Jane Fonda

"Over the years, Ted had grown more passionate about liberal causes, such as the environment, global warming, and overpopulation. This was especially true during the decade he spent married to actress Jane Fonda (1991–2001), before they divorced. As his politics were swinging more to the left, I think Ted allowed CNN to drift to the left, which he regarded as key to the salvation of the planet. To Ted, the right was just a bunch of Neanderthals. That was his judgment, and he was entitled to it, just as CNN was his property to manage."

"Ted Turner called me a few times to say he wanted to get in, insisting I should do this with him instead of those other people. “They won’t have your interests at heart. I will,” he told me. One night, when we were both scheduled to attend a charity cable event, he called me from his suite at the Waldorf Towers, where he and Jane Fonda (his wife at the time) were staying. “Why don’t you come down and we’ll talk before we have to go to the dinner?” I didn’t think there was any way for him to participate, but he was adamant, so I went down to his suite. Ted began stalking around the room, shouting, “You’ve had bad parenting. All the people you’ve worked for were bad parents, and you should be with a good parent. I’m a good parent and you’re a battered child.” Periodically, I’d look at Jane cross-eyed. She could see his rants and parenting rap weren’t exactly resonating with me, and she tried to get Ted to sit down and shut up. He finally ran out of steam, and we went off to the dinner, never to discuss it again."