14 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces in Recent History

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (Ongoing)

We don’t even have a number yet on what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce is going to cost, but we can tell you it’s going to be expensive, with a reported $400 million fortune being fought over. Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 and the couple was declared legally single in April 2019, but they still haven’t settled their divorce. 

In Jolie’s first filing, the actress asked for physical custody of their six kids, something Pitt was surely not a fan of. Since then, Pitt was investigated for child abuse by the DCFS and was clearly before petitioning for joint custody and losing in 2021 after a California appeals court ruled in Jolie’s favor, Entertainment Tonight reports. 

And, in addition to the custody battles, Jolie and Pitt have also gone to court to resolve the issues regarding their winery, Miraval, in which they once had a 50-50 stake. In 2021, despite reportedly agreeing never to sell their half before consulting with the other, Jolie sold her share to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli group controlled by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, for $67 million. The two have been in court ever since. 

Kelly Clarkson & Brandon Blackstock (2022)

Kelly Clarkson’s divorce from Brandon Blackstock isn’t completely finalized yet, but they have worked out the spousal and child support payments — and boy, is it costly!

According to Us Weekly, Clarkson, who first filed for divorce in 2020, agreed to pay Blackstock spousal support of $115,000 monthly until January 2024 and was asked to pay a one-time payment covering attorney’s fees of $1.3 million. In addition, Clarkson was also granted primary custody of their two kids, daughter River Rose, 7, and son Remington Alexander, 5, and agreed to pay $45,601 per month in child support. 

On the other hand, Blackstock will also be paying a hefty amount back to Clarkson after the TV host landed a major win by suing Blackstock over overcharging his talent agent fees. According to Us Weekly, Blackstock appealed the decision but is still set to pay Clarkson a total of $2.6 million. 

Kevin Costner & Cindy Silva (1994)

Kevin Costner’s impending divorce from Christine Baumgartner is not the first time the Yellowstone star has experienced legally bound heartache. In 1994, he and his former wife Cindy Silva divorced after 16 years of marriage. 

In a statement at the time Costner, then 39, and Silva, then 38, said: “After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage. We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached.”

There were rumors of Costner’s infidelity running rampant at the time, and according to Forbes, Silva was given $80 million in settlements fees. 

Bill & Melinda Gates (2021)

Bill and Melinda Gates split after 27 years of marriage, but they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement in place. However, three months after their initial announcement, their divorce was already finalized.

While the details of the settlement have continued under wraps to this day, Forbes estimates that Melinda walked away with at least $6.3 billion worth of stock in various companies. And, as of 2022, she had sold nearly a quarter of that amount. Neither party sought spousal support or child support given that their three kids were already adults. 

Andre “Dr. Dre” Young & Nicole Young (2020)

Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Nicole Young were together for nearly 25 years before Nicole filed for divorce. Rolling Stone reported that Dr. Dre would have to send more than one-fifth of his $820 million fortune. As of right now, it’s known that Nicole received $100 million in their settlement, according to People.

Nicole also receives nearly $300,000 per month in spousal support, despite her asking for $1.9 million per the Sun. They also reported, “Dre will pay a total of $3,519,672 per year until Nicole remarries or ‘enters into a new domestic partnership.'”

Jeff Bezos & MacKenzie Scott (2019)

When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos split with wife MacKenzie Scott after 25 years together, it sent shockwaves through billionaires around the globe. As the world’s richest man with a then-estimated net worth of $177 billion, Bezos had no prenuptial agreement in place. That meant Scott walked away from the marriage with an estimated $38 billion fortune as part of her 4% stake in Amazon stock, per Insider. 

Scott has earned herself many fans since her split from Bezos because she has turned around and donated over $8 billion to organizations in need. “In this effort, we are governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands, and that the solutions are best designed and implemented by others,” she wrote in a Medium post. 

Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise (2012)

Katie Holmes pulled the wool over Tom Cruise’s eyes when she surprised him with divorce papers in 2012. It certainly wasn’t the money she was fighting over, she wanted full custody of her six-year-old daughter, Suri Cruise, reportedly to get her away from the Church of Scientology. 

Holmes was happy to settle for $4.8 million in child support paid out over 12 years until Suri reached the age of 18. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tom was responsible for his daughter’s “medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs.”

Holmes received no spousal support, despite her ex-husband’s $250 million net worth at the time, per TMZ. So this divorce might not have been a hit on Tom’s bank account, but it certainly cost him his relationship with his daughter, whom he apparently hasn’t seen since 2013.

Mel Gibson & Robyn Moore (2011)

After nearly 30 years together, Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore divorced in 2011, splitting Gibson’s $850 million fortune right down the middle, per People.

Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren (2010)

We all know how this marriage fell apart after Tiger Woods stepped out on his wife, Elin Nordegren, more times than anyone could count once his affairs had been exposed in 2009. Less than a year later, the couple finalized their divorce and the former model walked away with a reported $100 million, per TMZ. 

Woods was worth somewhere between $500 to $600 million at the time, so Nordegren settled for less than she could have received. “Elin got a lot of money, but she could have received more,” a source told RadarOnline, via New York Daily News. “She wanted enough money to not change her luxurious lifestyle, but she didn’t try to take him for every penny that she could. Elin wants to get on with her life.”

Madonna & Guy Ritchie (2008)

At the time of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s 2008 divorce, she was worth $490 million. The director received a $75 million settlement from the pop star, which included a country home in England and a pub (how British!) they co-owned. “I’d assume it’s one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement,” Madonna’s rep Liz Rosenberg told Rolling Stone.

Michael & Juanita Jordan (2006)

Back in 2006, when Michael and Juanita Jordan split up, Juanita received a whopping settlement of $168 million, per Marie Claire.

Heather Mills & Paul McCartney (2006)

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills may have only been married for six years, but once they divorced in 2006, the former model received $48.6 million from her now ex-husband, despite her wanting to receive $250 million, per Cleveland 19 News.

Melissa Mathison & Harrison Ford (2004)

Harrison Ford and his second wife Melissa Mathison split up in 2004 after over 20 years together, and per Forbes, Mathison received a large chunk of his fortune. She received around $85 million, including some of his earnings from future Indiana Jones and The Fugitive sales. Sadly, she passed away in 1995. 

Ivana & Donald Trump (1992)

Ivana and Donald Trump‘s divorce was one of the messiest breakups we’ve seen in the past 30 years after it came out that Donald was having an affair with his eventual second-wife Marla Maples. Ivana received a hefty settlement of around $14 million, per The Sun.