All About Ted Turner’s 5 Children, Laura, Teddy, Rhett, Beau and Jennie
All About Ted Turner’s 5 Children, Laura, Teddy, Rhett, Beau and Jennie
Alex GurleyWed, May 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM UTC
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Ted Turner and family attend the ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 7, 2004 in Hollywood, California.Credit: Vince Bucci/Getty
Ted Turner passed on his passion for environmentalism to his five children: Laura, Teddy, Rhett, Beau and Jennie.
While their father may have been a high profile entertainment mogul and entrepreneur — as the CNN and Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) founder — they were raised out of the spotlight with the understanding of how important the environment was.
He imparted his children with knowledge of how to care for the planet and made great efforts to educate the public about their impact on the Earth. In turn, it encouraged his children to follow in his footsteps.
“My dad was seeing these big gaps and opportunities. He used his media platforms to educate others, to make them understand how amazing nature is. He wanted to connect their hearts with the idea of preserving our wildlife. He also wanted to show the world what happens when you do not take care of our planet,” Laura told Elysian magazine.
She continued, “I think a natural evolution for me was to be concerned with what was happening to our environment. Dad was sitting on this mountaintop of global information, suddenly you could see we were messing up the world…My dad showed me that by taking action, and putting your passion to work, you can actually solve problems.”
Ted’s children have now all taken the reins on the family foundations and have started environmental projects of their own. Ted died at age 87 on May 6, Turner Enterprises announced, and his sons and daughters will continue building his legacy.
Here’s everything to know about Ted Turner’s five children.
Laura Turner Seydel
Ted Turner and his daughter Laura Turner Seydel attend the Captain Planet Foundation Gala on December 5, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia.Credit: Moses Robinson/Getty
Ted and his first wife, Julia Gale Nye, started their family with Laura's birth.
She spent time living with her father as well as her grandmother and great-grandmother, who instilled her with a love of nature and a passion for the environment. Looking back, Laura told Elysian magazine that her father would “encourage us to do whatever we wanted to do but to do it well.”
Laura later attended college at Oglethorpe University. She graduated in 1986, per her LinkedIn, and her first job out of college was with Greenpeace. She knew she wanted to dedicate the rest of her life to the environment, following in her father’s footsteps.
“Taking care of the environment is in my DNA,” she told PEOPLE in April 2021. “We composted, weeded the yard instead of using chemicals, and my dad took us around our neighborhood to pick up trash. We learned from him that you take action. You don't let other people do the work for you.”
Since then, Laura has gone on to support numerous environmental organizations, including her father’s Captain Planet Foundation. She has also championed environmental causes that are close to home. In 1994, she launched the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper as a means of cleaning up the waterway near her family’s home in Atlanta. A decade later, she also founded Mothers & Others For Clean Air, which she was inspired to launch after Atlanta topped the list of the worst cities for asthma.
Laura and her husband Rutherford have been married for over three decades. They first crossed paths when their fathers were both receiving awards at the Governor of Georgia’s International Businessman of the Year Award Ceremony, per Elysian magazine. They were later formally introduced by a mutual friend and bonded over their shared environmental interests.
Today, they share three children.
Robert E. “Teddy” Turner IV
Robert Edward Turner IV at the Citadel Republican Society Patriot Dinner on December 01, 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina.Credit: Allison Joyce/Anadolu via Getty
Ted and Nye welcomed their second child, who was named after his father and given the nickname Teddy.
He and his older sister grew up in Atlanta. After graduating from high school, he went on to enroll at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He received a degree in business administration while also studying the Russian language, per his LinkedIn.
Despite his family’s wealth, Teddy says he had a normal upbringing.
“People think I grew up very wealthy. I didn’t. Growing up, it was very austere. I didn’t have a bike or a stereo. My dad drove an economy car, a Datsun V210. On the day I finished college he gave me two weeks to get my things out of his house. He taught us independence,” he told The Sunday Times in February 2013.
After finishing school, he joined CNN’s Moscow bureau as a cameraman and editor, per his Turner Enterprises biography. He later helped develop and produce various programs involved in TBS’ Soviet Union relations.
Upon returning to the United States, Teddy briefly worked at CMT and TBS as a sales executive before pivoting to focus his career on his love of sailing. From 1989 to 1993, he was president and skipper of Challenge America, Ltd., a campaign for the Whitbread “Around the World” sailboat race. He later founded Charleston Boatworks, a yacht repair and yacht brokerage in South Carolina.
In 2009, Teddy pivoted his career once again, beginning a career as a school teacher at Charleston Collegiate School. Over the course of a decade, he taught economics, personal finance and government as well as serving as the sailing coach.
Amid his educational career, Teddy made the decision to run for Congress. While much of his family is liberal, Teddy decided to run as a Republican, explaining that he picked up more conservative ideals while working in the Soviet Union, according to Politico.
“No matter what I do, I’ll never escape being Ted’s son — and I wouldn’t want to. But I’m me. I’m very different from my father,” he told FitsNews in December 2012.
Despite their political differences and the fact that Teddy frequently spoke out against his father, Ted supported his son’s campaign. In March 2013, Teddy lost the election.
Teddy currently devotes his time to Turner Enterprises and has served on the board of several organizations.
Teddy and his wife are parents to three kids.
