The 36 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorce Settlements of All Time
It’s a big deal when celebrity couples get divorced (witness: the collective pain of America when Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux announced their split). Not only are we heartbroken to see our favorite duos part ways, but things also tend to get messy when it comes to money, especially if there’s no prenuptial agreement. Thus, leading to big drama, multiple lawyers, and a cashout so big, my heart skips a little thinking about what I would do if I ever came into contact with that much money.
Unlike normal couples, when two big names come together in holy matrimony, things can get pretty out of hand if the marriage doesn’t end with a happily ever after. Dealing with major assets like houses, planes, children, and uh…dogs can sometimes get pretty chaotic and cost a whole lot of dough.
Ahead, the Hollywood couples that spent a fortune (or at least half their net worth) in separation settlements. Some of these marriages ended due to infidelity, damaging allegations, or the mutual agreement that each other wasn’t “the one.” May this list always serve as a reminder to make sure you get a prenuptial or post-nuptial agreement.
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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Settlement: $7 million
After meeting on the set of Rum Diary in 2011, the couple tied the knot in a private ceremony four years later. The once co-stars announced their split after only 15 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Just days after the initial filing, she filed a restraining order against the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, which included allegations of domestic abuse. The order was later dropped, and in the end, Heard donated her entire $7 million settlement from Depp to the American Civil Liberties Union.
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Mike Tyson and Robin Givens
Settlement: $10 million
After a short eight months, Given and Tyson ended their relationship. She reportedly received $10 million from the settlement, but Givens said she didn’t marry Tyson for the money.
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Colin Firth and Livia Giuggioli
Settlement: $12.5 million
The pair met on the set of the 1996 BBC drama Nostromo and were married one year later. In December of 2019, they announced they were separating after 22 years of marriage.
Those close to the family weren’t entirely shocked though, due to the extramarital relationship Giuggioli had admitted she had with Italian journalist Marco Brancaccia, when she and Colin were separated between 2015 and 2016. She once accused Brancaccia of stalking her.
“No matter what was decided when they stayed together after her affair, nothing could erase that betrayal,” a source close to the family told PEOPLE. “It was time to move on, even though they had a solid family relationship and really wanted to save it.”
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John Cleese and Alyce Faye Eichelberg
Settlement: $13 million
The Monty Python star and his wife were divorced in 2009, and reportedly Cleese’s wife became richer than him after he handed her $19.7 million and $13 million in assets including a New York apartment, a home in London, and a beach house in Santa Barbara.
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Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd
Settlement: $14 million
In 2002, Lopez filed for divorce from her husband of less than a year. She wound up paying him $14 million for nine months of matrimony. Ironically, the couple met on the set of Lopez’s music video “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
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Lance Armstrong and Kristin Richard
Settlement: $14 million
Armstrong and Richard met in 1997 when he was battling testicular cancer. She quit her job and moved with him to France, where he went on the win the Tour de France five times during their marriage.
They were divorced in 2003, and Richard said 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.”
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Jeff Gordon and Brooke Sealey
Settlement: $15 million
The Daytona 500 winner married Sealey in 1994, one year after they met. Eight years later, they were divorced, and Sealey received $15 million from the separation.
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Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli
Settlement: $15.3 million
The pair met when he was a defensive end for the New York Giants, and she worked at a spa in the city. “I figured either he was the cleanest man on the planet or he wanted to ask me out,” said Muggli per Page Six.
They married in 1999 but announced they were splitting in 2006. Together they have two daughters, at the time, the court ordered the Good Morning America host to pay $18k/month in child support.
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Matt Lauer and Annette Roque
Settlement: $20 million
The pair married in October 1998 after meeting on a blind date. Two years after Lauer was fired from NBC for the numerous sexual assault allegations that came forward against him, Roque officially filed for divorce in July 2019. They have three children together.
This wasn’t the first time she wanted to divorce the former Today host. She had previously filed for divorce in 2006 accusing Lauer of “cruel and inhumane acts,” according to Entertainment Tonight. They later reconciled.
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Donald and Ivana Trump
Settlement: $20 million
Donald Trump has been married twice before Melania. His first marriage to Ivana Trump ended in 1992 following rumors of his affair with Marla Maples (who he ended up marrying a year later). They had three kids together—Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump.
