Jane Fonda's Candid Life Regret: Why the Oscar Winner 'Didn't Think I'd Live Past 30'

Mian Hamid November 21, 2025

Jane Fonda's Candid Life Regret: Why the Oscar Winner 'Didn't Think I'd Live Past 30'

U.S. Audiences are getting a deeply personal look into the life of Hollywood icon and Oscar winner Jane Fonda, who recently shared candid details about her challenging youth and the philosophy guiding her life now.

The Book Club star, 87, made a heartbreaking admission during a November 19 appearance on Michelle Obama's podcast, The Look. Joined by model and activist Bethann Hardison and Real Housewives of New York star Jenna Lyons for a discussion on aging, Fonda confessed she was sure she wouldn't make it to her third decade.

"I didn't think I'd live past 30," Fonda said on the podcast. "I was sure I was going to die."

Her turbulent younger years followed a profound tragedy: the 1950 death by suicide of her mother, Frances Ford Seymour, when Fonda was just 12. "My youth was not especially happy," she recalled. "I’m not addictive, but I thought I was going to die from drugs and loneliness.”

The fact that Fonda is approaching 88—her birthday is December 21—is, in her own words, "astonishing." Even more remarkable, she said, is how much happier and more centered she is today.

"I’m better now. I wouldn’t go back for anything," she stated. "I feel more centered, more whole, more complete. I’m very happy. Single." Michelle Obama, a clear admirer, responded simply: “I’m a fan of you.”

Fonda revealed that she has “never been afraid of aging, and more importantly, I’m not afraid of dying.” Yet, when she turned 60, she realized she had entered her "final act" and didn't know how to navigate it. The key realization came when she determined: “I’m afraid of dying with a lot of regrets.”

This fear was rooted in the experience of watching her late father, Henry Fonda, die in 1982 at age 77, "with a lot of regrets." This proved to be a pivotal moment for the younger Fonda.

“If you don’t want to die with regrets, then you have to live the last part of your life in such a way that there won’t be any regrets,” she explained.

As she has previously shared, Fonda had a powerful, final exchange with her father before his death. She told him she loved him and forgave him for any past shortcomings, hoping he would, in turn, forgive her for not being a "better daughter."

"He didn't say anything. But he wept," she shared, recalling that she had never seen her father break down before. "It was powerful."

This guided her path: "I also want to be surrounded by people who love me. Forgiveness comes into play, including forgiving myself. That actually has guided me in the last 30 years. I’ve been living to not have regrets.”

The conversation turned to the concept of aging well. Bethann Hardison referenced an old Fonda quote: “You don’t feel old as long as you’re healthy.”

Fonda, who famously revolutionized the fitness industry with her workout videos for U.S. consumers and beyond, elaborated on the theme of intentionality.

“I think that old age is fantastic if it’s lived intentionally,” she said. “Intentionality is the key. Really thinking about it.”

She also recently helped illustrate her seismic impact on fitness. As Spanx founder Sara Blakely shared in an Instagram video, Fonda demonstrated the outdated, forced exercises women were expected to perform in the '50s and '60s. Fonda's message: “That is what women’s fitness consisted of … until moi.”

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