Megyn Kelly Slams 'Hanoi Jane' Fonda for Plastic Surgery Reaction and Vietnam Actions

Megyn Kelly is not going to take criticism from Jane Fonda without punching back. Figuratively, of course.

Last week, in an appearance on the Today show, Fonda and Lily Tomlin cracked jokes at Kelly's expense over questions she asked Fonda in September about plastic surgery. The eponymous host of Megyn Kelly Today fired back at Fonda during Monday's show, lambasting the 80-year-old actress for reacting the way she did to the question and for continuing to harshly speak about it and Kelly even months later.

"When she first complained, publicly, after the program, and repeatedly, I chose to say nothing, as my general philosophy is: What other people think of me is none of my business," Kelly said. But because Fonda has continued to speak about it, Kelly decided that "it's time to address the 'poor me' routine."

"First, some context: Fonda was on to promote a film about aging. For years she has spoken openly about her joy in giving a cultural face to older women," she said. "Well the truth is, most older women look nothing like Fonda, who is now 80. And if Fonda really wants to have an honest discussion about older women's cultural face, then her plastic surgery is tough to ignore."

In September, Fonda amd co-star Robert Redford appeared on Kelly's show to promote Our Souls at Night. During the interview, Kelly asked her: "You've been an example to everyone in how to age beautifully and with strength and unapologetically. You admit you've had work done, which I think is to your credit. But you look amazing. I read that you said you're not proud to admit you've had work done. Why not?"

"We really want to talk about that right now?" Fonda replied acerbically. "Good attitude, good posture. I take care of myself. But let me tell you why I love this movie that we did, Our Souls at Night, rather than plastic surgery."

Fonda has since commented several times on the much-discussed moment. In a Q&A with Variety published Saturday, for example, she said that Kelly's question "was so inappropriate. It showed that she's not that good an interviewer."

But Fonda has discussed her plastic surgery openly in the past, a fact Kelly pointed to in her comments on Monday. The talk show host played clips from past appearances on television and radio—including CNN, Today, Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood—in which Fonda addressed the work she'd had done.

"Apparently when she came here, however, again to promote her film about aging, I was supposed to discern that this subject was suddenly off limits," Kelly said on Monday. "Look, I gave her the chance to empower other women, young and old, on a subject which she purports to know well, and she rejected it, that's okay," she continued. "But I have no regrets about that question, nor am I in the market for a lesson from Jane Fonda on what is and is not appropriate."

But Kelly didn't stop there. In her explanation about why she wasn't prepared to take such advice from Fonda, Kelly labeled Fonda an unpatriotic American whose "name is synonymous with outrage." She pointed specificially to Fonda's controversial visit to North Vietnam in 1972 that earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane" from critics. During the visit, Fonda was photographed atop an anti-aircraft gun, equipment that would have been used to shoot down American aircraft. Fonda has apologized for the photo repeatedly.

"Whenever possible I try to sit down with vets and talk with them, because I understand and it makes me sad," she said at an event in Frederick, Maryland in 2015. "It hurts me and it will to my grave that I made a huge, huge mistake that made a lot of people think I was against the soldiers.

But to Kelly, the apologies aren't enough. "The moral indignation is a little much," Kelly concluded, saying Fonda "has no business lecturing anyone on what qualifies as offensive."

Representatives for Jane Fonda did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Watch Kelly's full comments here: