Jane Shirley Smith became known mainly as the second wife of Ted Turner. While her former husband built a global media empire and became one of the most influential figures in American television, Smith largely stayed away from the spotlight. Their marriage covered an important period in Turner’s transformation from a regional businessman into the entrepreneur who would eventually launch CNN and reshape cable television.
Unlike Ted Turner or his later wife, actress Jane Fonda, Jane Shirley Smith never developed a highly public celebrity profile. Reliable information about her early life remains limited. What can be established from reputable sources is that she worked as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, married Turner in the mid-1960s, had three children with him, and remained married to him until 1988. More recent public records also connect her name with the Jane Smith Turner Foundation.
Jane Shirley Smith Quick Bio
| Detail | Verified Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jane Shirley Smith |
| Also known as | Jane Smith Turner / Janie Smith |
| Known for | Second wife of media entrepreneur Ted Turner |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Former Delta Air Lines flight attendant |
| Former husband | Ted Turner |
| Marriage period | Mid-1960s to 1988 |
| Children with Turner | Rhett Turner, Beau Turner and Jennie Turner Garlington |
| Number of children with Turner | Three |
| Public profile | Primarily private |
| Philanthropic connection | Jane Smith Turner Foundation |
| Foundation role | Listed as president in nonprofit filings |
| Current personal details | Largely kept out of the public record |
Sources describing the beginning of the marriage are not completely consistent: some report 1964, while Turner-related material describes the marriage as lasting 23 years before the couple’s 1988 divorce, which points to approximately 1965. For that reason, describing the marriage as beginning in the mid-1960s is more responsible than presenting a disputed exact year as certain.
Who Is Jane Shirley Smith?
Jane Shirley Smith is an American woman whose name became part of media history because of her long marriage to Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III, the entrepreneur behind Turner Broadcasting System and CNN.
Before becoming part of the Turner family, Smith reportedly worked as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. Both People and The Washington Post have identified her as a former Delta flight attendant. Beyond that professional detail, authoritative biographical information about her upbringing, parents, education and early career is scarce.
That lack of information is important. Many online biographies attempt to fill gaps surrounding private individuals with unsupported birth dates, family histories or financial estimates. In Smith’s case, there is no strong reason to do so. Her public significance comes primarily from her marriage, children and later philanthropic associations.
Marriage to Ted Turner
Smith became Ted Turner’s second wife after the end of his first marriage to Julia “Judy” Nye.
Turner’s official legacy website identifies his second wife as Janie Smith and confirms that the couple had three children together: Rhett Lee Turner, Reed Beauregard “Beau” Turner and Sara Jean “Jennie” Turner.
The marriage lasted for more than two decades. A retrospective published on Turner’s official website states that Turner and Jane Shirley Smith divorced in 1988 after 23 years of marriage. People similarly reports that their relationship ended in 1988.
This period overlapped with some of the most transformative years in Ted Turner’s business career.
Life During Ted Turner’s Rise
When Jane Shirley Smith married Turner, he had not yet become the globally recognized media billionaire associated with CNN.
Turner had taken control of his father’s billboard company after his father’s death in 1963. He subsequently expanded into broadcasting, acquired a struggling Atlanta television station and developed what became the national “superstation” model. In 1980, he launched CNN, introducing the first major television network built around 24-hour news coverage.
Smith’s marriage therefore coincided with the years in which Turner moved from outdoor advertising into radio, television, sports ownership and eventually international news.
It would be misleading, however, to assign Smith a specific executive or operational role in those businesses without evidence. Public records and major biographies generally focus on Turner as the entrepreneur. Smith herself did not cultivate the kind of media presence that would allow historians to document her day-to-day involvement in his companies.
Their Three Children
Jane Shirley Smith and Ted Turner had three children: Rhett, Beau and Jennie. Turner’s official family history confirms all three as children of his second marriage.
Rhett Turner
Rhett Lee Turner became involved in filmmaking, photography and environmental storytelling. His professional interests have often intersected with conservation, an issue strongly associated with the wider Turner family. People has described Rhett as a documentarian and photographer whose work includes nature-focused projects.