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Rhett Turner
Ted Turner and his son Rhett Lee Turner at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on Dec. 2, 2014 in Washington, DC.Credit: Paul Morigi/Invision for United Nations Foundation/AP
Following Ted’s marriage to Jane Shirley Smith, the couple welcomed their first child together. They named him Rhett after the character Rhett Butler from one of Ted’s favorite movies, Gone with the Wind.
From a young age, Ted instilled Rhett with the importance of caring for the environment. He was an Eagle Scout and spent weekends fishing. Although he came from a wealthy family, Rhett revealed that his father made sure he had a good work ethic and he often had a summer job working around Ted’s properties.
“My dad’s idea was do summer jobs, get your hands dirty and learn a good day of work for a good day of pay,” he said.
After attending college at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, he worked as a video journalist, editor and sound technician on CNN’s international desk and later worked as an accountant executive in CNN’s Tokyo office. Along the way, he developed a passion for photography and decided to enroll at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he received a degree in film and photographic arts.
Rhett went on to form Red Sky Productions, a film production company which focuses on documentary films for television as well as private corporations, according to his Turner Enterprises bio. Red Sky Productions has also released work concerning the environment.
In 2022, he released a book of photography called Conserving America’s Wildlands, which features photos shot on several Turner family properties and focuses on his love for the planet as well as private land stewardship focused on native species. He rushed to finish the book to ensure his father would see it, as he was struggling with health issues at the time.
“The reason to do the book was my dad has amassed a large amount of land. It needed to be documented so that people would understand what his goals were and the reasons that he did it — to help manage the land as best you can with the possibility of perpetuity,” Rhett told SaportaReport in December 2023.
Rhett also previously released a book called Georgia County Courthouses: The Architecture of Living Monuments, which featured photos of the state’s 159 courthouses, all shot within a 16 day span.
Reed Beauregard “Beau” Turner
Ted Turner and son Beau Turner during Ted's Montana Grill Grand Opening in New York City.Credit: Rick Diamond/WireImage
During their marriage, Ted and Smith welcomed a second son, Reed Beauregard, who was given the nickname Beau.
Like his older siblings, Beau said his father always stressed the importance of caring for the environment and having a strong work ethic.
“When we were kids, Dad introduced us to nature and taught us the importance of protecting our environment. I feel it’s my responsibility to share that gift with the next generation,” Beau told Channel Guide magazine in September 2011.
He continued, “He instilled a strong work ethic and awareness of philanthropy in me and my siblings at a very young age. I’ve had a job since I was 14 years old, and I’ve made it a point to give back to my community as an adult. He often says you should give until it hurts, which he’s done consistently throughout his life.”
As an adult, Beau joined in on his family’s conservationist efforts. According to his bio, Beau serves on a number of boards and foundations for wildlife-related projects and environmental protection, including the Turner Endangered Species Fund, Jane Smith Turner Foundation, the Captain Planet Foundation and the Peregrine Fund.
He is also passionate about getting young people involved in outdoor activities and getting them excited about the environment. He was involved in Outdoor Youth Reports, an online forum for youth to share videos of sporting events, and hosted his own show called Beau Knows Outdoors on the Sportsman Channel.
Beau founded the Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, which aimed to get kids involved in outdoor activities while strengthening their connection to nature and wildlife.
Beau lives in Florida and has one child.
Jennie Turner Garlington
Ted Turner and his daughter Jennie Turner Garlington on July 27, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.Credit: Rick Diamond/WireImage
Before their divorce, Ted and Smith welcomed their third and youngest child, Jennie.
Despite being raised in such a high profile family, Jennie says her childhood was normal. It was filled with lots of time outdoors, going to baseball games and joining their father for sailing trips.
“We wore hand-me-downs and we carpooled to school with the neighborhood kids. My dad drove this little Toyota and we all crammed in. Our parents were very involved in our childhood. Dad’s high profile just seemed kind of normal,” Jennie told Garden & Gun magazine.
She continued, “We went to [Atlanta] Braves games after school, did our homework there, then ran around the stadium. During his sailing days, we’d stay at this little beach shanty. It was like a Pat Conroy novel, all these little blond kids running around on the beach. Except Dad was out winning the America’s Cup.”
When Jennie and her siblings were teenagers, Ted decided to move the family to Hope Plantation near Jacksonboro, S.C. in the hopes that they would spend more time outdoors instead of going to the mall or watching television.
“We fished, sailed, rode horseback, chased snakes, and got stung by bees and were outside all day until dinner. Dad kept it interesting. We raised black bears and cougars on the plantation, and we swam with the bears when they were cubs. Dad was even pounced once by the cougar. We all thrived there,” Jennie shared.
As an adult, Jennie inherited her father’s love of the environment and dedicated her life to conservation work. In 1990, Jennie became a Trustee of the Turner Foundation, much like all of her other siblings. In the years that followed, she served as an associate producer at CNN Environment Unit’s EARTH MATTERS, according to her Turner Enterprises bio. In her position, she produced stories on issues like the fate of Ossabaw Island, the migration of Right whales in Florida, and the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park.
Through the years, Jennie has continued to work at the intersection of environmentalism and entertainment. She currently serves as the executive producer and host for PBS series EcoSense for Living, which aims to “empower viewers with practical solutions geared toward saving money, treading lighter on the planet, and improving quality of life.” The show is now in its tenth season.
Jennie also served on board of directors for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for over a decade and is now on the Advisory Board of the National Zoo.
She and her husband Peek live in Lexington, Ky. and share six children.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
