, Tomlin was a fan of Fonda’s, too — and she was also “totally knocked over” when Fonda came backstage, Tomlin told host Kelly Clarkson.

Tomlin told T: The New York Times Style Magazine in 2024 that her admiration of Fonda even influenced her style choices.

“For a couple of years, I’d worn a hairdo from Klute, but I didn’t have it when she showed up that day,” Tomlin said. “I was like, ‘Why did I drop my Klute hairdo at this propitious time?’ ”

At the time, Fonda was developing a dark comedy about female office workers who attempt to overthrow their sexist boss — which would eventually become the iconic film 9 to 5 — but it hadn’t been cast yet.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m not making a movie about secretaries unless she’s in it,’ ” Fonda said on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

They’re multi-time costars

Fonda and Tomlin have been cast members on several of the same projects since making their first film together, 9 to 5, in 1980.

After seven seasons starring in the Netflix sitcom Grace and Frankie, they worked on two more films together: 80 for Brady (with Sally Field and Rita Moreno) and Moving On.

Tomlin has said that their lengthy professional relationship is, in part, a result of Fonda’s fearless personality.

“From the time I met her [in the late 70s] when she was trying to get us all to do 9 to 5, she would say ‘we’ve got to take a leap of faith.’ And she meant that so deeply,” Tomlin said on The View in 2023. "That’s all there was to it, I kind of glommed right onto her.”

Fonda told the Los Angeles Times about how her relationship with Tomlin evolved after working alongside each other for years. “It just deepens on its own, just automatically deepens,” she told the outlet in 2022, noting how Grace and Frankie, in particular, contributed to their closeness.

“You get to know each other pretty darn well because in a movie, it’s a relatively short period of time. And you can fake it [and [pretend to] be a good person. But over seven years [working on a TV series], if you’re not really a good person, it shows,” Fonda said. “And guess what? She’s a good person.”

They playfully tease each other

After decades of friendship — and working in comedy — playfully joking about each other is the hallmark of Fonda and Tomlin’s relationship.

During a joint appearance on Today in 2018 to promote the fourth season of Grace and Frankie, host Hoda Kotb asked the two how long they’d known each other. Fonda joked that they’re only friends off-screen “sometimes” and guessed that she had known Tomlin for about 50 years. Tomlin’s response was a bit more cutting, though, saying, “I think before your first facelift!”

In other interviews, Fonda has spoken earnestly about their friendship, while Tomlin has offered a joke instead.

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2023, Fonda described their relationship as “just short of intimate" and called her a "genius." Fonda added, "There is nobody like her.”

Tomlin jokingly defined their relationship as “somewhat distant." She explained, "That’s how you keep the love alive.”

In some cases, the two emulate the banter and bickering of their on-screen personas, Grace and Frankie. In a joint 2015 TEDTalk about the power of female friendships, the talk’s host noted that a lot can be told about a woman by the company she keeps — to which Fonda looked wide-eyed at Tomlin and said, “We’re in big trouble.”

In response, Tomlin had her own quip to offer. “Just being with her sucks the life out of me,” she joked.

They’re activists

Both Fonda and Tomlin are known for their social activism — Fonda for fighting the climate crisis and Tomlin for her involvement in LGBTQ+ and women’s rights movements — and the two have often protested alongside each other.

In 2017, the two attended the Women’s March in L.A. and talked about the experience on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that year. “750,000 people, men and women, baby carriages, wheelchairs — it was amazing,” Fonda said. In her signature deadpan tone, Tomlin interrupted to add that dogs were also there.

In December 2019, Tomlin spoke at one of Fonda’s “Fire Drill Fridays” protests in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. At the event, Tomlin talked about climate change and its impact on forests and Indigenous people, per The New York Times. Afterward, Tomlin was arrested and handcuffed with zip ties at the end of the protest, USA Today reported.

Fonda herself has been arrested numerous times over the course of her life as a result of her activism — including five times over her 12 weeks of climate protests in Washington in 2019. After the demonstration, Tomlin told The New York Times Magazine in 2020 that she supports her costar and friend, calling her a “real toughie.”

The two also protest for other causes, too. In the summer of 2023, they appeared on the picket lines in support of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Fonda and Tomlin were some of the first big-name actors to appear publicly at the strikes, per The Hollywood Reporter.

In some cases, their climate activism involves more entertainment than civil disobedience. The two held Grace and Frankie reunion live reads in 2022 and 2024, with proceeds supporting the Jane Fonda Climate PAC. “Isn't it wonderful when friends support the work you're passionate about?” Fonda wrote on Instagram alongside a promotional video for the event.

They're each other's biggest cheerleaders

Though Fonda and Tomlin have appeared on various red carpets and television interviews promoting their joint projects, they also support each other individually at awards ceremonies and honors.

In 2001, Tomlin sat with Fonda at her Lincoln Center Gala Tribute, and in 2014, Fonda — alongside fellow comedians Jane Lynch, Reba McEntire and Kate McKinnon — honored Tomlin onstage at her Kennedy Center Honors.

The following year, Tomlin presented Fonda with a Vanguard Award from Los Angeles LGBT Center. In her speech, she praised her “dear, dear friend” for her activism and work ethic.

“I have been inspired and awed by your courage and wisdom. You make your dreams come true by being a doer, not just a dreamer,” she said. “You have hope for the future, and you have big plans for it. Thank you for including me.”

In 2022, Fonda introduced Tomlin at her Hollywood Hand and Footprint Ceremony in L.A. “I can't stop crying. I'm very moved to be here,” Fonda said in her speech, while speaking about Tomlin’s extensive career and accomplishments.

“She has more empathy than anybody I’ve ever met, and I think that's one of the reasons why her comedy is so different than most comedians,” Fonda shared, adding that while many comedians make jokes at the expense of someone else, Tomlin doesn’t.

She continued, “Acting is a profession of empathy [and] Lily Tomlin, I think, carries an extraterrestrial bag of empathy with her. She has more empathy than anyone I have ever met."

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