Garth Brooks & Sandy Mahl – $125 Million
We love when college sweethearts get married, like country icon Garth Brooks and songwriter Sandy Mahl did in 1986. But so many times, the marriage just doesn’t work out.
The pair separated in 1999 and divorced officially in 2001. They have three daughters together.
Steve & Elaine Wynn – $741 million
Businessman and art collector Steve Wynn married Elaine originally in 1963. They were married until 1986. During their marriage, they founded together Mirage resorts in 1976. The couple divorced for the first time in 1986. They reunited a few years later in 1991 and thought that maybe their marriage would work out the second time around. Well, it once again flopped in 2010. During their second marriage, they co-founded Wynn resorts together.
Steve very publicly split the Wynn Resort share with Elaine and she walked away with $750 million in Wynn stock in the divorce settlement. I guess it was a good idea to marry him for the second time. Today, Steve still serves as the CEO with Elaine as the board director.
Paul McCartney & Heather Mills – $48.6 Million
The legendary English bass guitarist and singer of The Beatles, Paul McCartney married former model Heather Mills in a stunning ceremony at Castle Leslie in Ireland. They have one child together, Beatrice. They both did not expect to be divorcing only six years after they got married.
Mills was her own representative for all of the divorce proceedings. McCartney later said that she was gutsy to do this. With his net worth of over $1 billion, the divorce settlement surely was of no inconvenience to his bank account. Through her former marriage to Paul, Heather is entitled to the title of Heather Mills, Lady McCartney, although she doesn't go by it.
Madonna & Guy Ritchie – $92 Million
Madonna and director Guy Ritchie met in November 1998. Ritchie is known for his crime films and has directed such films like Snatch, Revolver, and Sherlock Holmes. He became Madonna's second husband in Scotland in 2000 in an impromptu wedding at the stunning Skibo Castle. A short time later, Madonna gave birth to their son, Rocco. In 2006, they adopted together David, from Malawi.
Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t work out and Madonna filed for divorce just two years later. The marriage ended by decree nisi. Luckily, they came to an agreement regarding their children. Ritchie has since moved on to model Jacqui Ainsley and the two have three children together.
Neil Diamond & Marcia Murphey – $150 million
The singer-songwriter, musician, and actor Neil Diamond married production assistant Marcia Murphey in 1969. Their marriage lasted for 25 years during which they had two sons, Jesse and Micah.
Marcia accused Neil of having an affair countless times which led to the pair’s divorce. Neil's current net worth is $175 million so it seems like the divorce settlement may have set him back a lot.
Demi Moore & Bruce Willis – $90 Million
Just like Demi and Bruce’s marriage was very public, their divorce also had everyone talking. The Die Hard actor was Demi's second husband. Their marriage lasted for 11 years during which they had three daughters together, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah.
Their marriage ended in 2000 and Willis made a public statement saying that “he had failed as a father and husband.” Willis credited Will Smith for helping him deal with the situation. Willis and Moore have maintained a good relationship with one another since the divorce.
Dmitry & Elena Rybolovleva – $4.5 Billion
Elena Rybolovleva filed for divorce from Russian businessman and investor Dmitry Rybolovlev. She cited his "serial infidelity," for their divorce stating that he used to "share his young conquests with his friends, and other oligarchs." That just ain't cool.
At first, the courts awarded Elena a staggering $4.5 billion in the settlement in 2014, but after Dmitry appealed, she was granted "only" $604 million.
Michael & Diandra Douglas – $45 Million
In 1977, Wall Street actor Michael Douglas married Diandra Luker, daughter of an Austrian Diplomat. The age difference was clearly visible between the two, with him being 32-years-old while she was just 19-years-old at the time.
It seems like the 13-year age difference had its impact on the couple and they divorced in 1995. They had a son together, Cameron, one year after their wedding. The generous divorce settlement of $45 million didn't put much of a dent on Michael's $300 million net worth.
Rupert Murdoch & Anna Maria Torv – $1.2 Billion
Scottish journalist Anna Mann and Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch married in 1967. Anna worked for his Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph. She was Rupert’s second wife. 32 years later, the pair divorced in 1999. During their marriage, they had three children together: Elisabeth Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, and James Murdoch.
Right before their separation, Murdoch was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, a papal honour awarded by Pope John Paul II. Their divorce settlement of a staggering $1.2 billion was mind blowing, but considering Murdoch’s net worth of $18.1 billion, he’ll be okay.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos - $140 Billion
Amazon tycoon, Jeff Bezos met his now ex-wife Mackenzie in 1992, when she was working in one of his hedge funds. They quickly got married in 1993 and became one of the richest couples in history. They went on to have 4 children (three sons and an adopted daughter from China). After 25 years of marriage, the couple announced it would be divorcing in 2019.
