On February 28th, the legendary actress and activist, Jane Fonda, received the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 78th Golden Globes Ceremony. Her esteemed acting career has spanned over 50 years, with Fonda receiving many nominations, winning two Oscars, an Emmy, eight Golden Globes, and several other awards. She has devoted her life to activism fighting for environmental reform, world peace, and civil rights. Fonda dedicated her powerful acceptance speech at the Golden Globes to diversity, saying,
“We are a community of storytellers. In turbulent crises, torn times like these...stories can change our hearts and minds. They can help us see each other in a new light, to have empathy, and to recognize all our diversity, we are humans first….Stories can change people.”
The stories she has helped tell over her career have dealt with sexual harassment, class conflict, the Vietnam War, environmentalism, and feminism. In her latest television role she plays a woman in her 70s, this series is not afraid to tackle tough issues.
Grace and Frankie is a Netflix Original American comedy series, it is the longest-running show in Netflix history. Since its premiere in 2015, it has been consistently funny, compelling, refreshing and not afraid to tackle tough issues. It’s about friendship, empowerment, ageism, and feminism. Grace and Frankie is showing women of all ages how to live between heartbreak and what comes next. The series has been confirmed for its seventh and final season, and it will resume shooting sometime this year.
Jane Fonda and queen of comedy, Lily Tomlin are reunited on the screen for the first time since starring in the classic 80s hit movie, 9 to 5. Decades later, the pairing of Fonda and Tomlin as Grace and Frankie is still pure magic.
In season one, when we are first introduced to Grace and Frankie, the women are confronted by their husbands of 20 years with a big secret. The men have been romantically involved with each other for the past decade and want a divorce from their wives so they can marry each other. The ladies rally together to cope with the circumstances and figure out what the rest of their lives are going to look like.
Grace and Frankie’s long run proves audiences respond to quality adult shows with strong female leads. Fonda’s Grace goes after what she wants with gusto and has no problem telling people what to do, especially her family and friends. Tomlin is Frankie, a bit of a free spirit, a yam lube making hippie child and an artist who leads with her emotions.
For six seasons, Fonda and Tomlin have obliterated ageism stereotypes and have positively represented the 65 plus age group. Storylines have seen them deal with the changes of menopause, becoming friends with adult children, navigating dating and sex after divorce, and discrimination.
We celebrate their wins with them. Their stories have changed us. They have proven you can start over at any age.
If you haven’t kept up to date, don’t worry, stream all six seasons of the show on Netflix.