“On our very first date, he talked to me all about Turner Classic Movies,” Fonda recalled. “I do think it’s one of the great things that he did.”

Jane Fonda gushed about ‘favorite ex-husband’ Ted Turner at TCM Film Festival days before he died

"On our very first date, he talked to me all about Turner Classic Movies," Fonda recalled. "I do think it's one of the great things that he did."

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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May 6, 2026 5:05 p.m. ET

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Jane Fonda; Ted Turner. Credit:

Arnold Jerocki/Getty; Michael Buckner/Getty

- Jane Fonda gushed about "favorite ex-husband" Ted Turner on April 30, less than a week before his death on May 6.

- "On our very first date, he talked to me all about Turner Classic Movies," Fonda said of the man who founded CNN.

- The two was married from 1991 to 2001.

Jane Fonda admired Ted Turner 25 years after splitting, and happened to mention it days before his death.

On Thursday, April 30 at the opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival, the actress spoke about her ex-husband, CNN founder Ted Turner, to whom she was married from 1991 to 2001. Turner died the following Wednesday, May 6, at the age of 87.

In a pre-screening conversation with TCM's Ben Mankiewicz, Fonda mentioned that she had been married to Turner, her "favorite ex-husband," who launched the channel dedicated to film in 1994. She also said that TCM was very important to Turner.

"On our very first date, he talked to me all about Turner Classic Movies," Fonda recalled. "I do think it's one of the great things that he did."

Mankiewicz then asked Fonda why TCM is needed today. "We need to know what it used to be like. We need to know what the greats were like. The great directors, the great actresses, the great actors. We want to see how people used to behave."

"I know a young girl who came from a very, very disadvantaged background and she learned manners and how to behave from TCM," added Fonda, who was at the film festival's opening night to honor Robert Redford.

In an interview with CNN on May 6, Mankiewicz also praised Tuner's legacy when it came to movies. "Ted knew that this was not merely a television channel," he said. "It's a repository of our shared history. It's a place that night after night, day after day, reflects our dreams."

Fonda and Turner in Beverly Hills in 1990.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

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Turner and Fonda met in 1990 after the actress split from her second husband, California politician Tom Hayden, to whom she'd been married since 1973. After meeting, Turner got Fonda's number and called her up to express his interest. Though they were very different from each other in background and beliefs, the opposites attracted.

''Ted can keep up with me,'' Fonda told PEOPLE in 1990. ''He's a very, very funny, lovable, complicated person.'' They wed in Florida the following year and honeymooned with their blended family.

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In 2000, Turner and Fonda announced their separation. "While we continue to be committed to the long-term success of our marriage, we find ourselves at a juncture where we must each take some personal time for ourselves," a joint statement from the former couple read.

After their divorce in 2001, the TV magnate and the Oscar winner remained on good terms. "I still have a very good relationship [with him]” Fonda said in 2008 per PEOPLE. "Life is too short to be fighting.”

The feeling appeared mutual. "When you love somebody and you really love them, you never stop loving them," Turner told Piers Morgan in an interview years after they split. "There's nothing wrong with that. That's good." He also admitted that Fonda was "probably" his greatest love.

Turner in Atlanta in 2016.

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Turner launched CNN in 1980 and was known for his business ventures and philanthropy throughout his life. "Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement," CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement following Turner's death.

"He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world."

Turner is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

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