Jeff Bezos is said to have fallen for another woman, Lauren Sanchez, an actor and helicopter pilot. Even though divorces are never simple, it's good to know that these two at least ended in amicable terms (as much as they could). The question now is, will this be the most expensive divorce settlement ever?! Bezos' fortune comes mainly from Amazon, and since there is no prenuptial agreement, Mackenzie technically has the right to take half of the company. But, what does this mean for Amazon's future, it's workers, and most importantly, its customers? Only time will tell...
Michael Jordan & Juanita Vanoy – $168 Million
Basketball legend Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy met on a blind date in 1984. They had two sons together, Jefferey Michael and Marcus James. Seventeen years later they divorced. When their divorce was finalized in 2007, they held the record for the most expensive celebrity divorce. Another record to add to Jordan’s already long list of achievements, we’re sure just not the kind he’s proud of.
But, one thing is for certain, the greatest basketball player of all time could afford to hand over the hefty cost, considering his net worth of 1.7 billion dollars.
Eddie & Nicole Murphy – $15 Million
Comedian actor Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell met in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. A few years later, in 1993, they tied the knot at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The model-comedian duo had five children together: Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, and Bella.
Sadly, the children couldn't keep the two together and they got divorced in 2006. Considering Murphy’s success, from projects like Shrek and The Nutty Professor, he definitely could have paid more than $15 million but they had signed a prenuptial agreement. This was unfortunate for Nicole who is reportedly in debt.
David Hasselhoff & Pamela Bach – $5 Million
This is definitely one of the strangest settlements out there. In 1989, Baywatch hunk, David Hasselhoff and actress Pamela Bach got married. They had two daughters together over the span of their marriage.
In 2006, David announced that he was filing for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Hasselhoff has struggled with alcoholism, so perhaps that has something to do with it. Pamela got $5 million from the divorce settlement while the Guinness World record holder of the most watched man on TV got his name “The Hoff.” We’re pretty sure that’s a win for him.
Rupert Murdoch & Wendi Deng – $1.8 Million
Just a mere 17 days after Murdoch divorced Anna Maria Torv, the $19.3 billion Australian media mogul tied the knot with Chinese-born and Yale graduate Wendi Deng. 17 days! You just can’t make these kinds of things up. At the time, Rupert was 68, while Wendi, 30.
Well, that marriage lasted surprisingly long but also ended in divorce 14 years later. They had two daughters together, Grace and Chloe.With rash marriage choices like that, it isn’t surprising that Murdoch has been married four times and is the father to six children.
Heidi Klum & Seal – $70 Million
We loved Heidi and Seal together and we were surprised and sad to see them split. The singer and model duo married in 2005 and even renewed their vows to each other every year on their wedding day in front of family and friends.
They were married for seven years before calling it quits. They have three biological children together and Seal adopted Heidi’s daughter from her first marriage. Heidi and Seal announced that they were separating in January 2012, after nearly seven years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in 2014.
Bernie & Slavica Ecclestone – $1 Billion
British businessman Bernie Ecclestone was married to the Croatian international model Slavica for 23 years. Despite the 28-year age difference between the pair plus the very obvious language barrier at the beginning of their relationship, their love was strong for many years during which they had two children.
Love, however, wasn’t enough to keep the two together (and neither was money) and they divorced. They both hired a divorce attorney in 2009 to dispute on the divorce settlement. Slavica meanwhile walked away with a hefty amount of money, $1 billion.
Alec & Jocelyn Wildenstein – $2.5 Billion
Billionaire businessman Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Perisse met when she was a guest at Ol Jogi Ranch in Kenya. They got married in 1978 and divorced 21 years later in a huge divorce settlement with Jocelyn getting $2.5 billion in addition to $100 million every year for 13 years. Their two-year divorce proceedings gained wide media coverage.
The couple is remembered most for their extensive plastic surgeries, specifically Jocelyn who got catlike features to satisfy Alec’s desires. During the divorce settlement, the judge ruled that Jocelyn could not use the money for plastic surgery. That was a great call on his part.
Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison – $118 Million
Indiana Jones star and Hans Solo, also known as the iconic actor Harrison Ford, was married to his second wife, screenwriter, Melissa Mathison for 17 years before their marriage came to an end in 2004. The pair had two children together, Malcolm and Georgia.
Harrison Ford has a net worth of around $240 million and still their divorce settlement of $118 million seems a bit steep. Still, with five of his films being in the 30 top-grossing films of all times, we're sure he's bounced back.
