Media mogul Ted Turner constructed one of the vital influential broadcasting empires in historical past, however his private life additionally made headlines all through the many years. The CNN founder, who died in Could 2026 at age 87, was married 3 times over the course of his life, together with a extremely publicized relationship with actress and activist Jane Fonda.
From his early marriages earlier than fame to his Hollywood romance with Fonda, be taught extra about Ted’s ex-wives and relationships beneath.
Julia “Judy” Gale Nye
Turner’s first spouse was Julia “Judy” Gale Nye, whom he met whereas attending Brown College in 1959. The 2 married on June 22, 1960, in Chicago at St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church.
Judy was the daughter of champion sailor Harry Gale Nye Jr., and the couple welcomed two youngsters collectively: daughter Laura in 1961 and son Robert “Teddy” Edward IV in 1963. Nevertheless, the wedding led to divorce in 1964, earlier than Turner rose to nationwide prominence in media.
Jane Shirley Smith
Shortly after his divorce from Judy, Turner married Jane Shirley Smith on June 2, 1964. Smith reportedly labored as a Delta Air Traces flight attendant, and the pair are stated to have met at a Younger Republicans assembly.
Throughout their greater than twenty years collectively, that they had three youngsters: Rhett, Beau, and Sarah Jean “Jennie” Turner. Their son Rhett was famously named after Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind, a narrative Turner typically referenced publicly due to his love for the traditional movie. Whereas married to Smith, Turner remodeled his father’s billboard enterprise right into a broadcasting empire and launched CNN in 1980. The couple divorced in 1988.
Jane Fonda
Turner’s most well-known marriage was to actress and activist Jane Fonda. The 2 started courting in 1990 shortly after Fonda separated from her second husband, Tom Hayden. They married on December 21, 1991—Fonda’s 54th birthday—at Turner’s 8,100-acre plantation in Florida.
All through the Nineties, they turned one in all Hollywood’s most high-profile {couples}, typically showing collectively at charity occasions and political capabilities. Fonda later revealed she stepped away from appearing throughout their marriage as a result of she believed their relationship would final ceaselessly.
Though they separated in 2000 and finalized their divorce in 2001, the pair remained shut mates afterward. Turner as soon as known as Fonda “in all probability” the love of his life, whereas Fonda regularly referred to him as her “favourite ex-husband.” In later interviews, she mirrored fondly on their relationship and stated she would “by no means love anybody” the way in which she beloved Turner.
