Divorce is something that some marriages have to go through. When it happens, the couples have to focus on the settlement so that they can move on and live separately now. Still, mega-wealthy celebrities often find hefty alimony and settlement bills and may even be thrust into the limelight. Here are some of the most expensive divorces ever!
Reba McEntire – Narvel Blackstock at $47.5 Million
Narvel Blackstock and Reba McEntire shocked their fans to the core when they announced a divorce between the two in 2015. They’re legally separated now, but they’re still on good terms with each other and offer support when possible. It’s said the assets were evenly divided.
Reba McEntire – Narvel Blackstock at $47.5 Million
Angelina Jolie – Brad Pitt at $400 Million
Brad and Angelina are two of the most popular Hollywood stars, so news of their divorce was talked about extensively for years. They officially separated in 2019 and now share custody of their kids. The settlement was likely around $400 million!
Angelina Jolie – Brad Pitt at $400 Million
Cindy Silva – Kevin Costner at $80 Million
Cindy and Kevin were married for 16 years and had two children together. However, she believed he had started cheating on her, and the rumors circulated. Costner had to pay his ex-wife about $80 million. Then, he admitted to fathering a child with Bridget Rooney, a popular socialite.
Kevin Costner And Cindy Silva
Jocelyn Wildenstein – Alec Wildenstein at $2.5 Billion
Alec Wildenstein isn’t as well-known, but he’s a billionaire French businessman and had to pay his ex-wife $2.5 billion after they divorced. You may not remember her name, but Jocelyn was the woman who had so many cosmetic procedures she wasn’t recognizable. They cost about $2 billion!
Jocelyn Wildenstein – Alec Wildenstein at $2.5 Billion
Diandra Douglas – Michael Douglas at $45 Million
In 1977, Michael and Diandra got married, and it seemed like it would last forever. They had one son together, but she filed for divorce about 18 years later. In fact, Diandra got about half of her ex-husband’s net worth, which was roughly $45 million!
Diandra Douglas – Michael Douglas at $45 Million
Sheila Johnson – Robert Johnson at $400 Million
Robert Johnson co-founded BET, a television channel, and sold it in 2000 to Viacom. He got about $3 billion for the deal, so when he and his wife separated in 2002, she received $400 million from that sale as a divorce settlement. They lasted 33 years before the marriage ended.
Sheila Johnson – Robert Johnson at $400 Million
Slavica Ecclestone – Bernie Ecclestone at $1 Billion
When Slavica and Bernie separated, she ended up getting a divorce settlement of around $1 billion. She was wise with her newfound cash, making good investments. Now, she’s worth about $1.6 billion, so she’s definitely doing well for herself.
Slavica Ecclestone – Bernie Ecclestone at $1 Billion
Anna Maria Torv – Rupert Murdoch at $1.2 Billion
Anna and Rupert were happily married for 32 years, though they chose to get divorced back in 1999. At the time, Murdoch was worth about $8 billion, so Torv ended up getting a divorce settlement of roughly $1.2 billion!
Anna Maria Torv – Rupert Murdoch at $1.2 Billion
Heidi Klum – Seal at $70 Million
Heidi Klum told the world in interviews that Seal’s temper was out of control, and she was scared for herself and her children. However, the German supermodel signed a prenuptial agreement, so she had to pay him $70 million to get away!
Heidi Klum – Seal at $70 Million
Robyn Moore – Mel Gibson at $425 Million
Everyone knows how rough Mel had it in 2006. He was arrested for a DUI, and his wife decided she was done dealing with him after 26 years. Since they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement in place, she got more than half of his fortune when she filed for divorce!
Robyn Moore – Mel Gibson at $425 Million
Jamie McCourt – Frank McCourt at $130 Million
Frank McCourt owns Dodgers Stadium and Fox Entertainment Group, which is why he’s “famous.” When he and Jamie got divorced in 2011, she ended up with a divorce settlement of about $130 million. That was probably pennies to him, though.
Jamie McCourt – Frank McCourt at $130 Million
Ellen Barkin – Ron Perelman at $20 Million
Ron and Ellen got married in June 2000. However, the marriage only lasted six years before they filed for divorce. It cost him a lot of money, but the divorce settlement wasn’t quite that much. Barkin sold some jewelry Perelman gave her to equal $20 million.
Ellen Barkin – Ron Perelman at $20 Million
Laura Andrassy – Greg Norman at $103 Million
Greg Norman is the popular golf star everyone knows and was married to Laura Andrassy. They stayed together for 25 years, but he left her in 2008 to be with Chris Evert, the famous tennis player. It cost him about $103 million for that decision.