Craig McCaw & Wendy Petrak – $450 Million
The founder of McCaw Cellular, Craig McCaw successfully sold his company to AT&T for over $12 billion. His marriage to California newspaper publisher Wendy Petrak wasn’t as successful and the two divorced after 21 years of marriage in 1995.
She must have had a convincing divorce attorney considering that she walked away with $450 million. Craig is no longer on the list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, but with a net worth of over one billion dollars, we somehow don't feel so bad.
Donald & Ivana Trump – $25 Million
It's no secret that the current U.S president Donald Trump has been married three times. The former businessman and TV personality married his first wife at age 30, Czech model Ivana Zelníčková. Together, they have three children; Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. The two got divorced in 1992, after Ivana found out that Donald was having an affair with actress Marla Maples. Their divorce was the subject of a lot of media attention, and it was featured on New York tabloids newspapers' covers for 11 days in a row.
The following year Donald married Marla (which also ended in divorce six years later). In 2017, Ivana released her autobiography, Raising Trump, in which she shares about her upbringing and the early days of raising children with Donald.
Lionel Richie & Diane Richie – $25 Million
Singer and five-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie had an affair with Diane Alexander while he was married to his first wife and college sweetheart, Brenda Harvey. Lionel and Brenda got divorced after 18 years in 1993 so that he could pursue his relationship with Diane. The two also divorced 8 years after having two children together, Miles and Sofia.
Considering that Lionel has sold over 90 million records worldwide and has a net worth of $200 million, we think his bank account survived the $25 million divorce settlement just fine.
Mel Gibson & Robyn Moore – $425 Million
In the late 1970’s when Mel Gibson was still an aspiring actor he fell in love with a dental nurse named Robyn Moore. They tied the knot in 1980 and were married for 26 years, during which Gibson produced, directed, and performed in such movies as Braveheart. Together they have a daughter and six sons.
Gibson admitted in 2011 that their marriage culminated after his drunk driving incident. Gibson took a long 10-year-hiatus from acting until 2006, following several legal issues and controversial statements which were leaked to the public.
Frank & Jamie McCourt – $130 Million
Businessman and Chairman of McCourt LP, Frank McCourt, is also the owner of Dodgers Stadium and Fox Entertainment group. In 1979, he married his college sweetheart, Jamie, and they had four sons together. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2011 and their respective divorce attorneys were met with some heavy opposition.
With a net worth of over 1 billion, Frank could spare the $130 million in the divorce settlement. He has since remarried to Monica Algarra and the couple have a daughter together, Luciana Hayes McCourt.
Harold Hamm & Sue Ann Arnall – $975 Million
Harold Hamm is an entrepreneur who is one of the most important figures in the oil and gas industry. He has a net worth of about $14.2 billion. He married Sue Ann Arnall, an economist and lawyer in 1988, and they were married for 17 years during which they had two daughters. They divorced in 2005 but their divorce papers were filed only in 2012.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, "She rejected a divorce settlement check in the amount of $974,790.317.77, stating that it "would jeopardize her appeal" with Mr. Hamm. However, she soon thereafter deposited the $975 million settlement check.
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt – $400 Million
Brangelina was the Hollywood ‘it’ couple. The two award-winning actors started their relationship in 2006 after working together on the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith the previous year. Their scandalous relationship had the tabloids going crazy. Jolie was accused of having instigated the 2005 divorce of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. They didn't make their marriage official until 2014 when they tied the knot at their estate Chateua Miraval in Correns, France.
Over the course of their 12-year-relationship, they grew their Brangelina clan to three biological children and three children who they adopted internationally. In 2016, they sadly ended their marriage. Their widely publicized divorce cost around $400 million.
Jennifer Lopez & Chris Judd – $14 Million
Jennifer Lopez's life has always attracted media attention. In 2013, the star received the Forbes' title as the most powerful celebrity in the world, a pretty huge title to carry. After breaking up with Sean Combs, the most influential Latin performer in the United States moved on to date former backup dancer Chris Judd.
They were married briefly from September 2001 to June 2002. Was the year of marriage really worth $14 million?
Ron Perelman & Ellen Barkin – $20 Million
You’re looking at America’s 36th richest man with a net worth of around $12.7 billion. Ladies and gentlemen, Rob Perelman. He married his 4th wife in 1999, actress Ellen Barkin. They met at a Vanity Fair Oscar after-party and married after one year of dating.
Their marriage only lasted for five years and was apparently a rocky road for the two. Barkins' acting career brought a lot of strife into the relationship due to her hectic travel schedule. Apparently, Ellen’s divorce attorney secured her a settlement between $20-$65 million and required Perelman to invest a couple million dollars in the film production that Barkin and her brother George had started.