Beau Turner
Reed Beauregard “Beau” Turner has become particularly active in wildlife conservation.
According to Turner Enterprises, Beau serves in roles connected with the Turner Endangered Species Fund and has worked extensively on wildlife projects. He also founded the Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, which introduces young people to outdoor activities and conservation education.
Jennie Turner Garlington
Sara Jean “Jennie” Turner Garlington has also been associated with environmental initiatives and educational media. Reports about Ted Turner’s children describe Jennie as involved in environmental storytelling, including work connected with EcoSense for Living.
Together, Smith’s children reflect an important part of the Turner family legacy: environmental protection and philanthropy became major themes across the next generation.
Jane Smith Turner Foundation
One of the clearest pieces of public information connecting Jane Smith Turner with independent philanthropic activity is the Jane Smith Turner Foundation.
According to IRS-derived records compiled by ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer, the Jane Smith Turner Foundation Inc. is a tax-exempt private foundation. The organization has held federal tax-exempt status since January 1995, and its filings list Jane Smith Turner as president.
The same records identify family members including Rhett Lee Turner and Sarah Jane Turner Garlington as directors. Turner Enterprises’ official biographies additionally mention the foundation among organizations involving several members of the Turner family.
This philanthropic record is significant because it provides a documented aspect of Smith’s life outside her former marriage. She should not be described solely as “Ted Turner’s ex-wife” when public nonprofit records show a continuing connection to charitable grantmaking.
Was Jane Shirley Smith Involved With CNN?
There is no reliable public evidence establishing Jane Shirley Smith as a CNN executive, founder or operating manager.
CNN was Ted Turner’s business project. He launched the network in 1980 after expanding his broadcasting operations and pioneering the satellite-distributed superstation model.
Smith was married to Turner when CNN was founded, meaning she was part of his family during an extraordinary chapter in American media history. That does not mean she should be credited with a corporate position that reliable sources have not documented.
This distinction matters when discussing private spouses of famous entrepreneurs.
Divorce From Ted Turner
Jane Smith and Ted Turner divorced in 1988, ending a marriage of more than two decades.
Turner’s personal life later attracted significantly more publicity when he became romantically involved with actress and activist Jane Fonda.
Turner and Fonda married in 1991 and eventually divorced in 2001. Their high-profile relationship received considerably greater press attention than his marriage to Smith, which may partly explain why modern readers often know more about Fonda than about the woman who was married to Turner during much of the expansion of his early media businesses.
Jane Shirley Smith and Jane Fonda Are Different People
One recurring source of confusion is the similarity created by the two names.
Jane Shirley Smith and Jane Fonda were two different wives of Ted Turner.
Smith was Turner’s second wife and the mother of Rhett, Beau and Jennie. Jane Fonda, the Academy Award-winning actress, became his third wife in 1991. Turner and Fonda did not have children together. Turner’s five children came from his first two marriages.
Keeping those relationships separate is particularly important in biographies because search results sometimes combine details from different members of the Turner family.
Why Did Jane Shirley Smith Remain So Private?
There is no documented statement from Smith explaining precisely why she maintained a low public profile, so assigning a motivation would be speculation.
What can be observed is that she rarely appears as the subject of major interviews, entertainment coverage or public biographies. Most reputable references mention her only when discussing Ted Turner’s marriages, their children or organizations connected with the Turner family.
Her relatively private life contrasts sharply with Turner’s.
Ted Turner became one of America’s most recognizable businessmen, known for creating CNN, expanding cable television, owning the Atlanta Braves, winning the America’s Cup and later directing enormous resources toward philanthropy and environmental conservation.
Smith followed a very different public path.
Her Place in the Turner Family Story
Calling Jane Shirley Smith merely a former celebrity spouse understates the historical context of her marriage.
She was Turner’s partner during a long period in which his professional life changed dramatically. Their three children later became associated with environmental conservation, charitable organizations and the wider Turner family’s philanthropic activities.
Smith’s own name also survives institutionally through the Jane Smith Turner Foundation, whose nonprofit records continue to identify her as president.
