Hanoi Jane has been a lightning rod for controversy since the 1970s.
But her most profitable venture had nothing to do with treason.
And Jane Fonda left fans speechless when this controversial project made her millions.
Hanoi Jane cashed in big on the fitness craze
On April 24, 1982, notorious anti-war activist Jane Fonda released her first exercise video, launching an empire that would rake in millions while funding radical left-wing causes.
The Jane Fonda Workout became one of the best-selling VHS series of the 1980s, with her collection of workout videos collectively selling more than 17 million copies. The fitness queen persona was quite a departure from her infamous 1972 trip to North Vietnam where she posed atop an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot down American pilots.
Veterans groups never forgave Fonda for her treasonous photo op with communist forces while American troops were still fighting and dying in Vietnam.
But the American public seemed to develop amnesia when it came to her leotard-clad exercise routines that dominated the 1980s fitness scene.
From radical chic to workout queen
Before becoming an exercise guru, Fonda was Hollywood royalty as the daughter of acclaimed actor Henry Fonda. She established herself as both a sex symbol in films like Barbarella and a serious actress, winning Academy Awards for Klute in 1971 and Coming Home in 1979.
But her radical politics consistently overshadowed her acting career. Her North Vietnam visit earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane” and sparked outrage across America.
Still, her 1981 book, Jane Fonda’s Workout Book, spent over six months at the top of the bestseller list. The fitness empire expanded to include workout studios, additional books, and those incredibly lucrative VHS tapes.
Women across America were suddenly doing leg lifts and side bends in colorful spandex and leg warmers, making Fonda even wealthier.
Following the money trail
What many aerobics enthusiasts didn’t realize was where their workout dollars were going.
Fonda openly used profits from her fitness empire to financially support the Campaign for Economic Democracy, a leftist political organization founded by her then-husband Tom Hayden, another infamous 1960s radical.
The organization pushed a far-left agenda including rent control, solar energy, and environmental causes long before they became mainstream Democrat Party positions.
Essentially, suburban moms sweating to Fonda’s instructions were unknowingly funding radical left-wing activism that would have horrified many of them had they known.
The Hollywood liberal never changed her stripes
Despite her business success, Fonda remained committed to her radical views. After divorcing Hayden in 1989, she largely withdrew from public life during her marriage to media mogul Ted Turner.
Following their 2001 divorce, Fonda eventually returned to acting with roles in films like Monster-in-Law and Book Club.
Now in her late 80s, Fonda has continued her activism, getting arrested multiple times at climate change protests in Washington, D.C., proving that even wealth and age haven’t moderated her radical tendencies.
The irony isn’t lost on many observers – a woman who actively sided with America’s enemies during wartime became one of the most successful female entrepreneurs of her generation.
While the American people may have forgiven or forgotten her treasonous past, veterans groups continue to boycott her films and personal appearances to this day.
In her 2005 autobiography, Fonda expressed regret about her Vietnam activities, writing: “I will go to my grave regretting the photograph of me in an anti-aircraft carrier, which looks like I was trying to shoot at American planes.”
But the damage was already done, and no amount of leg lifts or celebrity status could erase what many Americans consider an unforgivable betrayal.
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