Jane Fonda's 'favorite ex-husband' Ted Turner left actress out of his will and $2.5 billion fortune

Get exclusive reporting, celebrity gossip, sensational photos and more every Tuesday morning in our new Spotlight US newsletter HERE Published: 13:25 EST, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 13:35 EST, 12 November 2026 Late billionaire Ted Turner reportedly left his ex-wife Jane Fonda out of his will – and his estimated $2.5billion fortune.Turner, who died in May, married three times in his life, with Fonda being his third and final spouse. They split in 2001 after ten years of marriage but remained friends. According to TMZ, Turner's children Laura, Robert, Rhett, Reed and Sara have filed a petition to be executors of his estate. They were the only heirs listed to his estate.Turner first drafted his trust in 2003 when he was 64, and then proceeded to change it more than a dozen times over the years.The Daily Mail has contacted Fonda's reps for comment. Late billionaire Ted Turner reportedly left his ex-wife Jane Fonda out of his will – and his estimated $2.5billion fortune Turner married three times in his life, with Fonda being his third and final spouse. They split in 2001 after ten years of marriage but remained friends. (Pictured 2013)Turner, who is best known for founding CNN, died in May. He was 87. An emotional Fonda, who previously branded Turner her 'favorite ex-husband', lauded her former love's 'brilliant mind' and 'vulnerability' as she reflected on their complicated, decade-long union in a statement following his death. 'He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I've never been the same,' she gushed.'He needed me. No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn’t your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America’s Cup as the world’s greatest sailor. He had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor,' she continued.'He could also take care of me. That was new as well. To be needed and cared for simultaneously is transformative. 'Ted Turner helped me believe in myself, he gave me confidence. I think I did the same for him, but that’s what women are raised to do. Men like Ted aren’t supposed to express need and vulnerability. That was Ted’s greatest strength, I believe.'Despite her praise, Fonda also called Turner 'the most competitive person I have ever met' and 'challenging'.'But I've always been up for a challenge, and with Ted it was almost always worth it,' she added. Turner, who is best known for founding CNN, died in May at age 87 Fonda previously called Turner her 'favorite ex-husband' and said that she 'loved him with all of my heart'. (Pictured in 1996)'I loved Ted with all my heart. I see him in heaven now with all the wildlife he helped bring back from extinction.'Nicknamed the Mouth of the South for his outspokenness, Turner built a media empire that spanned several cable and satellite sports stations. For decades, he also owned the Atlanta Braves.Turner founded CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel, in 1980. The channel's success inspired the creation of several other 24-hour news channels since, including Fox News. He was named Time's Man of the Year eleven years later for the station's live coverage of current events. Turner's television empire extended beyond CNN, with TBS and TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network among his other creations.