15 staggering celebrity divorce settlements
Big-name divorces that cost millions
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Divorce can be an expensive business, but when millions – or even billions – of dollars are involved, the final settlements can be astronomical.
From the likes of Tiger Woods to Mel Gibson, read on to discover some of the most expensive celebrity divorces of all time.
All dollars amounts in US dollars with settlement figures adjusted for inflation.
Lionel and Diane Richie: $20 million ($33.3m/£25.8m today)
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American singer Lionel Richie was 36 and married to his college sweetheart, Brenda Harvey when he met 18-year-old dancer Diane Alexander in 1984. After almost 18 years of marriage, the Richies' relationship broke down when Brenda discovered Lionel at Diane's apartment.
They eventually divorced in 1993, and two years later, Lionel and Diane tied the knot. But by 2004, things had turned sour...
Lionel and Diane Richie: $20 million ($33.3m/£25.8m today)
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As the couple's divorce proceedings progressed, details of Diane's lavish spending spilt out, including a monthly clothes allowance in the thousands, and a large annual plastic surgery budget.
However, these figures were dwarfed by the final settlement sum, which came to a staggering $20 million, the equivalent of $33.3 million (£25.8m) in today's money.
Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall: up to $25 million ($47.6m/£36.8m today)
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The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger met Texas supermodel Jerry Hall in 1977. In 1990, the couple tied the knot in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony in Bali.
But less than a decade later, Hall filed for divorce after learning that Jagger had a child with another woman, Brazilian model-turned-TV host Luciana Gimenez.
Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall: up to $25 million ($47.6m/£36.8m today)
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In 1999, Jagger was able to get the marriage annulled by questioning the legality of the couple's Bali wedding. This meant he avoided having to give up a huge portion of his estimated $500 million (£387m) fortune.
Hall, who recently divorced media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is rumoured to have received up to $25 million as part of her divorce settlement from Jagger, the equivalent of $47.6 million (£36.8m) in 2024 money.
Michael and Diandra Douglas :$45 million ($92.8m/£71.8m today)
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American actor Michael Douglas met 19-year-old Diandra Luker at a Jimmy Carter inauguration party in 1977. The couple married just six weeks later.
Over the course of their 18-year marriage, Douglas shot to stardom, appearing in iconic films such as Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction, and Basic Instinct. But their relationship wasn't all glitz and glamour.
Michael and Diandra Douglas :$45 million ($92.8m/£71.8m today)
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In 1980, Douglas had a serious skiing accident that temporarily derailed his acting career. Rumours of affairs, drug use, and alcohol abuse began to circulate, and by 1995, the couple had filed for divorce.
Diandra received around $45 million as part of the split, as well as properties in Beverly Hills and Majorca. That's the equivalent of a whopping $92.8m (£71.8m) today.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills: $48.7 million ($71.1m/£55m today)
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In 2002, former Beatles frontman Paul McCartney married model and activist Heather Mills. Their marriage lasted for just four years, with the couple later blaming media intrusion for the split.
A bitter mudslinging match of a divorce followed, including accusations of assault and mistreatment, before a settlement was agreed upon in 2008.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills: $48.7 million ($71.1m/£55m today)
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Mills' settlement of $48.7 million was only around a fifth of what the model originally requested. However, it still added up to an impressive $34,000 for every day of the couple's six-year marriage and is the equivalent of $71.1 million (£55m) today.
James Cameron and Linda Hamilton: $50 million ($94.3m/£72.9m today)
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Actress Linda Hamilton and director James Cameron met on the set of The Terminator in 1984. The couple eventually moved in together in 1991, had a child in 1993, and got married in 1997, the same year that Cameron directed Titanic.
But the star-studded marriage didn't last long.
James Cameron and Linda Hamilton: $50 million ($94.3m/£72.9m today)
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By 1999, the relationship had broken down. Cameron is thought to have paid Hamilton around half of his $100 million ($94.3m/£72.9m today) Titanic paycheque as part of their divorce settlement, making it one of the most expensive Hollywood separations of the decade.
Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva: $80 million ($169m/£131m today)
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Actor Kevin Costner met his first wife, Cindy Silva, at California State University. The couple married in 1978 and their marriage lasted 16 years.
During this period, Costner cemented his status as a Hollywood legend, beginning with 1990's Dances With Wolves, which he produced, directed and starred in.
Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva: $80 million ($169m/£131m today)
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Costner's acclaim as an actor, director, and producer made him a bona fide star by the 1990s. But his personal life wasn't quite so successful.
In 1994, the couple filed for divorce, and Silva walked away with $80 million as part of the settlement. That's an eye-watering $169 million (£131m) in today's money.
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison: $85 million ($141m/£109m today)
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Harrison Ford met Melissa Mathison in 19777, and the couple would go on to become Hollywood royalty as an actor and a screenwriter, respectively. By the time they married in 1984, Mathison had written the award-winning screenplay for E.T., and Ford had starred in three Star Wars films and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Six years later, Ford became one of the highest-paid actors in the world when he earned $7 million ($16.8m/£13m today) for his role in the 1990 legal drama Presumed Innocent. But while his career was going from strength to strength, his marriage to Mathison was headed for the rocks.
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison: $85 million ($141m/£109m today)
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After more than 20 years together, the couple divorced in 2004. Mathison was awarded $85 million ($141m/£109m today) and also added a savvy clause to the settlement, requesting a slice of all of Ford's future earnings from the films he starred in during their marriage.
