When Ted Turner first called Jane Fonda to ask her out in 1990, she told him to call back in six months. She was grieving her divorce from Tom Hayden. She wasn't ready. Most men would have moved on to the next starlet, but Ted Turner isn't "most men." He actually waited. He called her back exactly six months later, almost to the second.
That was the start of a decade-long whirlwind that felt less like a celebrity marriage and more like a collision of two separate solar systems.
Ted Turner and Jane Fonda were the ultimate 1990s power couple. You had the "Mouth of the South," the billionaire who founded CNN and owned the Atlanta Braves, pairing up with "Hanoi Jane," the Oscar-winning actress, fitness queen, and polarizing activist. It was loud. It was flashy. And for a while, it actually worked.
The 10-Year Run That No One Saw Coming
They got married on December 21, 1991, at a sprawling ranch near Capps, Florida. It was her 54th birthday.
Honestly, the wedding was a bit of a secret at the time. They didn't want the "choppers" (as Ted called them) buzzing over the house. Fonda basically quit Hollywood for him. She walked away from a massive acting career at the top of her game because, as she later put it, she wanted to be a "successful wife."
She learned to fly fish. She learned to hunt. She even dressed the way he liked.
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"Marrying Ted is like marrying 15 people," Fonda once told an interviewer. You weren't just marrying a guy; you were marrying a fleet of ranches, a media empire, and a man who literally didn't have a "quiet" setting. For ten years, they were inseparable. They lived primarily in Atlanta, but they spent huge chunks of time on his millions of acres of land in Montana and New Mexico.
Why the Marriage Actually Ended
People love to speculate about why big celebrity marriages fail. Was it money? Was it cheating?
With Ted and Jane, it was weirder than that. It was about Christianity and "babysitting."
In the late 90s, Jane Fonda became a practicing Christian. This didn't sit well with Ted Turner. He’s been famously vocal—and often quite derogatory—about religion over the years. He once called people wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday "Jesus freaks."
Fonda later admitted she didn't even tell him she was converting at first because she knew he’d try to "debate" her out of it. And Ted? He’s a world-class debater.
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But the real kicker was the emotional toll. Fonda famously said that Ted needed someone there 100% of the time. She called it "babysitting," not love. She felt she was disappearing. By the time they filed for divorce in April 2001, Fonda had decided she needed to "grow up" and find her own voice again.
The divorce was surprisingly civil. No tabloid wars. No screaming matches in the press.
The "Favorite Ex" and the Current Reality
If you look at them today, it’s one of the most successful "failed" marriages in history.
Jane Fonda frequently calls Ted her "favorite ex-husband." That’s a big deal considering her roster includes Roger Vadim and Tom Hayden. They still support each other’s charities. Just recently, in late 2025, Fonda spoke at a gala for GCAPP (the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential), a charity they co-founded. She got emotional talking about him.
"Ted’s not here, but he is here in my heart," she told the crowd.
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Ted’s Health and Their Lasting Bond
The reality for Ted Turner today is a lot quieter than it used to be. In 2018, he revealed he was battling Lewy Body Dementia. It’s a brutal, progressive disease that he described as a mix of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
He spends most of his time now on his Flying D Ranch in Montana. The man who once controlled the world’s news cycle now watches the bison.
Fonda has been one of his most consistent supporters through this. Even though they haven't been married for over two decades, their lives are still woven together through the land they saved and the organizations they built.
Lessons From the Turner-Fonda Era
What can we actually learn from this?
- You can't "quit" yourself for someone else. Fonda tried to be the perfect wife by abandoning her career, but she eventually realized she couldn't breathe in that space.
- Post-divorce friendship is possible, but it takes work. They transitioned from lovers to co-philanthropists by focusing on their shared goals—like environmentalism and youth health—rather than their personal grievances.
- Values matter more than lifestyle. They both loved the outdoors and the ranches, but their fundamental disagreement over spirituality and personal autonomy eventually created a rift that money couldn't bridge.
If you’re looking to apply the "Fonda Method" to your own life, start by evaluating where you might be shrinking yourself to fit into someone else's world. Fonda waited until her 60s to fully reclaim her identity, but she’s spent the last 25 years proving it’s never too late to start over.
You can honor a past relationship without being trapped by it. Just ask Jane. She’s currently 88, busier than ever, and still has her "favorite ex" on speed dial.