Ted Turner Proved Even Billionaires Could be Human

"Ted Turner, thrice married and a notorious womanizer, had many exes, the most famous of whom was his last wife, Jane Fonda. This was also Turner's most surprising relationship since, on paper at least, the two couldn't have been more different. He was a buccaneer capitalist, best known for launching CNN, the world's first 24/7 cable news channel, in 1980. Politically, he seemed an avatar of the boorish New South, prone to making ethnic jokes and deriding his media rivals in 1980 as "a bunch of pinkos.""

"Fonda, by contrast, was more than pink; she was bright red, a Hollywood superstar known for her radical commitments, including her support for the Vietnamese national liberation movement, which took her to Hanoi in 1972 when the American imperialist adventure was careening toward its disastrous conclusion. Their marriage lasted from 1991 to 2001-a decade when Turner was on top of the world, and not just because he was betrothed to one of the most talented actors in the world."

"CNN became the defining media outlet of its era thanks to the Gulf War of 1990-91. Prior to that conflict, skeptics had often asked if the world really needed around-the-clock news. But the Gulf War confirmed that CNN had not just a global audience but an unprecedented ability to present the news with real-time urgency. (A decade later, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, CNN was itself supplanted by Fox News, a network whose partisanship and jingoism matched the mood of the George W. Bush administration better than the more sober internationalism and hard-news focus of Turner's network."

"No one was closer to Turner when he was at the absolute peak of his influence than Fonda. The two remained close even after their divorce, and Fonda bestowed on Turner the title of "my favorite ex-husband." Fittingly, she's also provided the most tend"

Ted Turner, known for launching CNN as the first 24/7 cable news channel, had a reputation shaped by flamboyant capitalism and provocative political remarks. Jane Fonda, a Hollywood superstar with radical commitments, supported the Vietnamese national liberation movement and traveled to Hanoi in 1972. Turner and Fonda married from 1991 to 2001, a period when Turner was highly influential and CNN became central to global media during the Gulf War of 1990–91. The conflict demonstrated CNN’s real-time urgency and broad audience reach. After their divorce, they stayed close, with Fonda calling Turner her “favorite ex-husband.”

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