Those documented facts provide a clearer and more useful picture than attempting to reconstruct private personal details that she never placed in the public domain.
What Is Known About Jane Shirley Smith Today?
Public information about Jane Shirley Smith’s present personal life remains limited.
Reliable sources do not provide a comprehensive current biography covering details such as her residence, relationships or everyday activities. Consequently, websites presenting highly specific claims about her current private life should be approached cautiously unless they cite primary records or reputable reporting.
What remains publicly verifiable is her identity within the Turner family and her connection with the foundation carrying her name. IRS-derived nonprofit data continues to list Jane Smith Turner as president of the Jane Smith Turner Foundation.
Maintaining that distinction between documented information and speculation is particularly important when covering someone who has never sought extensive media attention.
Ted Turner’s Later Life and Legacy
Ted Turner died on May 6, 2026, at age 87, according to an announcement from his family and extensive reporting by major news organizations. He left behind five children, including the three he shared with Jane Smith.
His legacy includes CNN, Turner Broadcasting, TNT, major contributions to sports broadcasting, environmental conservation and large-scale philanthropy. He also pledged $1 billion to support United Nations causes, an initiative that led to the creation of the United Nations Foundation.
Within that larger story, Smith represents an earlier and considerably less public chapter of Turner’s personal life.
Why Is Jane Shirley Smith Searched Online?
Interest in Jane Shirley Smith usually comes from people researching Ted Turner’s family history.
Turner’s marriage to Jane Fonda is widely remembered because both individuals were major public figures. His earlier marriage to Smith received comparatively little sustained media coverage, despite lasting more than two decades and producing three of his five children.
That contrast naturally generates questions about who Smith was, what she did before marrying Turner, whether she played a role in his companies and what happened to her after their divorce.
The available evidence provides some answers but also establishes clear limits. Smith was a former Delta Air Lines flight attendant, Turner’s second wife, mother of three of his children and later publicly connected with a private charitable foundation. Much beyond those points remains outside the reliable public record.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Jane Shirley Smith?
Jane Shirley Smith was the second wife of American media entrepreneur Ted Turner. She was reportedly a Delta Air Lines flight attendant before their marriage.
When did Jane Shirley Smith marry Ted Turner?
Sources differ slightly on the precise starting year. People reports 1964, while Turner-related material says the marriage lasted 23 years before the couple divorced in 1988, suggesting approximately 1965. It is therefore safest to say they married in the mid-1960s.
How many children did Jane Smith and Ted Turner have?
They had three children: Rhett Lee Turner, Reed Beauregard “Beau” Turner and Sara Jean “Jennie” Turner.
Was Jane Shirley Smith involved in CNN?
There is no reliable evidence that she held an executive or operating role at CNN. She was married to Ted Turner when he launched CNN in 1980, but the network is documented as Turner’s business venture.
When did Jane Shirley Smith and Ted Turner divorce?
Their divorce occurred in 1988, after more than two decades of marriage.
What is the Jane Smith Turner Foundation?
The Jane Smith Turner Foundation Inc. is a private nonprofit foundation with federal tax-exempt status dating to 1995. Public nonprofit records list Jane Smith Turner as its president and show members of the Turner family participating in its governance.
Is Jane Shirley Smith still alive?
Major publicly accessible biographical sources reviewed for this article do not provide a clear, authoritative announcement of her death. It would therefore be inappropriate to claim that she has died without reliable confirmation.
Conclusion
Jane Shirley Smith occupies a quiet but meaningful place in the history surrounding Ted Turner. She was his second wife during more than two decades that included his dramatic rise in broadcasting, and together they had three children: Rhett, Beau and Jennie. Unlike Turner and Jane Fonda, Smith chose—or at least maintained—a life with very little public exposure.
Verified records also show that her story extends beyond being the former wife of a media mogul. The Jane Smith Turner Foundation has operated as a private charitable organization, with nonprofit filings identifying Jane Smith Turner as president.
Her biography is therefore best understood through what can actually be documented. She was part of the Turner family during a defining era in American media, raised children who became involved in conservation and philanthropy, and remained notably private while the family name became internationally famous.