Greg Norman & Laura Andrassy – $103 Million
Australian pro-golfer Greg Norman spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 Official World Golf Rankings ranked golfer in the 80s and 90s. He won 91 international tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournaments and two majors: The Open Championships in 1986 and 1993.
He married flight attendant Laura Andrassy in 1981. They were married until 2007 during which they had two children together- Greg Norman, Jr. and Morgan-Leigh. He left Andrassy for World No. 1 Chris Evert in 2006, however their relationship also fizzled after a year.
Kenny & Marianne Rogers – $60 Million
Country music icon Kenny Rogers was married to actress Marianne Gordon from 1977-1993. During their marriage, they had one son together, Christopher. After 15 years together, their marriage wasn’t working anymore and the pair split and brought on a divorce attorney.
Kenny is one of the best selling artists of all time who has received many awards including AMAs and Grammys. So, when it came time for the divorce settlement, the Country Music Hall of Fame member could afford to hand over $60 million.
Johnny Carson & Joanna Holland – $20 Million
The late talk show host, comedian, writer, and legend Johnny Carson was married four times. Besides being famous for hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he was also infamous for the number of times he was married.
He announced his third marriage to former model Joanna Holland at his Carson Tonight Show’s 10th-anniversary party. They were married from 1972-1985. Johnny’s next marriage also ended in divorce. Maybe fifth time's the charm...
Kelsey & Camille Grammer – $30 Million
In 1996, Kelsey Grammer, AKA Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, went on a date with former Playboy model Camille Donatacci. The two ended up tying the knot together in 1997 and had two children as well as several homes around the US. Their marriage took a plunge and in 2010, Donatacci filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The five-time Primetime Emmy Award winner has had a successful career but his marriage resume hasn't been as successful. He is currently married to his fourth wife, former flight attendant, Kaytey Walsh.
Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren – $750 Million
Legend golfer Tiger Woods and Swedish former model Elin Nordegren met in 2001 at the Open Championship. Most of us know that they have two children together and that their marriage ended in a very public divorce after it was revealed that Woods was having an affair.
As the highest-paid athlete in the world for a number of years, Woods could afford to pay Elin the divorce settlement of $750 million. Plus, she totally deserved it... although we do feel bad that the athlete's personal issues were made so public.
Prince Charles & Princess Diana – $23 Million
It seemed like Princes Charles and Princess Diana had a love you only see in the movies. In February 1981 they got engaged and the world was ecstatic. The entire world watched as they formed their little family of four with Princes William and Harry. With all of their noble duties and responsibilities of being parents, they still found time to be active with various humanitarian organizations.
The world was also there to witness their very public and nasty divorce in 1996. Only one year later, Princess Diana died in a car accident after being chased by the paparazzi.
Alec Baldwin & Kim Basinger – Approx. $3 Million
Actor Alec Baldwin and member of the Baldwin acting iclan and actress Kim Basinger met and fell in love while acting together in the 1990 film The Marrying Man. They got married three years later and had a daughter together, Ireland. Their love story came to an ultimate end in 2002 when the couple divorced, and then things turned for the worse. Alec later released his book A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce in which he shares of his seven-year battle to sustain a relationship with his daughter following the divorce.
He claims that his ex-wife Kim tried to deny him access to their daughter, spending over $1.5 million to do so. As a result of his anger regarding the situation, he left a voicemail for his 11-year-old daughter, calling her a "rude, thoughtless, little pig." The voicemail was leaked to the public and Alec contemplated suicide over the act.
Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale – $2.5 Million
Co-founder and lead singer of No Doubt, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, the lead singer and guitarist for Bush met around 1995 when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They tied the knot in 2002 in St. Pauls, Covent Garden, London and celebrated two weeks later with a second wedding in Los Angeles.
During the span of their relationship, they had three sons together. Sadly, they split up and in 2006 their divorce was finalized and Stefani agreed to an unequal split of their assets.
Hilary Duff & Mike Comrie – $2.5 Million
We absolutely love Lizzie McGuire, AKA Hilary Duff. We were psyched when she got married to former professional hockey player Mike Comrie in 2015. They had an adorable son together, Luca.
We were sad to hear of their marriage ending, six years later. We are happy to see Hilary look happy again with her new husband Matt Koma and the pair recently welcomed a baby girl in late October.
Teddy Landau & Michelle Branch – Approx. $300 000
Singer-songwriter and actress Michelle Branch married bass player Teddy Landau in 2004. The Grammy-award winner and her husband had a daughter Owen one year after they tied the knot.
In 2015, they couple divorced. Michelle has since moved on to Patrick Carney of The Black Keys and the two recently had a baby together.
