Expensive Celebrity Divorces That Cost More Than $100 Million

Divorces among celebrities and wealthy individuals often involve huge amounts of money, grabbing headlines and fascinating the public. When couples with substantial assets split up, the resulting settlements can easily reach hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars. These agreements usually involve dividing valuable properties, company ownership, and complicated investments. Here’s a look at some of the most expensive divorces ever, where the cost of splitting up exceeded $100 million. Each case shows the unique financial difficulties that arise when a high-profile marriage ends.

Bill Gates

Bill and Melinda Gates officially divorced in 2021 after being married for 27 years. As part of the divorce settlement, Melinda received billions of dollars worth of stock in different companies. Since they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, their assets were split almost equally. At the time of the divorce, their combined wealth was around $152 billion. Even though they are no longer legally married, they continue to work together on their global health and education projects through their foundation.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott separated in 2019 after many years of marriage. As part of the divorce settlement, MacKenzie received four percent of Amazon stock, worth around $38 billion at the time, instantly making her one of the world’s richest women. Jeff Bezos kept control of the voting rights for her shares to maintain stability in the company. Since then, MacKenzie Scott has become well-known for her charitable giving, donating billions to different organizations.

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch and Anna Mann divorced in 1999 after 32 years of marriage, resulting in a substantial financial settlement for Anna. Reports indicate she received $1.7 billion in cash and assets. Remarkably, Murdoch married his third wife just seventeen days after the divorce was complete. The case demonstrated the complicated financial issues that arise when dividing wealth accumulated during a long marriage, especially for someone who owns a large global media company. The settlement covered assets they had built up over their three decades together.

Bernie Ecclestone

Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone finalized their divorce in 2009 after being married for 24 years. Slavica received a settlement worth around $1.2 billion from the Formula One executive. Unusually, Slavica agreed to pay Bernie installments over several years, as their wealth was held in trusts. This unique payment plan attracted significant attention in financial news. The couple share two daughters.

Steve Wynn

I’ve always been fascinated by Steve and Elaine Wynn. Their story is incredible – they divorced twice! The second time, back in 2010, the split was massive. Elaine received eleven million shares of Wynn Resorts, worth about a billion dollars – it really changed who owned the company. Even after the divorce, they were locked in legal battles for years over things like voting rights and selling stock. It’s easy to forget that these two were absolutely key in building the modern Las Vegas Strip and really defining the idea of luxury resorts. They truly shaped the industry.

Adnan Khashoggi

As a movie buff, I always hear the wildest stories, and the divorce between Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi is one of them! Back in 1982, it cost Adnan a staggering $874 million – a world record for divorce settlements at the time. They’d been married for twenty years, and the legal fight was huge. Soraya originally wanted half of everything, but they eventually settled on that massive sum. From what I’ve read, their life was all about extreme wealth and rubbing elbows with powerful people all over the globe – definitely a story ripe for a big-screen adaptation!

Dmitry Rybolovlev

Dmitry and Elena Rybolovlev finalized their divorce with a settlement that initially totaled over $4 billion. After Elena appealed, a Swiss court lowered the amount to around $604 million. The couple spent six years in legal battles arguing over how much their assets and properties were worth. As part of the final agreement, Elena received two luxury homes in Switzerland. This case is often discussed when considering international laws about protecting assets during a divorce.

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore divorced in 2011 after almost three decades together. Because they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, Robyn received half of Mel’s earnings accumulated during their marriage. The divorce settlement was around $425 million, representing half of his wealth at the time. Gibson is famous for his roles in movies like ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Lethal Weapon,’ which helped him build his fortune. They shared seven children throughout their relationship before finalizing their separation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver finalized their divorce in 2021, ten years after they initially separated. Because they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, they divided their approximately $400 million in assets equally. These assets included properties and investments. Schwarzenegger is a globally recognized actor, famous for films like ‘The Terminator,’ and also served as the governor of California. The divorce took so long to complete due to the complicated nature of their finances.

Robert Johnson

Robert and Sheila Johnson were married for thirty-three years before divorcing in 2002. Together, they co-founded Black Entertainment Television and grew it into a major media company. When BET was sold to Viacom, Sheila received a $400 million settlement, making their divorce one of the most costly in entertainment history at that time. Later, Sheila became the first African American woman to achieve a net worth of over $1 billion.

Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich and Irina Malandina divorced in Russia in 2007 after being married for sixteen years. Irina received a divorce settlement of approximately $300 million, which included cash and valuable properties in both the UK and Russia. Although substantial, the settlement was considered fairly small compared to Abramovich’s overall wealth, which amounts to several billion dollars. The couple finalized the agreement quickly to prevent a long and public court case.

Michael Jordan

I remember when Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy finally divorced in 2006, after being married for seventeen years. It was a huge deal, and Juanita received a settlement of $168 million, plus their house in Chicago. They actually tried to split up once before, back in 2002, but they gave it another shot before ultimately deciding to go their separate ways. Most of Michael’s fortune, of course, came from his incredible basketball career and all the sponsorships he landed. For a long time, the divorce settlement was one of the biggest ever for a professional athlete.

Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey ended their 25-year marriage in 1995. The divorce settlement reportedly included $150 million paid to Murphey. Diamond later said she was worth every bit of it, acknowledging the crucial support she gave him when he was first building his career. He gained fame through popular songs and his starring role in the 1980 film ‘The Jazz Singer,’ which significantly boosted his income. They shared two sons during their many years together.

Frank McCourt

Frank and Jamie McCourt ended their marriage in 2011 after a highly publicized and contentious divorce. As part of the settlement, Frank agreed to pay Jamie $131 million, while he kept ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. Jamie had previously been the team’s CEO during their marriage, and the ownership of the Dodgers was a major point of disagreement throughout the legal battle. Ultimately, the settlement resolved all issues between them.

Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl divorced in 2001, with a settlement of $125 million. The country singer and his wife of fifteen years split up, but remained friendly and continue to raise their three daughters together. Garth’s success as one of the best-selling musicians of all time made the large settlement possible. Since the divorce, Sandy has focused on her passion for helping wildlife, becoming a well-known wildlife rehabilitator.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison divorced in 2004 after 18 years of marriage, reaching a substantial settlement. Melissa received between $85 and $118 million, and the agreement also included a share of Harrison’s future film earnings from projects they worked on during their marriage. Melissa was a successful screenwriter, most famously known for writing the 1982 film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.’ Throughout their time in Hollywood, the couple kept their relationship private.

Greg Norman

In 2007, golfer Greg Norman and his wife, Laura Andrassy, finalized their divorce after 25 years together. The settlement included a payment of $103 million from Greg to Laura, making it one of the largest divorce settlements ever seen in the sports world at the time. Shortly after the divorce was complete, Greg remarried.

Share your thoughts on these massive celebrity settlements in the comments.

2025-12-25 02:16