Madonna and Guy Ritchie: up to $92 million ($134m/£104m today)
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Madonna and Guy Ritchie struck up a romance after being introduced by musician Sting in the late 1990s. By 2000, the Queen of Pop and the British film director had wed and welcomed their son, Rocco.
The loved-up couple also adopted a second son from the African nation of Malawi in 2006, but just two years later they announced their shock separation.
Madonna and Guy Ritchie: up to $92 million ($134m/£104m today)
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As the main money-maker in the relationship, Madonna had to shell out up to $92 million to settle with Ritchie. The equivalent of $134 million (£104m), the staggering sum included the worth of the couple's English country estate home, valued at around $30 million at the time.
The pair have since described the split as amicable, though they were locked in a bitter custody battle over their son Rocco up until 2018.
Dr. Dre and Nicole Young: $100 million ($116m/£89.7m today)
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American music mogul Andre Young (better known by his stage name Dr. Dre) met lawyer Nicole Plotzker in the mid-90s when she was still married to NBA player Sedale Threatt. Dre reportedly penned a love letter to Nicole, asking her to leave her husband, and the pair ultimately tied the knot in 1996.
After 24 years of marriage and two children, Nicole sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry in 2020 when she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Dr. Dre and Nicole Young: $100 million ($116m/£89.7m today)
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Court documents later revealed that Nicole had accused her spouse of abuse, which left her with PTSD, though Dr. Dre has denied these allegations.
The pair settled in 2021, with the rapper and producer agreeing to hand over $100 million ($116m/£89.7m today) of his fortune.
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving: $100 million ($253m/£196m today)
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American actress Amy Irving met Steven Spielberg when she auditioned for a role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Although the couple called off their relationship after four years, they eventually reconciled and got married in 1985.
But their marriage also lasted just four years before divorce proceedings began in 1989.
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving: $100 million ($253m/£196m today)
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Although Spielberg and Irving had signed a prenuptial agreement, Irving successfully contested it because it had been written on a napkin.
She received around half of Spielberg's 1989 fortune, walking away with a staggering $100 million, a whopping $253 million (£196m) in today's money.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren: $100 million ($144m/£111m today)
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Professional golfer Tiger Woods met model Elin Nordegren in 2001 when she was working as an au pair for Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik.
The couple got married in 2004, but after two children and six years together, their relationship turned sour in 2009.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren: $100 million ($144m/£111m today)
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Following a high-profile car crash and numerous alleged affairs, Woods and Nordegren finalised their divorce in 2010.
As part of the settlement, Nordegren received an estimated $100 million ($144m/£111m today), making it one of the most expensive separations in sporting history.
Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey: $150 million (£96.7m)
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American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond married television production assistant Marcia Murphey in 1969. The pair had reached their silver wedding anniversary before deciding to divorce in 1996, with Murphey citing "irreconcilable differences".
Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey: $150 million (£96.7m)
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As part of the high-profile divorce settlement, Murphey walked away with $150 million, around half of Diamond's fortune. In 2024 money that's an incredible $300 million (£232m).
The Sweet Caroline singer apparently didn't begrudge the enormous sum, claiming that Murphey was "worth every penny".
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy: $168 million ($262m/£203m today)
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Former model Juanita Vanoy met basketball star Michael Jordan after a Chicago Bulls game in 1985. They got married four years later, but their relationship was rocky, marred by rumours of Jordan's infidelity.
The pair separated in February 2005 and filed for divorce in December 2006. The final settlement made history as the most expensive divorce of a professional athlete ever.
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy: $168 million ($262m/£203m today)
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Vanoy received a whopping $168 million in the settlement, over a third of Jordan's net worth at the time and a staggering $262 million (£203m) in today's money.
The NBA legend's fortune has since recovered. Today he's worth an eye-watering $3.2 billion (£2.5bn), according to Forbes.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver: at least $200 million ($232m/£179m today)
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Actor, bodybuilder, and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger hit headlines in 2011 when his wife filed for divorce.
Schwarzenegger married the journalist Maria Shriver in 1986. But after 25 years together, Shriver discovered the Terminator actor had had a host of affairs – and even fathered a child with the family housekeeper.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver: at least $200 million ($232m/£179m today)
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Because the couple hadn't signed a prenuptial agreement, California law required Schwarzenegger to give Shriver 50% of his wealth at the time. However, the couple did not officially divorce until 2021, a decade after separating.
Financial details of the settlement were never made public but it's believed Shriver walked away with at least $200 million ($232m/£179m today).
Mel and Robyn Gibson: $425 million ($662m/£512m today)
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Actor Mel Gibson is believed to have handed over half of his then $850 million fortune when his marriage to Australian dental nurse Robyn Moore ended in 2006. That's a mammoth $662 million (£512m) in today's money.
After 31 years of marriage, Moore filed for divorce when photos of Gibson embracing Russian singer-songwriter Oksana Grigorieva went public.
Mel and Robyn Gibson: $425 million ($662m/£512m today)
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As part of the divorce settlement, Moore wasn't just entitled to the staggering settlement. She was also awarded a portion of any residual earnings from Gibson's future films, which would include Apocalypto (2006), The Beaver (2011), and Hacksaw Ridge (2016).
Although they parted on bad terms, Moore came to Gibson's defence when Grigorieva later accused him of domestic violence in 2010.
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