‘I’d put you over my knees and spank you’: Jane Fonda rips gaslighting cynic Bill Maher a new one in tense political chat

Jane Fonda held no punches while discussing politics with Bill Maher, telling the commentator he is “so cynical” for his views of the far-left. 

In a scene that feels pulled from my family’s Thanksgiving Day dinner table, the pair somewhat tersely discussed the left movement during Fonda’s appearance on Maher’s podcast, Club Random. Maher, who has characterized himself an “old school liberal” (which might explain why he’s smoking a cigar during the chat) took issue with the far-left, which he said was partly responsible for Donald Trump’s election victory. 

“The far-left has gone so nutty on so many issues,” Maher said, before claiming that some left-leaning policies “make people roll their eyes.” Among other supposedly eye roll-worthy policies, Maher cited the NAACP’s decision to issue an advisory warning for people of color travelling to Florida, as well as the issue of “men getting pregnant.” While he clarified that trans women pregnancies are “different than a man getting pregnant,”  these apparently left policies made “the average person” question whether “you people ever find anything that’s ridiculous.”

In response, Fonda bluntly said that left-leaning citizens have “been told” they’re going nutty by “people like [Maher],” in one of many curt interactions between the pair. Taking issue with Maher’s framing of the left — and how he highlighted its more “extreme” ends — Fonda said she had “never heard of men getting pregnant [and] I’ve never heard of this argument.” Fonda then said that the issue “must be part of what you call the ‘far-left’ that is so miniscule.” 

After Maher suggested that perhaps Fonda — who campaigned heavily for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign — isn’t across the news websites that might report on such issues, the actress and activist replied, “You’re right, maybe I should watch Fox News,” which is exactly the kind of outlet who would cover such stories to demonize the left. Further along in the chat, the pair discussed how their opinions seem to clash on many topics, with Fonda telling Maher, “You’re so different than me, it’s hard for me sometimes to understand what you’re talking about.”

Fonda declared that she “sees people differently” and said Maher is “very cynical,” which opposes her own worldview despite being much older than Maher. “I’m not cynical and I’ve been around longer than you,” Fonda said. “You could be my son… I’d put you over my knees and spank you.” Despite their differences of opinion, Maher and Fonda maintain a friendly rapport throughout the chat, which is refreshing and more than I can say of my own Thanksgiving Day discussion with *that* uncle.

One thing they did agree on elsewhere in the interview was the issue of Trump’s second presidency. Since Maher believes he already “did all the Trump stuff” and had labelled him a “con man before anybody else,” the onset of another four years discussing the president-elect has meant he has become “bored of it,” to the point where he “may quit.” Offering a solution to Maher’s issue with Trump — whom he said will continue to “dominate the news like he always does” — Fonda suggested that he pivot to discuss topics other than the former president (that would be nice, wouldn’t it?).

While they sparred frequently in the interview, Fonda said they could at least agree that their beverage of choice, a glass of tequila, was “really good.” I similarly downed far too many tequilas the last time my uncle mentioned the MAGAs, so I see where she’s coming from.