Jane Fonda Recalls 'Skinny-Dipping' With The King Of Pop Michael Jackson

Jane Fonda recently revealed in an interview that she once saw the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, naked during a visit while filming "On Golden Pond." 

The Oscar winner also disclosed turning down advances from French director René Clément, who wanted to go to bed with her to understand her character's orgasm in a film they were working on together.

Fonda has been open about her evolving views on aging and sexuality. She expressed that women become more empowered to communicate their desires as they age. 

Keep on reading to learn more.

During an episode of "Watch What Happens Live," Jane Fonda surprised host Andy Cohen with a revelation about a memorable encounter with the late Michael Jackson. Playing a game of "Plead the Fifth," the "Grace & Frankie" star shared an anecdote from her time filming "On Golden Pond" in 1980 when Jackson was 22.

Fonda recounted the incident: "He came and visited me when we were shooting 'On Golden Pond,' and I had a little cottage right on the lake, and it was a beautiful, moonlit night." When Cohen asked if it was her idea to "skinny-dip," the "Book Club: The Next Chapter" actress quickly clarified, stating, "No, he did!"

The actress, 85, playfully remarked that Jackson, who tragically passed away in 2009 at 50, "knew he was going to die young" and that she would openly discuss "him being naked." 

"He was skinny!" she recalled. Cohen, displaying respect for Jackson's memory, gracefully avoided delving further into the subject, saying, "I'm not going to ask anything else about it because I want to be respectful of Michael."

In another surprising revelation, Fonda disclosed an encounter from her past involving a well-known Hollywood figure. The Oscar winner shared that she had turned down advances from renowned French director René Clément.

Cohen, ever curious, probed for details, asking if it "was it a sloppy pass?" Fonda responded with a recounting of the incident, explaining, "Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said [my] character [in 1964's 'Joy House'] had to have an orgasm in the movie, and he needed to see what my orgasms were like."

"He said it in French, and I pretended I didn't understand," she added before telling the Bravo boss that she has a lot of "stories for you, kid."

The "Book Club" actress has always been open about her personal experiences, including her views on aging and sexuality. In a candid interview on "Andy Cohen Live" on Sirius XM in 2022, she spoke about how women tend to become more empowered in expressing their needs as they grow older. "Women, I think, tend to get better because they lose their fear of saying what they need," she said.

Fonda emphasized that fear often keeps us from communicating our desires in the bedroom, saying, "We waste too much time not wanting to say: 'Wait a minute, hold it, hold it, no, no, no. Slow down, and a little to the left.' We don't want to do that. But when we age, it's like: 'No, I know what I want. Give me what I want.'"

However, in an earlier interview with Harper's Bazaar in March 2021, Fonda expressed a shift in her desires. She revealed that she no longer aspires to be in a sexual relationship saying, "I don't want to be in a relationship, a sexual relationship, again. I don't have that desire."

During an appearance on the show "Who's Talking" with host Chris Wallace, Fonda opened up about a deeply emotional moment she shared with her late father, Henry Fonda. Reflecting on their relationship and the final moments they had together before his passing in 1982 at the age of 77, Fonda described a touching and significant encounter.

"Before he died, I was able to tell him that I loved him and that I forgave him for, you know, whatever didn't happen. And I hope that he will forgive me for not being a better daughter. I got to say that to him," she shared, per People.

"He didn't say anything. But he wept," she added. "I had never seen that before. I'd never seen my father break down and weep. And I— it was, it was powerful."