Lily Tomlin Reveals Whether She or Jane Fonda Would Ever Run for Office

Don't expect to see LilyTomlinholding any political offices.

"No, I don't want to do that," Tomlin, 86, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Sock It To Me: The Legend of George Schlatter premiere on April 13. "I can't imagine what they go through."

Of her close friend JaneFonda, Tomlin said she thinks the longtime activist and actress, 88, is exactly in the career she needed to pursue.

"I think she could have [been good in office], but I don't think she would really be suited. She would be better to do what she does," Tomlin said.

The duo have collaborated on many projects over the years, including 9 to 5 and Grace and Frankie.

Tomlin got her big break on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1969, which Schlatter, 96, created.

"When I went on the show, I was pretty political," Tomlin told Us. "There were all kinds of jokes on the show. I'd go right away … and I'd say, ‘George, I can't do this joke. I can't do this joke. I can't do this joke,' and he says, ‘You don't have to worry about that.' He says, ‘You don't need to do it.' And he yelled, ‘Jo Anne!'" (Fellow actress and comedian Jo Anne Worley was widely known for her time on the variety show.)

Tomlin told Us that appearing on Laugh-In meant "everything" to her career at the time.

"I was totally unknown," she said. "I went in the third year, and [my character] Ernestine was literally a success overnight. She was just astounding, because I was in New York doing publicity for the show, and it was Monday. Tuesday morning when I got up, when I went out the door, people would say, ‘Oh, there's the new girl on Laugh-In.'"

Tomlin admitted she was shy about the attention initially.

"It was totally unexpected," she said. "Ernestine was like a monster character overnight."

Tomlin continued: "No one could hit with one single character and make such a big splash as she did."

Laugh-In featured many other high-profile appearances from show regulars such as GoldieHawn, ArteJohnson and RichardDawson. Other celebrity guests included SammyDavis Jr., JohnWayne,KirkDouglas, CarolChanningand FrankSinatra.

The series ran for six seasons from 1968 to 1973. The show was largely regarded as a precursor to the Saturday Night Live, which first aired in October 1975.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 8:57 AM.