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Lionel Richie and Diane Alexander
Settlement: $20 million
When Riche and his fashion designer wife called it quits in 2003, she reportedly asked in her alimony petition for a clothing and plastic surgery allowance from the singer. The end results came out to be roughly $20 million.
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Johnny Carson and Joanna Holland
Settlement: $20 million
They married secretly in 1972, but publicly divorced 13 years later. Carson was one of the highest paid TV personalities at the time, so Holland walked away from the marriage with $20 million.
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Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin
Settlement: $20 million
The businessman met his fourth wife Barkin at an Oscars after-party, and they were married in 2000. Six years later they were separated and the official settlement has not been revealed—though it was reported that Barkin sold all her jewelry from him and made at least $20 million.
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Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall
Settlement: $25 million
The Rolling Stones singer and supermodel were married in 1990 (after 13 years together) in Indonesia. But nine years later, news broke that Jagger had fathered a child with a Brazilian model, Luciana Morad, and Hall filed for divorce. She later married Rupert Murdoch (also in the gallery)—though she wasn’t the woman he married 17 days after his divorce from Anna Mann.
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Alex Rodriguez and Cynthia Scurtis
Settlement: $26 million
Scurtis filed for divorce from the Yankees slugger in 2008 after being together for six years. According to People, she asked to keep their $12 million mansion in Florida and for a cut of his $28 million earnings that season.
The official settlement documents have yet to be released, though we can assume if she kept the house, and took half of his earnings, she would have walked away with $26 million. Regardless, she got a lot of money from their settlement.
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Hulk Hogan and Linda Claridge
Settlement: $30 million
After reports of the professional wrestler’s affairs with Christiane Plante, Linda filed for divorce. In an interview with Us Weekly, she said, “You have single handedly ruined our 25-year marriage and our family…my trust, my love, my future, our future family with grandchildren, holidays, weddings, our kids’ lives, homes, their ability to trust, our poor animals, friends, neighbors, your career, finances, trademarks, retirement, your legacy, your reputation, your health…even your soul. You lost it all.”
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Ted Danson and Casey Coates
Settlement: $30 million
The Cheers star and Coates were married before his claim to fame. Danson left his first wife for Whoopi Goldberg (surprising, but true) in 1992, and wound up paying Coates $30 million.
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Michael Douglas and Diandra Luker
Settlement: $45 million
The Oscar award-winning actor married Luker, an Australian diplomat’s daughter, when she was just 19 years old. Luker filed for divorce in 1995 and received a settlement of $45 million—half of Douglas’ net worth.
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Phil Collins and Orianne Cevey
Settlement: $47 million
Things didn’t quite work out in Collins’ third marriage to Cevey. After six years of marriage and two children, the two called it quits. The singer also had to pay his ex-wife, Jill Tavelman a high settlement of $34 million during their divorce.
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Reba McEntire and Narvel Blackstock
Settlement: $47.5 million
The country singer married her manager and former steel guitar player, Narvel Blackstock, in 1989. They announced they were splitting in 2015 after 26 years of marriage together—the couple shares one son, Shelby Blackstock, together.
The divorce wasn’t her idea. “It was really hard to make the adjustment when someone’s not happy,” she said in an interview with CMT. “I just want everybody to be happy in their lives because our lives are too short to be miserable…I just thought it was the best thing to take my marbles and go play somewhere else, is what daddy used to always say.”
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Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Settlement: $49 million
Four short years after being married, McCartney and Mills split in 2006. In addition to the $48.7 million Mills took from the divorce, McCartney also had to pay her an extra $70,000 a month for their daughter Beatrice.
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James Cameron and Linda Hamilton
Settlement: $50 million
Cameron and Hamilton worked together in Hollywood. They first met on the set of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Rumors of an affair between the Titanic director and an actress from the movie led Hamilton to file for divorce. Cameron, who’d made $100 million for Titanic, gave her half his earnings.
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Kelsey Grammer and Camille Grammer
Settlement: $30 million
When they divorced, the stars split their valued assets in the marriage evenly, each taking home $30 million. The Real Housewives star filed for divorce in 2010, after 13 years of marriage.
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Kenny Rogers and Marianne Gordon
Settlement: $60 million
The country singer isn’t a stranger to divorce—in fact, he’s gone through the entire process five times. However, the most expensive separation was with his fourth wife, Gordon. Rogers gave up $60 million after their relationship ended in 1993.