Laura Andrassy – Greg Norman at $103 Million
Joanna Holland – Johnny Carson at $20 Million
Johnny Carson had four failed marriages in his lifetime, but he divorced Joanna during the peak time of his career. He earned $15 million annually, so it was small peanuts for him to pay her $20 million for the divorce settlement.
Joanna Holland – Johnny Carson at $20 Million
Soraya Khashoggi – Adnan Khashoggi at $874 Million
Adnan Khashoggi is the Saudi Arabian billionaire who married Soraya. After many years, they decided to get divorced. Since he was called the wealthiest man in the world at the time, he had to pay her a settlement of $874 million. That’s amazing!
Soraya Khashoggi – Adnan Khashoggi at $874 Million
Livia Giuggioli – Colin Firth at Approx. $12.5 Million
Colin and Livia were together for 22 years, but things turned sour. She admitted to having an affair with Marco Brancaccia, an Italian journalist who happened to be her childhood friend. Still, she got $12.5 million, which was half of Colin’s net worth at the time.
Livia Giuggioli – Colin Firth at Approx. $12.5 Million
Camille Grammer – Kelsey Grammer at $30 Million
Kelsey and Camille married in 1997. After having two children and being together for 14 years, they decided to get divorced. Camille was awarded a divorce settlement of $30 million and is now on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Camille Grammer – Kelsey Grammer at $30 Million
Beverly Charman – John Charman at $95 Million
John married his childhood sweetheart, and he was completely broke at the time. However, he became one of London’s wealthiest men during the course of their 29-year marriage. That meant Beverly could retire from her job, so she had no income. The judge awarded her $95 million in the settlement.
Beverly Charman – John Charman at $95 Million
Florence Tsang-Chiu-Wing – Samathur Li-Kan at $154 Million
Florence’s story is somewhat sad. She married a powerful billionaire in Samathur, who became a real estate guru. However, when she got pregnant, he demanded that she get an abortion, which she refused. The Hong Kong judge awarded her a divorce settlement of $154 million!
Florence Tsang-Chiu-Wing – Samathur Li-Kan at $154 Million
Irina Malandina – Roman Malandina at $300 Million
Roman Malandina is a Russian billionaire who married Irina in 1991. At the time of the divorce in 2007, he had a net worth of $8 billion. Therefore, the judge awarded her $300 million as a settlement. This included homes in Moscow and London, along with cash.
Irina Malandina – Roman Malandina at $300 Million
Aryn Drake-Lee – Jesse Williams at Approx. $4 Million
Jesse Williams, the Grey’s Anatomy star, married Aryn Drake-Lee, a real estate broker. However, it didn’t last long, and the couple confirmed they were amicably divorcing. No official amounts were ever disclosed, but the settlement was estimated at $4 million.
Aryn Drake-Lee – Jesse Williams at Approx. $4 Million
Casey Coates – Ted Dansen at $30 Million
Ted and Casey met in 1976 and seemed to be the perfect match. However, Dansen chose to hook up with Whoopi Goldberg, which ended his 15-year marriage. Casey’s $30 million divorce settlement made the headlines because it was one of the most expensive at the time.
Casey Coates – Ted Dansen at $30 Million
Melissa Mathison – Harrison Ford at $118 Million
Harrison and Melissa were the classic Hollywood couple, which lasted for 17 years. They had two children together but decided to get divorced in 2001. Since there was no prenuptial agreement, she got a divorce settlement of $118 million.
Melissa Mathison – Harrison Ford at $118 Million
Amber Heard – Johnny Depp at $6.8 Million
Johnny Depp married Amber Heard, but the marriage ended on a bitter note. Both sides threw abuse accusations around. Overall, she got a $6.8 million divorce settlement, claiming to have donated the money to charities.
Amber Heard – Johnny Depp at $6.8 Million
Wendi Deng – Rupert Murdoch at $1.8 Million
Rupert Murdoch had just gotten a divorce 17 days before he met and married Wendi Deng. Then, the News Corporation CEO divorced her in 2013. She got a divorce settlement of $1.8 million for all the trouble.
Wendi Deng – Rupert Murdoch at $1.8 Million
Linda Hamilton – James Cameron at $50 Million
James Cameron is a popular film director and worked on Avatar and Titanic. During the filming of Titanic, Cameron was having an affair behind the scenes. A few days after winning an Oscar, he and Linda announced their divorce. She got $50 million in the settlement.