Dr. Phil McGraw & Debbie Higgins – Approx. $1 Million
Dr. Phil McGraw is an author, psychologist, and host of the talk show Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil first found success when he appeared weekly on the Oprah Winfrey show as a relationship and life strategy expert. He then proceeding to produce 4 top-selling books on life and relationships. He married his first wife ex-cheerleader and homecoming queen Debbie Higgins McCall when he was only 20-years-old, long before his fame began.
Their marriage lasted only three years from 1970 to 1973 and Higgins has since stated that McGraw was domineering in the relationship. Dr. Phil has been remarried to Robin McGraw now for over 30 years, so perhaps the psychologist sought therapy of his own following his first divorce.
Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall – Between $15-$20 Million
In 1991, lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger and actress model Jerry Hall married in the exotic Bali, Indonesia. However, 8 years later, their fairy tale marriage ended after Hall discovered that Mick had an affair with Brazilian model Luciana Moran and got her pregnant.
It seems that as one of the most influential figures in rock and roll you have one too many temptations. Jagger is the father to eight children with five different women.
Steven Spielberg & Amy Irving – $100 Million
What started as an adorable love story ended in a pretty expensive divorce. Amy was a young and aspiring actress and Steven had just directed his first blockbuster film. Their marriage only lasted from 1984-1989.
Unfortunately for Spielberg, the judge deemed their prenup invalid as it had been written on a napkin. However, the director of some of the highest grossing films of all time can afford the settlement as costly as it is.
Kevin Costner & Cindy Silva – $80 Million
The college sweethearts married in 1978, before Kevin Costner’s fame. Their marriage lasted for sixteen years during which they had three kids and Kevin Costner became an award-winning actor and director of such films as Dancing With Wolves and Field of Dreams.
By the time of their divorce, Costner had already had a successful career and Silva received $80 million from the divorce settlement.
James Cameron & Linda Hamilton – $50 Million
The legendary, award-winning director James Cameron, has graced us with such iconic films as Titanic and Avatar, which are also the two highest-grossing films of all time. Along with some other high-paid celebrities on the list, Cameron has been married five times.
He and Linda Hamilton began their affair while filming Terminator 2 together in 1991. Cameron was married at the time. Their marriage ended after only 18 months when Hamilton found out that Cameron was cheating, this time on her with Suzy Amis.
Phil Collins & Orianne Cevey – $47 Million
The English drummer, singer, songwriter that is Phil Collins has won eight Grammy Awards. He is one of only two recording artists (the other being Paul McCartney) who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist and as member of a band.
Him and Orianne Cevey have quite the marriage story. They were married from 1999-2008 then got divorced and then got married again in 2016. Apparently, however, Orianne has not returned the money she received in their divorce settlement. We’re sure though that the money didn’t put a dent in Collins' $260 million bank account.
Johnny Depp & Amber Heard – $7 Million
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had a beautiful Island wedding ceremony. However, not even an island wedding is enough to make a marriage last and they split after 15 months together. Amber Heard not only filed for divorce but she also filed a restraining order against the actor.
They had a messy divorce and the actress model donated her settlement money to charity, specifically to organizations which fight against domestic violence against women. That says enough.
Chris Rock & Malaak Compton-Rock – $35 Million
Comedian and former cast member of Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock and Malaak Compton were married for 18 years. Malaak is the founder of StyleWorks, a non-profit salon that provides free services to women leaving welfare and entering the workplace.
Sadly, Chris cheated on her with three different women and has admitted that the divorce was a wake up call. He also confessed to dealing with a porn addiction. The four-time Emmy Award winner and three-time Grammy winner has since started dating actress Megalyn Echikunwoke.
Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes – $10 Million
The world went crazy when Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise started to date and got married and had a daughter, Suri. They went even crazier after their six year marriage ended in divorce.
They split in 2012 reportedly due to Tom Cruises’ growing obsession with Scientology. Katie wasn’t a fan and was reportedly worried about their daughter’s well-being. There aren’t very many details about the divorce settlement just like the Church of Scientology’s doctrine.
Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman – $214 Million
Rain Man actor Tom Cruise married his second wife actress Nicole Kidman in 1990. The two met while filming the movie Days of Thunder. They were married for just over 10 years during which they adopted two children.
The marriage ended in good terms, and they chose to settle the divorce privately rather than in a nasty public court battle. Kidman still talks of her love and adoration of Cruise.
Britney Spears & Kevin Federline – $1 Million
The pop princess Britney Spears has always been the focus of media attention since the release of her first studio album Hit Me Baby One More Time in 1999. We all gawked in excitement when the singer dated her former costar on The Mickey Mouse Club, Justin Timberlake.
