Jane Fonda On Ted Turner TCM Legacy: “We Need To Know What The Greats Were Like”

Jane Fonda and Ted Turner were a 1990s power couple, having gotten together months after she and prominent California politician Tom Hayden ended their 17-year marriage. The two-time Oscar winner has yet to weigh in publicity about Turner’s death Wednesday at 87, but she talked about his movie legacy during an event in Hollywood last week.

Fonda was in the historic courtyard of the TCL Chinese Theatre for opening night of the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival and was interviewed by longtime TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. Watch the video above.

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“My favorite ex-husband created Turner Classic Movies — that was Ted Turner,” Fonda said at the event. “On our very first date, he talked to me all about Turner Classic Movies, and I do think it was one of the great things he did.”

Mankiewicz then asked the two-time Oscar winner, “In this world we live in today, why do we need TCM now?”

Fonda thought for a long moment before replying, “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.”

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She added: “I know a young girl who came from a very, very disadvantaged background, and she learned manners and how to behave from TCM.”

Fonda and Turner were married from 1991-2001 but remained friends in the ensuing years.

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