Back in September of 2025, Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89.
And as expected, he was prominently in the “In Memoriam” segment of Sunday night’s Academy Awards.
But while most viewers had nothing but praise for the tribute — during which Barbra Streisand crooned a few bars from the title song of her and Redford’s 1973 film The Way We Were — a third Hollywood legend is crying foul.
Jane Fonda starred with Redford in four films: The Chase, Barefoot in the Park, The Electric Horseman, and Our Souls at Night.
And she’s openly miffed about the fact that the Academy invited Streisand to pay tribute to Redford, despite the fact that the two of them only made one film together.
“I wanna know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford?” Fonda said at the Vanity Fair after party (via Parade magazine). “She only made one movie with him. I made four. I have more to say.”
“I was always in love with him,” Fonda continued, adding:
“The most gorgeous human being and such great values and he did a lot for movies. He really changed movies, lifted up independent movies.”
“I miss him now more than ever, even how he loved teasing me. He’d call me, ‘Babs.’ And I’d say, ‘Bob, you know, do I look like a Babs?’ But the way he said it made me laugh,” Streisand said on stage at the Oscars, adding:
“Many years later, we were chatting on the phone about the usual, politics, art, [Amedeo] Modigliani—our favorite. And as we were hanging up, he said, ‘Babs, I love you dearly, and I always will.’”
Needless to say, it was a moving tribute. But clearly, Fonda felt that it would have meant more coming from a frequent collaborator of Redford’s — such as herself.
She did pen a tribute that appeared on social media and in numerous news articles in the wake of Redford’s passing.
“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can’t stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way,” she wrote at the time.
Fonda concluded her tribute by acknowledging the political contributions of her fellow activist:
“He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for,” she wrote.
We may never know why Jane Fonda was not invited to pay tribute to her dear friend. But at least fans will always be able to revisit the films they made together.