Big Little Lies won big at the Emmy Awards last night, but the HBO stars weren't the only female-led cast to gather on stage. The stars of 1980's 9-to-5 — Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin — gathered to present the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. And the three women not-so-subtly compared the decades-old film to the United States' current political climate.
"Back in 1980, in that movie, we refused to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot," Jane Fonda said of 9 to 5, referring to their characters' boss in the movie.
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"And in 2017, we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot," Tomlin added, a line that can only be interpreted as a reference to President Donald Trump.
Some people have pointed out that Parton didn't explicitly criticize Trump, as the other two actresses appeared to, though that may have just been the way their bit was scripted. (Parton's contribution to the bit included a joke about a Grace & Frankie vibrator and the "support" she needs for her breasts.) Last year, Parton said that Trump and Hillary Clinton were "both nuts". Parton also said that she would "be behind" Clinton if she won, but she declined to endorse either presidential candidate. Still, she didn't look uncomfortable with her costars' criticism of Trump, so it's safe to say she was at least on board with the bit. Whether or not they were totally on the same page, though, it was nice to see women finding a way to band together and show solidarity with one another.
None of the three women won the Emmy Awards they were nominated for last night. But their presentation was still one of the most talked-about moments from the ceremony. It was great to see that all these years, the three costars are still supporting one another.
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