Honestly, if you’re looking for a current husband, you won’t find one. Jane Fonda is single. She’s been single for a while now, and if you listen to her tell it, she’s never been happier.
It’s a bit of a shock for fans who followed her through the decades. For the better part of fifty years, Jane was rarely without a man on her arm. From French directors to billionaire moguls, her life was basically a roadmap of 20th-century power players. But at 88 years old, the Grace and Frankie star has made it very clear that the "marriage shop" is officially closed.
The Current Status: No Husband, No Problem
The question of who is jane fonda married to usually comes up because people assume a woman of her stature must have a partner. But the reality is that Fonda hasn't been married since 2001. Her last major relationship, with music producer Richard Perry, ended in 2017.
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Since that split, she’s been incredibly vocal about her choice to stay solo. She famously told SiriusXM that she "closed up shop down there" and that her current and next great loves are her girlfriends. It wasn’t a bitter statement. It was a realization. She spent a lifetime "pleasing" men—her words, not mine—and she finally decided she was done with the work of it.
She hasn't totally lost her sense of humor about it, though. In 2023, she joked on the Absolutely Not podcast that if she were to take a lover, he’d have to be 20. Why? Because she "doesn't like old skin." It was a classic Jane moment—blunt, slightly controversial, and totally unapologetic.
The Three Husbands Who Shaped Her Life
To understand why she's done with marriage, you kind of have to look at who she actually walked down the aisle with. Each marriage represented a completely different version of Jane.
Roger Vadim (1965–1973)
Vadim was the one who turned her into a "sex symbol." He was the director behind Barbarella, and their life in France was straight out of a movie. They had a daughter, Vanessa, but the marriage was complicated. Jane has admitted she spent much of that time trying to be the woman he wanted—living a life that didn't always feel like her own.
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Tom Hayden (1973–1990)
This was her "Hanoi Jane" era. Hayden was a massive political activist, and they were the ultimate power couple of the New Left. They lived a much more modest life, focusing on protests and grassroots organizing. They had a son, Troy Garity, and informally adopted a daughter, Mary Williams. This marriage lasted 17 years, her longest run. She’s credited Hayden with giving her "structure and guidance," but eventually, that flame burned out too.
Ted Turner (1991–2001)
Then came the billionaire. Marrying the founder of CNN was, as Jane put it, like marrying 15 people at once. She moved to Atlanta, learned to fly-fish, and basically became a different person to fit into his world. It was a decade of high-flying luxury, but it ended because she realized she couldn't be "half-a-person" anymore. Interestingly, she often calls Ted her "favorite ex-husband."
Why She Isn't Looking Anymore
Fonda has done a lot of soul-searching in her 80s. She’s been open about the fact that she realized she wasn't really "capable of intimacy" in the way she wanted. She told Chris Wallace in a CNN interview that she used to think she was only interesting if she was with an interesting man.
That’s a heavy realization to have at 80.
But once she realized it, the need for a partner seemed to vanish. She found that her friendships with women provided the emotional support and "realness" she’d been looking for in marriages. Plus, she’s busy. Between her climate activism—those famous "Fire Drill Fridays"—and her acting career, she doesn't exactly have a gap in her schedule for a husband.
What This Means for Us
Jane Fonda’s journey is basically a masterclass in evolving. She didn't just get older; she got more "her."
- Friendships are the new romance: She prioritizes her "tribe" over a spouse.
- Independence isn't a consolation prize: Being single in your 80s isn't about being "alone"; it's about being free.
- It's never too late to change the narrative: You don't have to be defined by who you were married to thirty years ago.
If you’re wondering what’s next for her, don’t look for a wedding announcement. Look for her at a protest or on a movie set. She’s living for herself now, and honestly, that’s a lot more interesting than another marriage.
If you want to keep up with her current projects, her blog at janefonda.com is still a great place to see what she's actually focusing on—hint: it's the climate, not a dating app. You can also catch her older interviews on YouTube where she talks about the "third act" of life, which she views as the most important.