Celebrities make headlines for having expensive divorces. The settlement amounts are always eye-popping.
When it gets to money, everything goes haywire. Divorce settlements are the worst with big cashouts.
15 Most expensive celebrity divorces of all time
It would best if celebrities had prenuptial agreements. Divorcing wouldn’t be such an expensive affair.
However, that is not the case. Celebrities have the most expensive divorces ever.
Here are the 15 most expensive celebrity divorces;
15. Madonna and Guy Ritchie – $76-$92 million
Madonna and Guy Ritchie divorced after eight years of marriage. A settlement ranging from $76 to $92 million was awarded to Madonna.
Together they had amassed a net worth of $525 million. However, most of the fortune was credited to Madonna’s long successful career.
Madonna is quoted as saying their marriage had lost the spark it had. She was not willing to sacrifice anymore for it.
14. Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva – $80 million
Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva filed for divorce after 16 years of marriage. The reason for the divorce was Kevin’s alleged infidelity and sexy movie roles.
Cindy was not approving of Costner’s sex movie roles. She gave him an option to stop those roles or step down from acting.
Kevin Costner did not quit his sexy roles hence the divorce. The two reached an amicable agreement concerning their children.
13. Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison – $85-$118 Million
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison divorced after 21 years of marriage. The settlement agreed upon was between $85 – $118 million.
After allegations arose of Harrison being with a younger woman, Melisa was heartbroken. Though they tried to work out their differences, they decided to divorce.
Harrison and Melissa had two children together. Unfortunately, Melissa died in 2015 from neuroendocrine cancer.
12. Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving – $100 million
Steven Spielberg is a legend in the film industry. Though a perfectionist at work, it was chaos in his marriage.
After four years of marriage, Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving got divorced. The court awarded Irving a settlement of $100 million.
The court overruled a prenuptial agreement that was scribbled on a napkin. That is how Irving got a pricey divorce.
11. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt – $100 million
It beats logic to understand how a power couple can opt for a divorce. That is what Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt opted for.
A settlement of $100 million was agreed upon. However, $1m legal fees was spent to achieve the settlement.
Angelina and Brad have six children together. Angelina has full custody, while Brad has visitation rights.
10. Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl – $125 Million
It is unfortunate that Garth Brooks had to get a divorce from his college sweetheart Sandy Mahl. They were together for 15 years.
Garth and Sandy were divorced in 2001. The divorce settlement was at $125 million made to Sandy.
Thereafter, Garth married his fellow country star, Trisha Yearwood. This was not without a vast fortune settlement to Sandy.
9. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey – $150 million
Music star Neil Diamond and former TV producer Marcia Murphey had a happy married life. They shared 25 years of marriage.
The two divorced in 1994. Marcia Murphey was given a settlement of $150 million.
The settlement that Marcia received was half of Neil’s fortune. It is a shame that Neil carries the blame for the split-up.
8. Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy – $168 Million
In 1989, renowned basketball player Michael Jordan married Juanita Vanoy. In 2002 they were about to split up but made up.
However, in 2006 they settled for a divorce which was finalized in 2007. A settlement of $168 million was awarded to Juanita.
The two have three children together.
7. Robert Johnson and Sheila Crump – $400 million
Robert L. Johnson and Sheila Crump built their BET fortune solidly. They did this in their marriage of 33 years.
Sheila received a settlement of $400 million. The reason for the divorce was a 3-year affair that Robert had.
Surprisingly, Sheila got married to Judge William T. Newman, who oversaw her divorce.
6. Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore – $425 million
After 31 years of marriage, Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore got divorced. Mel and Robyn had seven children.
It was a bitter divorce mixed with Gibson meltdowns. Mel’s drink-driving was one of the reasons for the divorce.
$850 million, half of Gibson’s fortune was awarded to Robyn Moore. She also walked away with half royalties of Gibson’s future movies.
5. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren – $750 Million
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren’s divorce settlement was at $750 Million. The marriage ended after Tiger Woods’s infidelity scandalous life came to light.
After the ugly revelations, Wood’s sponsors vanished. His career went downwards after that.
Elin Nordegren also won full custody of their children.
4. Steve and Elaine Wynn – $955 Million
After building a casino empire, Steve and Elaine Wynn divorced. Elaine Wynn walked away with a stock value of $955 million.
That settlement made Elaine a wealthy woman.
After the divorce, Steve Wynn faced massive cases of sordid tales of sexual assault. That is when Elaine, through her lawyers, took back control of the Wynn empire.
3. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Mann – $1.7 billion
The 1998 divorce between Rupert Murdoch and Anna Mann is the most expensive. The divorce settled for a total of $1.7 billion.
The two were married for a whole 32 years. What a waste of life!!!
Anna Mann received a direct cash payment settlement of $110 million. Seventeen days after the divorce was finalized, Rupert remarried.
2. Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein- $3.8 billion
Another billion-dollar divorce is between Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein. The divorce settlement was at $3.8 billion.
The judge directed that Jocelyn have $2.5 billion. She was also to receive $100 million annually for the next year 13 years.
However, Jocelyn declared bankruptcy in 2018. She had spent all that money to have $0 in her account.
1. Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos – $38 billion
The most expensive celebrity divorce ever is between Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos. The settlement was at a whopping $38 billion.
This is a billion-dollar divorce. The two divorced after 25 years of marriage.
Allegedly, Jeff Bezos and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez were having an affair. That was one of the reasons his wife filed for divorce.
Conclusion
Celebrity divorces make juicy headlines. When their marriages fail, the public gets to know all their dark secrets.
A lot of drama surrounds celebrity divorces. However, it’s the settlements that stand out.
Many celebrities have walked out quite wealthy at the end of the divorce.