1. Madonna & Guy Ritchie- $92 million
Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie were in marital bliss for 7 years before they broke things off. Unfortunately for Madonna, they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement in place. Although Guy Ritchie has made a name (and money) for himself as a famous screenwriter, he still left the marriage with a settlement of around $92 million.
2. Rupert Murdoch & Anna Maria Torv – $1.2 Billion
It came as a shock to Anna Maria Torv when Rupert Murdoch informed her that he wanted them to separate after 32 years of marriage and 3 children in 1999. She later spoke about the divorce, recalling how she thought it was a happy marriage and had wanted to work things out. Although Rupert didn’t feel the same way, at least she got a sweet deal of $1.2 billion as a divorce settlement!
3. Demi Moore & Bruce Willis – $90 Million
Bruce Willis separated from his ex-wife Demi Moore in 2000 after 11 years of marriage that gave them 3 doting daughters. Bruce later admitted that he felt like a failure as a husband and father. Luckily for Demi, not only did she get a whopping $90 million at the end of this relationship, but she also moved in with Ashton Kutcher, a (very handsome) man 16 years her junior.
4. Steven Spielberg & Amy Irving – $100 Million
Following a marriage that lasted just 4 short years, famous director Steven Spielberg and ex-wife Amy Irving decided to end things. Irving later spoke about how being married to Spielberg felt like she was in a relationship with a politician. Although she got a sweet $100 million from the divorce, it seems like she got the short end of the stick – given that Spielberg’s personal net worth comes to around $5 billion!
5. Lionel Richie & Diane Richie – $20 Million
In 2004, Lionel Richie’s second marriage to Diane Richie came to a startling halt. In the divorce settlement, Diane demanded $300,000 for clothes, manicures, and additional personal services along with another $20,000 for plastic surgery. In the end, not only was she awarded $20 million dollars, but she also made off with the couple’s mansion that cost $5 million.
6. Mel Gibson & Robyn Moore – $425 Million
Robyn Moore and Mel Gibson were married for 26 years – a marriage that saw a lot of ups and downs, as well as giving them 7 children. But in 2006, Mel Gibson’s DUI arrest proved to be too much to bear for Robyn, prompting her to file for divorce.
The divorce proceedings took 5 years, finally coming to completion in 2011. In the meantime, Mel Gibson went public with his pregnant girlfriend in 2009. During this time, Moore cited “irreconcilable difference” as the reason for separation. Luckily for her, they hadn’t signed a prenuptial agreement and she was awarded half of Mel Gibson’s assets totaling $425 million.
7. Jeff Bezos & MacKenzie Bezos – $35 Billion
Jeff Bezos got married to MacKenzie Bezos in 1993, shortly before he founded what would become the global giant Amazon. The marriage only ended very recently, with the couple announcing their split in early 2019. Mackenzie announced that they had reached a settlement of $35 million on Twitter, making her the third richest woman in the world! However, she has pledged to donate at least half of that to charity.
8. Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt – $400 Million
For 12 years, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were Hollywood’s “IT” couple. “Brangelina” became parents to 6 children, 3 of whom were adopted, during this time. However, they only got married in 2014, meaning their marriage lasted only a total of 2 years when they called it quits in 2016.
The couple went through a very public divorce that lasted several years, during which she asked for full physical and joint legal custody of their 6 children. The divorce is said to have cost them about $400 million!
9. Jennifer Lopez & Chris Judd – $14 Million
“Love Don’t Cost A Thing” singer Jennifer Lopez learned the hard way that the opposite is actually true! In 2002, she divorced her second husband, Chris Judd, a backup dancer she’d been married to for only 9 months. The couple cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for divorce in the application.
Reportedly, JLO had to fork over $14 million as settlement. Now that may not seem like too big of an amount considering the crazy settlements we’ve seen on this list, but then you realize this marriage didn’t even last a year and you can’t help but feel sorry for JLO!
10. Johnny Carson & Joanna Holland – $20 Million
Johnny Carson doesn’t seem to learn his lesson since he’s been married 4 times. In 1972, he was at the height of his career. Known to be the highest-paid TV host, he earned around $15 million a year (considering this is the 70s, that’s quite a massive amount). This was when he got married to former supermodel and socialite Joanna Holland.
The marriage lasted 11 years, and in 1983, Holland filed for divorce. What followed was a long and ugly proceeding for divorce, at the end of which she made away with $20 million!
11. Kelsey & Camille Grammer – $30 Million
Kelsey and Camille Grammer tied the knot in 1997 in a beautiful ceremony in Malibu. The union lasted 14 years, during which time the couple became parents to 2 children: a daughter named Mason and a son named Jude.
In 2011, the couple filed for divorce, and Kelsey received $30 million of Camille’s money. Following this, she featured on the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and later got married to attorney David C. Mayer.
12. Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren – $750 Million
In 2004, Tiger Woods found himself in the middle of the scandal of the year when it came out that he had been cheating on his wife with several random women. Naturally, his wife, Elin Nordegren, left him and filed for divorce. The proceedings took 6 years, only coming to a complete in 2010. The couple decided to share custody of their 2 children and Elin received a settlement of $750 million. Good for her!
13. Michael & Juanita Jordan – $168 Million
Michael and Juanita Jordan’s marriage was in trouble long before they filed for divorce. But in 2002, the couple finally decided to call it quits, stating irreconcilable differences as the cause for their split. Custody of their three children – Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine – was awarded to Juanita. She also received a settlement of $168 million in the divorce proceedings, and also gained ownership of their 7-acre mansion.
14. Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver – $375 Million
Arnold Schwarzenegger was married to Maria Shriver for 25 years, during which time the couple became parents to 5 children. What seemed to be a happy marriage came to an end when Shriver discovered that Schwarzenegger was having an affair with the housekeeper (so cliché!).
Lucky for her, the couple hadn’t signed a prenup prior to getting married. As a result of the divorce, Shriver received custody of their children, as well as a sweet $375 million!