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Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Settlement: Between $76 million and $92 million
Their multi-million dollar settlement came in 2008, when the singer and film director decided to divorce after being married for just under eight years. Ritchie claims being with her was like being in a soap opera, while Madonna said the split was due to a loss of heat in their relationship.
“Then time goes by, and you share a life, you have children, and there are cracks in the veneer. It’s not as romantic as it used to be,” she said.
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Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva
Settlement: $80 million
After 16 years of marriage, the two called it quits reportedly because Costner had wandering eyes. Silva didn’t approve of the “sexy roles” he was taking and gave him a ultimatum.
“I’ve either got to quit doing them or quit the movie business,” he told a close friend. He picked movies, and the two were divorced in 1994.
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Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison
Settlement: Between $85 million and $118 million
The actor and screenwriter first met on the set of Apocalypse Now in 1979, and we married four years later. The couple separated in 2000 when it was reported that Harrison had been seeing a younger woman.
“We have been living apart for the past month,” the couple said in a joint statement. “We sincerely hope that we can work out our differences.” It didn’t work out, and they were divorced in 2004.
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Adele and Simon Konecki
Settlement: Reportedly $90 million
The singer began dating Konecki in 2011, and they married in a secret ceremony five years later. The singer didn’t confirm their marriage until 2017 during an acceptance speech, “Grammys, I appreciate it. The Academy, I love you. My manager, my husband, and my son—you’re the only reason I do it.”
They announced they were splitting in April 2019 and were in the final stages of completing their divorce nearly a year later. A Los Angeles court granted Adele’s request to keep everything a top-secret, so the exact settlement number isn’t public knowledge.
The Sun reported the couple didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement, so Konecki may have received up to half of Adele’s fortune. According to People, Adele is worth an estimated $182 million.
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Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving
Settlement: $100 million
The couple filed for divorce in 1994, but a California judge refused to accept their prenuptial agreement that would give Irving $100 million because it was scribbled on a napkin.
“During my marriage to Steven, I felt like a politician’s wife,” Irving to the Los Angeles Times. “There were certain things expected of me that definitely weren’t me. One of my problems is that I’m very honest and direct. You pay a price for that. But then I behaved myself and I paid a price too.”
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Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
Settlement: $110 million
Everything went downhill after Woods crashed the couple’s Escalade into a tree outside their Florida home. He admitted to having multiple affairs and the two were divorced in 2010 after six years together, and Nordegren walked away with $110 million from it.
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Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl
Settlement: $125 million
Brooks and Mahl were college sweethearts when they got married in 1986. The couple split in 1999, but the divorce wasn’t finalized until two years later in 2001.
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Neil Diamond anf Marcia Murphey
Settlement: $150 million
The singer’s $300 million earnings were reportedly split between Diamond and Murphey in 1995 when their divorce went through. They had been married for 25 years, and Diamond blamed himself for the split.
“I assume a lot of responsibility for what went wrong, but I was taken aback by how many friends dropped me,” he told People. It was never confirmed how much Murphey took from the divorce, but Diamond said she had enough to live off of.
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Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy
Settlement: $168 million
The Chicago Bulls star married Vancoy during his second season in 1989. There was rumor in 2002 that the two would split, but they decided to work through things.
Their relationship survived for four more years until they officially made the decision to divorce in 2006. You could say they left on good terms, as they reportedly attended their son’s basketball game together right after their divorce was finalized.
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Mel Gibson and Robyn Gibson
Settlement: $425 million
After being married for 31 years, the two decided to split after Mel was arrested for drinking and driving. Robyn married Mel before his career took off, and they reportedly had to divide $850 million worth of assets. They have seven children together.
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Rupert Murdoch and Anna Mann
Settlement: $1.7 billion
The Australian media mogul’s divorce from Mann was hailed as one of the most expensive divorces ever—and things only got messier after the split. Murdoch married another woman 17 days after his divorce was finalized. Of the $1.7 billion he paid Mann, $110 million of it was a direct cash payment.
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Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos
Settlement: $38 billion
The Amazon CEO and his wife split after 25 years of marriage. The couple met before the business even started, and were married after six months of dating. They have four children together. Her settlement landed her No.4 spot for women on the Forbes billionaires list.
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