Hollywood icon Jane Fonda revealed an incredible story about how she once fought off a wild bear that broke into the room where her grandson’s crib was.
The 87-year-old actress appeared on an episode of Netflix’s Skip Intro podcast with her son, actor Troy O’Donovan Garity.
When asked to share something about his mom that people might not know, Troy surprised listeners with the tale.
“She pushed a bear out of her bedroom,” Troy said, referring to an incident when Fonda was living in the wilds of New Mexico and caring for her grandson.
Fonda, who has two grandchildren—Malcolm and Viva Vadim, the children of her eldest daughter, Vanessa Vadim—nodded to confirm the story.
Troy explained that one night, while staying with her grandson, Fonda heard a noise and went to investigate.
When she returned to her bedroom, she found the screen door had been torn open, and a bear was sniffing around the crib.
Podcast host Krista Smith, clearly intrigued, turned to Fonda and asked, “What did you do?” Without missing a beat, Fonda demonstrated: “Roar!” she shouted, raising her hands to make herself look larger.
After some laughter from the group, Fonda explained that she had recently learned how to handle a bear encounter. “And that was it. And get very big; I opened my bathrobe,” she added, showing how she made herself appear intimidating.
Although the bear ultimately retreated, Fonda’s house wasn’t entirely spared from the intruder’s presence—it “tinkled on the rug,” she said. Despite the mess, Fonda managed to push the bear out of the room, saving her grandson, Malcolm, who is now 25.
“It walked back to the door and sat down, and I did, I pushed it out, yeah,” Fonda recalled with a laugh.
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