Jane Fonda is known for her activism as much as her acting, and the next generation of her family has gotten in on the action, too. Jane Fonda's grandchildren, Malcolm and Viva Vadim, have joined the star at her Fire Drill Friday protests, and like their grandmother, have been arrested while fighting for the environment. While many grandparents would be upset to hear that their grandkids got arrested, Fonda has celebrated Malcolm and Viva's civil disobedience, knowing that her family is working together toward a good cause and bringing even more attention to it.
But, while Fonda comes from a famous Hollywood family, Malcolm and Viva aren't usually in the spotlight as much. Read on to find out more about the 83-year-old actor's grandchildren and her family as a whole.
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Fonda's two grandchildren are from her first marriage.
Jane is part of the famous Fonda acting family. Her father, Henry Fonda, was an actor, as was her brother, Peter Fonda, and her niece Bridget Fonda, who hasn't appeared onscreen since 2002. Jane has been married three times: to director Roger Vadim, to activist and politician Tom Hayden, and to CNN founder Ted Turner. With Vadim, Jane welcomed a daughter, Vanessa Vadim, who had two children, Viva and Malcolm. Jane also has a son, Troy Garrity, and daughter, Mary Williams, with Hayden.
Viva recently just graduated high school and is an artist.
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Not much is publicly known about Fonda's grandchildren, but their mother Vanessa did post on Instagram earlier this year that Viva had graduated high school. Viva also has her own Instagram account where she shows off her artistic skills, including weaving tapestries and making jewelry.
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Fonda once saved Malcolm from a wild animal.
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During an April appearance on The Tonight Show, Fonda told a story about saving Malcolm from a bear that had snuck into her home in New Mexico. She said that Malcolm was about three months old and in his crib, when she heard a noise and was alerted by her dog to a bear in the room with him.
"There's a bear right in the middle of my small bedroom, heading right for my grandson's crib," she said on the show. "But I knew what to do. I opened my bathrobe and I went [screams loudly]. And this is what happened, the bear urinated on my antique rug and then turned around and sat down. I roared again, and it went out to the door and it sat down. There's the hole in the screen door that it came through. I pushed it out and slammed the glass door."
Both grandchildren have been arrested protesting with their grandmother.
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As explained on the Fire Drill Fridays website, Fonda started the demonstrations on Capitol Hill to fight against climate change by demanding that politicians take action, including with the Green New Deal. "I can no longer stand by and let our elected officials ignore—and even worse—empower—the industries that are destroying our planet for profit," she writes on the site.
In November 2019, Fonda shared on Instagram that both Malcolm and Viva had been arrested for civil disobedience during a Fire Drill Friday protest. Fonda herself has been arrested multiple times during the protests.
Along with a photo of herself reaching out to Malcolm for a hug, she wrote, "Greeting my grandson just leased after @firedrillfriday arrest for civil disobedience. Proud grandma." Next to a photo of herself and Viva, the Grace and Frankie star shared, "With my granddaughter Viva Vadim who got arrested with 38 others today. Follow @firedrillfriday to take action against climate change."
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Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextJane Fonda's Best Kiss Was With This Actor
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