The One Person Who Could Have Ended Jane Fonda's Acting Career

Jane Fonda's marriage to Ted Turner almost made her cut her acting career short. Throughout her 85 years of life, Fonda has appeared in almost 100 films and TV shows. Her most popular titles include the sexy sci-fi classic "Barbarella," her comedy collaboration with Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin "9 to 5," and her two Oscar-winning roles, "Coming Home" and "Klute." 

By the time the mid-00s rolled in, Fonda was in her early 60s. And while most people would have been planning to wrap up their careers, Fonda was returning from a 15-year-acting break. Since then, Fonda, who's worth $200 million, has appeared in nearly two dozen more roles, including "Monster In Law," "Georgia Rule," and "80 For Brady."

Aside from her 2014 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, this century hasn't garnered Fonda quite as many plaques and statues as her first swing in Hollywood, but that has had little impact on her legacy, which also includes her admirable philanthropic efforts and interest in social justice. And while she never walked away from her charitable endeavors, Fonda – who has three ex-husbands – almost quit acting because of her marriage to her third husband, Ted Turner.

From 1991 until 2000, Jane Fonda was married to Ted Turner, the billionaire media mogul responsible for founding CNN and Turner Broadcasting Channel, per Forbes. 

According to Today, who reviewed Turner's memoir, "Call Me Ted," he pursued Fonda shortly after she divorced Tom Hayden, although it took her several months to agree to a date. But their marriage soon followed. According to the Los Angeles Times, the couple had an intimate wedding at Turner's Tallahassee, Florida ranch one year later. Fonda's last acting role before her mid-00s return was "The Earth Day Special," which came out in 1990 just before she married Turner, per IMDb. This was a purposeful choice on Fonda's part.

During a January 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Fonda discussed what led to her long break. "I left for 15 years when I married Ted Turner, and I did not think I was gonna come back, 'cause when I married him, I thought it'd be forever," Fonda shared during a press run for "80 for Brady." She added, "But I came back, and frankly if anybody told me that at 85, I'd be doing this kind of movie, I would have not believed them. So I feel very lucky." Turner and Fonda divorced in 2001 after a decade of marriage

Although Fonda made the right choice for herself at the time, Turner took things hard after Fonda left him. "Our closets faced each other's, and when I saw her empty space I sat down on the floor between them and cried," wrote Turner in "Call Me Ted" (via Today).

During a 2021 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Jane Fonda revealed new, riveting details about her decision to bow out of her third marriage. When speaking on her decision to leave Ted Turner, Fonda revealed that she accepted that she was unhappy while spending time on their ranch. "Next year, I'm gonna be 60... that's the beginning of the end," Fonda said (via Prevention). "I did not know how I wanted to live out the last act of my life." She continued, "I realized that I'm not afraid of dying but I'm afraid of having regrets. It wasn't until I was finally single at 62 that I began to feel whole, feel that I was where I was supposed to be."

While most people equate divorce to loneliness or unhappiness, Fonda is definitely making the most of her life at this stage. While speaking with People, Fonda branded this time as "the happiest I've ever been." She also shared her thoughts about filming 2023's "Book Club: The Next Chapter," with her all-female cast mates. "It's everything I imagined women's friendships can be," Fonda said. "When I was younger, there was this assumption that women were kind of catty and four stars working together wouldn't work because they'd be competing, and it's just not true. We're friends and we love working together and we help each other when we need to."