Jane Fonda jokes Barbra Streisand ‘didn’t deserve’ Robert Redford Oscars tribute

Jane Fonda has playfully questioned why Barbra Streisand was chosen to honor the late Robert Redford during the In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards.

Speaking at an Oscars after-party, Fonda, 88, joked that she felt she might have been a more fitting choice to pay tribute to Redford, with whom she shared a long professional and personal history.

“I want to know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford?” Fonda quipped, adding with a laugh, “She only made one movie with him, I made four. I have more to say.”

Despite the lighthearted remark, Fonda’s admiration for her former co-star was unmistakably sincere. She described Redford as “the most gorgeous human being and such great values. And he did a lot for movies, he really changed movies, lifted up independent movies.”

At the ceremony, Streisand delivered an emotional tribute to Redford, her co-star in the 1973 romantic drama The Way We Were. The moment was made even more poignant with a rare live performance tied to the film’s iconic theme, marking her return to the Oscars stage after more than a decade.

Fonda, who appeared alongside Redford in four films across several decades, including Barefoot in the Park and Our Souls at Night, has long spoken about her deep connection with the actor. Following his death in September 2025 at the age of 89, she shared a heartfelt statement, saying she was “unable to stop crying” and calling him “a beautiful person in every way.”