Megyn Helly
Digs up old 'Nam furor in TV tirade
It’s Hanoi Jane vs. Me-Again Megyn!
The months-long feud between Megyn Kelly and Jane Fonda erupted into all-out war Monday when the morning-show host tore into the actress during an on-air rant — even dredging up the actress’ controversial antiVietnam War activism.
Kelly let rip following months of potshots from the 80-year-old Oscar winner, who’s still fuming over being quizzed on her plastic surgery when she appeared on Kelly’s NBC show in September.
“It’s time to address the ‘poor me routine,’ ” Kelly sniped of Fonda during a monologue on the floundering “Megyn Kelly Today’’ show Monday.
“I have no regrets about the [plastic-surgery] question. Nor am I in the market for a lesson from Jane Fonda on what is and is not appropriate. After all, this is a woman whose name is synonymous with outrage.
“Look at her treatment of our military during the Vietnam War. Many of our veterans still call her Hanoi Jane, thanks to her radio broadcasts, which attempted to shame American troops,’’ Kelly said. “She posed on an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot down our pilots.”
Fonda appeared on Kelly’s show in its first week with Robert Redford to promote their Netflix film, “Our Souls at Night,” when Kelly asked Fonda about the “work” she’d had done.
The actress grew tense and snapped, “We really want to talk about that now?”
Kelly said nothing at the time, but Fonda continued to criticize the former Fox News host — including last week, when she told Variety the question “was so inappropriate. It showed that she’s not that good of an interviewer.”
Kelly — whose show is struggling amid low ratings and recent accusations from a former employee that it’s a “toxic and demeaning” workplace — finally broke her silence Monday.
The host, who was once dubbed “Me-Again’’ by her Fox colleagues, defended her original line of questioning by saying that Fonda has spoken publicly about her cosmetic surgery in the past and that she was there to promote a film “about aging.”
Audience members alternately booed and cheered as Kelly lashed into Fonda.
Fonda apologized for the 1972 Vietnam photo years later, claiming she was tricked by Viet Cong soldiers who were serenading her.