Linda Hamilton – James Cameron at $50 Million
Kim Bassinger – Alec Baldwin at Approx. $3 Million
Alec and Kim were married nine years before the bitter divorce process started. She blocked his visitation rights, so he couldn’t even see his daughter. Finally, things came to an end, and she got a $3 million settlement.
Kim Bassinger – Alec Baldwin at Approx. $3 Million
Elaine Wynn – Steve Wynn at $741 Million
Steve and Elaine divorced initially but decided to try it again. However, the second marriage didn’t go well, either. They re-divorced in 2010, which cost him about $741 million in the divorce settlement. She was probably happy at that point!
Elaine Wynn – Steve Wynn at $741 Million
Heather Mills – Paul McCartney at $48.6 Million
Paul McCartney needs no introduction as a former Beatles member. He married Heather, and the wedding cost $3.2 million because it was held in Ireland. However, the marriage didn’t last, and he ended up paying a divorce settlement of $48.6 million!
Heather Mills – Paul McCartney at $48.6 Million
Natalia Potanina – Vladimir Potanin at $7 Billion
Vladimir is a Russian billionaire said to be worth about $14 billion. He and his wife Natalia were together for 30 years, but they divorced back in 2013. It was a complicated and lengthy process, but she did walk away from it all with $7 billion as a settlement.
Natalia Potanina – Vladimir Potanin at $7 Billion
Maya Polsky – Michael Polsky at $184 Million
Michael Polsky is a businessman who’s involved with SkyGen. When he and Maya got divorced in 2003, she ended up with a divorce settlement of $184 million!
Maya Polsky – Michael Polsky at $184 Million
Marlene Fipke – Charles Fipke at $200 Million
Charles discovered diamonds in northwest Canada, which helped him earn his fortune. When he and Marlene got divorced, she received a divorce settlement of $200 million. That’s the most expensive divorce in Canada to this day!
Marlene Fipke Charles Fipke At $200 Million
Gwen Stefani – Gavin Rossdale at $25 Million
Gwen and Gavin were troopers and had a successful Hollywood marriage that withstood affairs on Gavin’s part. However, things couldn’t last forever; after 13 years of marriage, they got divorced. She ended up getting a $25 million settlement!
Gwen Stefani – Gavin Rossdale at $25 Million
Amy Irving – Steven Spielberg at $100 Million
Amy and Steven were only married for about 3.5 years before deciding to get divorced. Though she got a settlement of $100 million, it seems paltry when you learn that Spielberg has a net worth of about $5 billion!
Amy Irving – Steven Spielberg at $100 Million
Hilary Duff – Mike Comrie at $2.5 Million
Hilary Duff is a beautiful child star from the 2000s period, and she married Mike Comrie. However, the marriage didn’t last. Since they shared a son, the divorce was rough, but she did get a $2.5 million divorce settlement from it all.
Hilary Duff – Mike Comrie at $2.5 Million
Demi Moore – Bruce Willis at $90 Million
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis were married for 11 years, getting divorced in 2000. Bruce reflected on it in several interviews, saying he failed as a husband/father. She received a divorce settlement of $90 million and soon started dating Ashton Kutcher, a young actor.
Demi Moore – Bruce Willis at $90 Million
Maria Shriver – Arnold Schwarzenegger at $375 Million
Maria learned that her husband at the time was having an affair with the housekeeper after 25 years of marriage. His mistress had his son. Since there was no prenuptial agreement in place, Shriver received a divorce settlement of $375 million!
Maria Shriver – Arnold Schwarzenegger at $375 Million
Sue Ann Arnall – Harold Hamm at $974.8 Million
Harold made all of his money in the oil and gas industries. Therefore, when he and his wife, Sue Ann, got divorced after 24 years, she ended up getting a $974.8 million settlement award. We’re not sure how that happened!
Sue Ann Arnall – Harold Hamm at $974.8 Million
Michelle Branch – Teddy Landau at Approx. $300,000
Michelle has won Grammy Awards for her songwriting and singing abilities. She ended up marrying her bassist, and the marriage went on for 11 years. However, they did get divorced, and she got a $300,000 divorce settlement.
Michelle Branch – Teddy Landau at Approx. $300,000
Tawanna Iverson – Allen Iverson at $32 Million
Allen is a basketball star who was married for 24 years to Tawanna. They got divorced in 2013, and he was battling a debt of over $150 million. Though he had no money to spare, they had a prenuptial agreement, so she walked away with $32 million.
Tawanna Iverson – Allen Iverson at $32 Million