Britney is infamous for having short marriages. Her very public relationship to Kevin Federline was for a brief time all over the tabloids. We say brief because they were only married for two years. Britney filed for divorce and Kevin got $1 million plus child support.
Burt Reynolds & Loni Anderson – $250K
The late Burt Reynolds was an American actor, director, and producer. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Character for his performance in Boogie Nights. He married actress Loni Anderson in 1988 and the two were married until 1993 during which they adopted a son together, Quincy.
They split in what was a very nasty divorce, the divorce apparently brought on by Reynolds falling for a cocktail waitress. Reynolds declared bankruptcy before he paid Anderson the entire divorce settlement and only was able to pay her the remaining money in 2014.
Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon – $9 Million
Fans were in love with singing sensation Mariah Carey’s relationship to the Drumline and All That star, Nick Cannon. They married in 2008 and have twins together but sadly split six years later.
Carey has custody of the children but Cannon contributes every month to a trust for the kids. The kids are a critical part of the divorce settlement and it is written that the couple’s children aren’t allowed to call anyone mom and dad besides Mariah and Nick.
Robin Wright & Sean Penn – $60 Million
Nowadays, Robin is working hard filming the role of Claire Underwood in House of Cards. The former Forrest Gump star had an on and off relationship with Milk star Sean Penn and they had two children together. The pair officially divorced in 2009 and Robin got half of his net-worth.
Sean Penn still has a net worth of $150, so it seems that the actor is doing just fine.
Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey – $12 Million
They were our favorite “Newlyweds,” but sadly they are no more. The singing duo Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey split up in 2006 after they were married for four years. Their reality show was super popular but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to make their marriage last.
They’ve since each moved on- Jessica is currently married to former football player Eric Johnson and the pair have two children together, with a third on the way. The former 98-degrees lead singer, Nick Lachey, has been married to beauty queen and TV host Vanessa Minnillo since 2010 and they have three children together.
Christina Milian & The-Dream – $4 Million
The R&B couple became engaged in 2009 and celebrated the occasion in Las Vegas. They shortly after eloped at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2010, they welcomed their first daughter together, Violet Madison Nash. The-Dream already had three children with his ex-wife Nivea.
For one reason or another, they broke off their marriage in 2011. The two have actually stayed friends and even still produce music together.
Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries – $1 Million
Reality TV star and model Kim Kardashian and NBA player Kris Humphries became engaged in 2011, just a short seven months after they had began dating. They were married in Montecito, California but their marriage lasted for a notorious 72 days.
It was an expensive 2.5 months at that. Their divorce settlement cost $1 million. Have they proved that a reality star and basketball player are doomed to fail?
Janet Jackson & Rene Elizondo – $10 Million
The youngest child of the Jackson family, Janet Jackson tried to keep her relationship to dancer/songwriter/director Rene Elizondo out of the public eye for a whole nine years. She did a pretty good job at it until he filed for divorce in 2000.
The couple had a prenup but that seemed not to have mattered and Elizondo sued her for spousal support, receiving more than $10 million.
Christie Brinkley & Peter Cook – $2.1 Million
It seems like the model, actress, and businessman Christie Brinkley and architect Peter Cook had a good marriage before they split a decade later. The very public split came in 2006 in light of Peter’s affair with an 18-year-old in the Hamptons.
If she got something from the twenty-five years she spent as the face of CoverGirl and the 500 magazine covers she appeared on, it's that she knows her worth. She quickly filed for divorce.
Hulk & Linda Hogan – $10 Million
Who didn’t love watching the Hogans on their reality T.V show? Linda and Hulk ended their marriage in 2007, however it took over four years for their divorce settlement to be finalized.
The two have now moved on; Hulk Hogan has remarried to Jennifer McDaniel, 21 years his junior and Linda was dating Charley Hill, who was 19 at the time of their divorce (Linda was 48).
Kris & Bruce Jenner – $2.5 Million
Another very public divorce, the famous reality TV-couple split up in 2015 after Bruce came out as transgender.
The couple has managed to keep good relations, which is good because they have a huge family, including their two children Kendall and Kylie, and Kris's children from her previous marriage, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, and Rob.
James Packer & Erica Baxter – $95 Million
The powerful Australian couple broke up in 2013 and James quickly moved on a year later to his next model, Miranda Kerr. Erica, a pop singer and model relocated to LA along with her three kids. The distance is surely difficult, but Packer makes sure to visit them often, we imagine in a private jet.
The divorce settlement surely didn't budge James' whopping net worth which is over $5 billion. He is the son of media mogul Kerry Packer and inherited control of the family company, Consolidated Press Holdings Limited and investments in Crown Resorts.
