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Jim Henson may have created some of the most wholesome characters in television history, but his real-life love story was less than picture-perfect.
Biographer Brian Jay Jones revealed on “Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia” that the creative demands of bringing The Muppets to life placed a strain on Henson’s marriage to his longtime wife and professional partner, Jane Henson. They ultimately opted for an amicable split — one that Jones described as “a handshake of a separation.”
“Jim and Jane were never divorced, and they had what they both called, what Jane delightfully called, a handshake of a separation,” said Jones on the podcast.
American puppeteer and filmmaker Jim Henson (1936-1990) with some of the Muppet cast from the children’s TV show “Fraggle Rock,” circa 1985. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“At the end of his life, they were still working that out, and he died before they were officially divorced. But when he was sick at the very end of his life, the first person he called when he just didn’t know what to do was her.”
“They had throughout their life, this really critical relationship, this sort of loving respect,” Jones, the author of “Jim Henson: The Biography,” shared. “Even if they were at odds, they just never stopped listening to each other and valuing each other.”
According to the podcast, Henson met Jane at the University of Maryland, where they were both studying puppetry. The pair were immediately drawn to each other.
WATCH: INSIDE JIM AND JANE HENSON’S HANDSHAKE SEPARATION
“Boy, you watch her talk about him, and even 25 years later, she lights up remembering him just entering the room for the first time,” said Jones. “It wasn’t one of those, ‘I’m going to marry that man,’ but just what a presence he had and how he absolutely knew what he was doing and, as she said, took over the classroom. She really knew what she was doing, too.”
The couple co-founded Muppets Inc. in 1958 and married a year later. Between 1960 and 1970, they welcomed five children. However, their union slowly began to unravel.
Jones said Jane found herself “sort of stranded out in the suburbs” while her husband went into the city every day “to play with the guys on The Muppets.”
From left: Muppets Ernie, Bert, and a pumpkin “Anything Muppet” backstage during rehearsals for an episode of “Sesame Street” at Reeves TeleTape Studio in March 1970 in New York City. (David Attie/Getty Images)
“She could have been one of those performers,” Jones pointed out. “She was that good. She was really important to his story.”
With a growing family, Jane also found herself expected to take care of their children while Henson focused on their booming business. Jane, a talent in her own right and a key collaborator in Henson’s creative process, was disappointed.
“Jane Henson is the person who taught Frank Oz really how to lip-sync and perform a puppet,” said Jones. “So, I mean, come on. Jane’s really, really good, and he hires her as his first partner to work with him on the ‘Sam and Friends’ TV show that he’s doing there for the local NBC station.”
And there were other issues.
“Jim was not always, in fact, not usually faithful to his own wife,” said Jones.
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Jane Henson, co-creator of The Muppets, participates in a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Aug. 25, 2010. She donated 10 of her late husband Jim Henson’s characters from “Sam and Friends” to the museum, including the original Kermit the Frog. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The marriage didn’t last, but the admiration they shared for each other endured. Jones noted Jane was the first to learn of Henson’s failing health in the weeks before his death in 1990. The beloved puppeteer was 53.
“She was with him for his entire life,” said Jones.
Jones was in touch with the Henson family, who have always been fiercely protective of the patriarch’s legacy, while writing his book. Jane, who was supportive of telling Henson’s story, never got to see the final version. She died in 2013 at age 78.
Puppeteer Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog attend the Career Achievement Awards on March 13, 1983, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
In 2018, Henson’s son Brian Henson spoke to Closer Weekly about his father’s relentless work habits.
“My dad was a workaholic,” he said at the time. “I have four siblings, and for us to see our father, we would spend a lot of time hanging out in his studios and his workshop.”
Still, the now-62-year-old insisted he wasn’t bitter. Instead, the puppeteer noted he was grateful to have a deeply influential role model as a parent.
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Brian Henson, chairman of the Jim Henson Company, attends the celebration honoring the upcoming digital releases of “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal” at The Jim Henson Company on Feb. 9, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)
“He always had so many ideas he felt like he needed to do,” said Brian. “My dad would always say, ‘If something is not inspiring, then do something that is.’ He was an inspiration to everyone.”
“I made the first Muppet penguin,” he shared. “All the kids in my family would make Muppets for fun. Some were terrible, and some my dad would go, ‘Oh, we’ll use this one!’ When [Miss Piggy puppeteer] Frank Oz used my penguin in one of ‘The Muppet Show’s’ musical numbers, I was so happy.”
Brian admitted to the outlet that assuming control of Henson’s company after his father’s death was initially challenging. However, he was determined to keep his father’s dreams alive.
American puppeteer Jim Henson, poses with his creation characters of “The Muppets” TV show. (Getty Images)
“He inspired people to realize their weird and wonderful ideas,” Brian told the outlet. “He came up with an original idea and presented it to the world, which embraced it because it was sweet and positive. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there. That’s what he was doing every minute he was alive. And he had fun doing it.”
In 2017, Henson’s daughter, Heather Henson, told Fox News Digital she didn’t always think she would follow in her famous family’s footsteps.
“Because I grew up around the puppets, I guess there was a part of me that wanted to rebel,” she said at the time. “I wanted to do something a little different.”
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The late Jim Henson’s daughter Heather Henson and his wife Jane Henson attend the 2009 Monte Cristo awards at Bridgewaters on April 26, 2009, in New York City. (Janette Pellegrini/WireImage/Getty Images)
Heather also revealed Henson found joy in sharing his love of puppets with his children.
“We lived in England at one time, and I just remember as a kid being brought to these interesting landscapes and places where my dad found inspiration,” she said. “I remember going to his laboratory. I saw a lot of things that were happening in nature. Those were formative years for me, watching his research and development.”
Henson’s youngest child said she understands why his work is still adored by many.
Jim Henson with two of his Muppets, Kermit the Frog and Ernie from “Sesame Street” on March 27, 1973. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
“When it comes to the Henson brand, it really comes down to how well the puppets are made,” she said. “The puppets are really, really beautiful, and they’re coming from the Henson shop. My father knew very well the power of puppetry to tell a story and how people could engage and connect to those characters. And he did a beautiful job with that.”
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