When celebrity couples split, big bucks are up for grabs. Most of these divorce settlements are private, so there’s no way to know for certain how much cash was paid out, but the amounts bandied about in big name divorces might shock you.
Tiger Woods
When golf golden boy Tiger Woods and wife Elin Nordegren divorced in 2010, Nordegren reportedly walked away with a substantial payout. Some reports put it as high as $750 million, although other sources pegged it at “merely” $100 million. Although the two had a prenup, it was “renegotiated” after his sex scandal, likely to prevent Nordegren from telling her story.
Jennifer Lopez
J.Lo’s husband Cris Judd didn’t get anywhere near those numbers, but he did hit a pretty sizable jackpot when he made out with a $14 million divorce settlement. The couple was married for only nine months, but there was no prenup.
Mel Gibson
Gibson and his wife Robyn called it quits after 28 years of marriage and she received about $425 million, half of his entire net worth, and reportedly the largest divorce payout in Hollywood history. There was no prenup, probably because the couple married before he became so rich.
Madonna
When Madonna and her British director husband Guy Ritchie ended their seven-year marriage in 2008, Ritchie received somewhere between $72 and $92 million in their secret settlement. Neither wanted a prenup when they got married, but it’s likely that Madonna came to regret that decision.
Paul McCartney
Sir Paul was married to Heather Mills for just four years, but that didn’t stop her from receiving a $48.7 million settlement plus $70,000 per month in child support. They had no prenup. Later, McCartney again refused to sign one when he married his third wife, Nancy Shevell. That marriage is still going strong.
Donald Trump
Although Trump might trumpet himself as one of the richest guys in the world, when he and Ivana divorced in 1992, she got the relatively paltry sum of $20 million, most likely because a prenup was in place.
Kevin Costner
When their 16-year marriage ended in 1994, Costner’s wife Cindy ended up with $80 million. Because the couple married before he was famous, there was no prenup.
Neil Diamond
Singer Neil Diamond was married to Marcia Murphey for 25 years. When they split, she took half of his net worth: $150 million. There are no reports of a prenup being in place.
Michael Jordan
It was a slam dunk for Jordan’s wife, Juanita, in 2006 when she received a divorce settlement of $168 million. Again, there are no reports that the couple had a prenup.
Steven Spielberg
Spielberg and Amy Irving were married for only four years, but that didn’t stop her from getting $100 million when they divorced in 1989. The couple did have a prenup, but it was invalidated since it was written on a napkin.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison’s 18-year marriage ended with a $118 million divorce settlement for Mathison. The couple had married without a prenup.
Hulk Hogan
Long before Hogan won a giant judgment against TMZ, he and his wife Linda divorced with a $30 million settlement. No prenup was reported in that case either.
Noticing a theme here? Although you’d think they should know better, these expensive divorces are mostly the result of marriages without prenuptial agreements. While some of the couples couldn’t predict the fame and fortune that would come their way, the bottom line is that it can rarely hurt you, so if you’re getting married, consider getting a prenup.