Kate Winslet & Jim Threapleton – $4 Million
Actress icon, the beautiful, Kate Winslet and film Director Jim Threapleton met on the set of Hideous Kinky. They married in 1998 in Reading, Berkshire, Kate's hometown.
They split up after three years of marriage. They have one daughter together, Mia. For the sake of their daughter, they remain in good relations and are often spotted together.
Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom – $7 Million
We have seen a bunch of Kardashians grace our list. I guess with a lot of money and fame comes relationship failure? Khloe ended her marriage with Lamar after his drug battle.
Despite an ironclad prenup and Lamar’s drug addiction which brought on the divorce, the former NBA star walked away with $7 million. With a huge net worth already of $116 million, we can’t imagine the $7 was anything special.
Cheryl & Ashley Cole – $7.5 Million
Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy and English professional football player Ashley Cole began dating in September 2004 while living on the same block in London. They got married two years later in July 2006 in Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire.
They separated after allegations were made that Cole had affairs with several other women. Cheryl had previously stated that she didn't marry Ashley for his money. Irony was at its finest when she walked away with $7.5 million dollars after they split up. And to say she didn’t want any of it...
Alex Rodriguez & Cynthia Scuris – $12 Million
Athletes seem to just have trouble keeping their marriages together! Here you have it - another athlete divorce. Former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez, AKA A-Rod and Cynthia Scurtis, a psychology graduate married in 2002 and had two children together.
Their marriage crumbled and in 2008, Cynthia filed for divorce, citing emotional abandonment of her and her children and extra marital affairs. It’s estimated that their divorce settlement was around $12 million. The former professional baseball shortstop has been dating the lovely Jennifer Lopez for over a year now.
Jeff Gordon & Brooke Sealey – $15 million
Daytona 500 winner, Jeff Gordon, married Brooke Sealey, a Winston Cup model in 1994. Their relationship had previously been a secret, due to an unspoken rule which forbade models from dating the racers.
Their marriage lasted eight years before they split. Somehow, Brooke walked away with $15 million although they didn’t have children together. Jeff Gordon has a net worth of $200 million, and makes around $30 million every year from salary and endorsements, so he should be just fine.
Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston – $60 million
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were the most famous celebrity couple in the early 2000’s. People were absolutely obsessed. They tied the knot in 2000 in a stunning ceremony in Malibu. Let’s just say the world was depressed to find out of their divorce in 2005.
We’ll spare you the details and it seems like the “Team Aniston” versus “Team Jolie” is no longer relevant as they both haven’t worked out. But really, which team were you rooting for?
Ted Danson & Casey Coates – $30 million
Cheers actor Ted Danson tied the knot with his second wife, Cassandra “Casey” Coates in 1977, a film producer. Coates had a stroke in 1979 while giving birth to their daughter. Danson subsequently spent many years caring for his wife and they later adopted a second child.
Unfortunately for Ted, his affair with actress Whoopi Goldberg was outed and Ted and Casey divorced in 1983. At the time it became one of Hollywood’s most expensive divorces at $30 million.
Pauline Chai & Dr Khoo Kay Peng – $80 million
Dr Khoo Kay Peng is a Malaysian Chinese business executive and the 44th richest person in Malaysia. He married Pauline Chai in 1970 after beauty queen Chai was crowned Miss Malaysia.
Their marriage lasted for a long 45 years together during which they had 5 children. Since divorcing, a lot of personal information has surfaced regarding the pair.
Boris Berezovsky & Galina Besharova – $160 million
If you need a little refresher, Boris Berezovsky was a Russian business oligarch, a government official, an engineer, and a mathematician. That is one impressive resume!
While we don’t know much about his ex-wife Galina Besharova, we know that they were married from 1991-2010 and that Galina walked away with $160 million in the divorce settlement.
Adnan Khashoggi & Soraya Khashoggi – $874 million
Meet Saudi Arabian billionaire and international businessman Adnan Khashoggi who was married to Soraya Khashoggi.
After 20 years of marriage, the couple broke up in 1980. The divorce cost him a staggering $874 million. Did your mouth just drop? Because mine surely did.
Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher received a ton of public attention when they started dating. Probably because Ashton was 16 years her junior. In 2005, the pair made it official and eloped.
Their marriage took a turn for the worse in 2011 and a year later, Kutcher was filing for divorce due to irreconcilable differences. Kutcher definitely paid a lot in the divorce settlement, although we aren’t sure how much. He now seems to be moved on and very happy with his former That 70's Show costar Mila Kunis. They have two adorable children together.
