Summary of this article
Jane Fonda said she deserved to pay tribute to her friend Robert Redford.
Barbra Streisand paid tribute to Redford during the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars.
Fonda claimed she did four movies with Redford while Streisand did only one.
Barbra Streisand paid an emotional tribute to Robert Redford during the In Memoriam segment of the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday (March 15) night. Redford, the legendary actor, director, and Sundance Film Festival founder, passed away on September 16, 2025, at age 89. Jane Fonda has questioned why Barbra Streisand paid tribute to Robert Redford on the Oscars stage instead of her.
Jane Fonda comments on Barbra Streisand's tribute to Robert Redford
“I wanna know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford?” Jane playfully teasing Streisand, told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. “She only made one movie with him. I made four. I have more to say.”
“I was always in love with him,” said the 88-year-old actress. “The most gorgeous human being and such great values and he did a lot for movies. He really changed movies, lifted up independent movies.”
For the unversed, Jane and Robert starred together in The Chase, Barefoot in the Park, The Electric Horseman and Our Souls at Night.
Jane Fonda and Robert Redford's relationship
Jane and Robert shared a good camaraderie. Their onscreen collaborations spanned over five decades.
“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone,” the Grace and Frankie star shared in a statement to E! News when Robert passed away. “I can’t stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way.”
Rob was also a political and environmental activist. “He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for,” Jane added.
Barbra Streisand Oscars 2026 tribute
Barbra gave an emotional Oscars tribute to Robert during the In Memoriam segment.
“I miss him now more than ever, even how he loved teasing me,” she said. “He'd call me, ‘Babs.’ And I'd say, ‘Bob, you know, do I look like a Babs?’ But the way he said it made me laugh.”
“Many years later, we were chatting on the phone about the usual, politics, art, [Amedeo] Modigliani—our favorite,” A Star Is Born actor added. “And as we were hanging up, he said, ‘Babs, I love you dearly, and I always will.’”
Barbara called him “thoughtful, bold and an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail.”
