Media mogul Ted Turner built one of the most influential broadcasting empires in history, but his personal life also made headlines throughout the decades. The CNN founder, who died in May 2026 at age 87, was married three times over the course of his life, including a highly publicized relationship with actress and activist Jane Fonda.
From his early marriages before fame to his Hollywood romance with Fonda, learn more about Ted’s ex-wives and relationships below.
Julia “Judy” Gale Nye
Turner’s first wife was Julia “Judy” Gale Nye, whom he met while attending Brown University in 1959. The two 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 children together: daughter Laura in 1961 and son Robert “Teddy” Edward IV in 1963. However, the marriage ended in divorce in 1964, before Turner rose to national prominence in media.
Jane Shirley Smith
Shortly after his divorce from Judy, Turner married Jane Shirley Smith on June 2, 1964. Smith reportedly worked as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, and the pair are said to have met at a Young Republicans meeting.
During their more than two decades together, they had three children: Rhett, Beau, and Sarah Jean “Jennie” Turner. Their son Rhett was famously named after Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind, a story Turner often referenced publicly because of his love for the classic film. While married to Smith, Turner transformed his father’s billboard business into a broadcasting empire and launched CNN in 1980. The couple divorced in 1988.
Jane Fonda
Turner’s most famous marriage was to actress and activist Jane Fonda. The two began dating 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.
Throughout the 1990s, they became one of Hollywood’s most high-profile couples, often appearing together at charity events and political functions. Fonda later revealed she stepped away from acting during their marriage because she believed their relationship would last forever.
Although they separated in 2000 and finalized their divorce in 2001, the pair remained close friends afterward. Turner once called Fonda “probably” the love of his life, while Fonda frequently referred to him as her “favorite ex-husband.” In later interviews, she reflected fondly on their relationship and said she would “never love anyone” the way she loved Turner.