John & Beverley Charman -$95 Million
A long time ago, John Charman and his high school sweetheart Beverley got married. The couple didn’t have money, but they had a lot of love. Well, the money grew and grew until John became the eighth richest businessman in London.
The love however, started to fade. Beverly quit her job in order to care of her children. She got her money’s worth in their divorce settlement in which she got $95 million.
Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver – $375 Million
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriner called each other husband and wife for 25 years, until Arnold’s affair with their housekeeper was made public. And when we say public, we mean to the whole world.
Their divorce was pretty nasty but fortunately for Maria, she got $375 million out of it and custody of their children.
Reba McEntire & Narvel Blackstock – $47.5 Million
Country sensation Reba McEntire married her manager and former steel guitar player, Narvel Blackstock in 1989 at Lake Tahoe on a boat. The pair took over Reba's career together and formed Starstruck Entertainment. They had a son together, Shelby, and Reba inherited three step-children from the marriage.
The "Queen of Country" and her ex-husband split up after 26 years of marriage in what was a huge surprise for fans. They have remained friends and big supporters of one another.
Garth Brooks & Sandy Mahl – $125 Million
We love when college sweethearts get married, like country icon Garth Brooks and songwriter Sandy Mahl did in 1986. But so many times, the marriage just doesn’t work out.
The pair separated in 1999 and divorced officially in 2001. They have three daughters together.
Michael Strahan & Jean Muggli – $15 Million
Former Football star for the New York Giants, Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli met in 1994 at a spa. The two tied the knot in 1999. Their marriage was pretty rocky which eventually led to their divorce in 2006.
Muggli was paid $15 million and on top of that received $18,000 every month in child support for their twin daughters.
Jesse Williams & Aryn Drake-Lee – Approx. $4 Million
Recently, Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams and his wife Aryn Drake-Lee have made announcement of their “amicable” split.
They got married in 2012 after dating for many years and have two children together, Sadie and Maceo. Rumors are that the divorce settlement is around $4 million.
Robert & Sheila Johnson – $400 million
Robert Johnson and Sheila Crump were married from 1969-2002. Together they founded BET (Black Entertainment Television). They were married for 33 years before getting a divorce.
Sheila’s net worth skyrocketed after the divorce to a staggering $670 million. In an interview, Sheila stated that she is ashamed of what BET has become. "I don't watch it. I suggest to my kids that they don't watch it," she said. "When we started BET, it was going to be the Ebony magazine on television...but the problem is that then the video revolution started up... And then something started happening, and I didn't like it at all. And I remember during those days we would sit up and watch these videos and decide which ones were going on and which ones were not. We got a lot of backlash from recording artists... and we had to start showing them. I didn't like the way women were being portrayed in these videos."
Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev, 2014 — $604 million
Noted as the “most expensive divorce in history,” the two ended their marriage after 26 years together. The divorce took a gruesome 6 years until it was finalized.
We imagine that each party’s divorce attorney fought hard for the win.
Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radić, 2009 — $1.2 billion
In 2009, the marriage ended between one of the richest people in the United Kingdom and a Croatian model. Sounds like such a good match, right? The two we are referring to are Formula One Executive Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radić.
The settlement was estimated at $1.2 billion although it wasn’t confirmed. Oddly enough, it seems that Radić is paying off her ex-husband.
Mike Tyson and Robin Givens Settlement:
Well that was one short but expensive marriage! Actress Robin Givens and former professional boxer, Mike Tyson were married for only 10 months and she managed to get $10 million from the divorce settlement. It’s rumored that she even got more than that. Some people believe that she married the former boxer for his money.
The two had a very tumultuous relationship, with allegations of violence and spousal abuse on Tyson's part. In a joint interview with Tyson and Givens gave with Barbara Walters, Givens described her marriage with Tyson as "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possible imagine."
John Cleese and Alyce Faye Eichelberg Settlement:
Monty Python Star John Cleese and his wife Alyce Faye ended their marriage in 2009. Apparently, Cleese’s wife benefited so much from the divorce settlement that she became richer than him.
He reportedly paid $19.7 million and $13 million in assets which included a New York apartment, a home in London, and a beach house in Santa Barbara.
Lance Armstrong and Kristin Richard Settlement:
Lance Armstrong and Kristin Richard fell for one another in 1997 when he was facing testicular cancer. She quit her job in order to move with him to France and Armstrong won the Tour de France five times during their marriage. Their marriage ended in 2003.
Richard commented in an interview, “Before I got divorced, I was personally unfamiliar with trial, or at least trial of serious, heart-wrenching proportions. I figured that life went smoothly if you tried hard, and if you messed up, or things weren't working out, you just tried harder.”