There’s a lot that goes into saying “I do” to the love of your life. There are china patterns, guest lists, honeymoon planning, and of course, the big question: “Should we sign a prenup?”
Per Merriam Webster, a prenuptial agreement or a prenup is defined as “an agreement made between two people before marrying that establishes rights to property and support in the event of divorce or death.” Prenups are brought up a lot with celebrity couples, many of whom want to protect their current and future assets. Some have the notion that prenups aren’t romantic, but others argue it helps bring peace of mind. It’s truly whatever you and your partner feel comfortable doing before the big day (and before you start your lives together!).
While there’s no shortage of salacious reports from unnamed sources about what A-list celebrity couples may or may not have put in their prenups, we prefer to go right to the source to find out how stars are protecting themselves when they choose to enter a marriage. From Gabrielle Union to Kim Kardashian, quite a few celebrities want the world to know that they stand by their choice of getting a prenup — and what they have to say may surprise you.
Read on for all the celebs who have opened up about the choice to get a prenup.
A version of this slideshow was posted on April 2022.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian’s two-month marriage to Kris Humphries was a shock for everyone. Many expected that they rushed into it, but Kardashian said she’s always prepared. She alluded to Reuters in 2011 that she made him sign a prenup, saying, “I don’t really talk finances. My father was an attorney and I’m a smart girl — I’d like to think so — you can do the math. I wouldn’t worry about that.”
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey married back in 2002 but divorced in 2006. During an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show back in 2020, Simpson said she wished she would’ve signed a prenup. “I wish I would’ve signed a prenup. The funny thing is that Nick wanted me to sign a prenup but I was so offended. I’m like, ‘But we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives. We’re saying our vows to God and in front of all of our family and friends. This is never going to end,’ and we didn’t sign a prenup.” According to the Mirror, she had to pay $12 million to Lachey after the divorce.
Gabrielle Union & Dwayne Wade
Before Gabrielle Union wed Dwyane Wade, Union told Arsenio Hall per People that they planned on having a prenup because she regretted not doing that in her first marriage to Chris Howard.
“The biggest difference between this and the last marriage will be a prenup — at my insistence. When you have your own stuff, you don’t need to worry about anyone else’s stuff. So everyone should go into the relationship knowing ‘I’m here for you and you’re here for me.’ And the reality is, I’ve never seen Dwyane balance a checkbook.”
She added, “I’ve got to protect my stuff. It’s the wave of the future, protecting your stuff.”
Khloé Kardashian
Khloé Kardashian was very adamant about signing a prenup with Lamar Odom. They married in 2009 and were together for a few years before splitting in 2016.
Back in 2011, Kardashian told E! News that they have a prenup. “We have a prenup, prenups are…do you know what kind of day and age this is? Everybody needs a prenup!” She added, “I mean, I don’t care if you make $5 or $5 million, in this day and age …people are crazy, you never know. And when you have businesses together, like we do, you have to protect yourself. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them.”
David Foster
Katharine McPhee and David Foster married back in 2019, and within a year the pair started cracking jokes about a prenup, per People. While promoting Foster’s “Hitman Tour,” in Jan 2020, they joked about it with McPhee saying “You’re using me for my talents,” to which he sarcastically replied, “Totally.” Later, McPhee joked, saying, “I’ll have to take five percent.”
Foster replied, “You already got 50 percent so… It’s called a prenup.”
Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have been together for over 20 years, and even this pair has an iron-clad prenup. Zeta-Jones told Vanity Fair back in 2000, per NY Post: “I think prenups are brilliant…If I were marrying someone of lesser fortune who was 25 years younger, I’d be doing exactly the same thing.”
“Why should Michael be in a position where half of his fortune, which he’s worked bloody hard for, should land in someone else’s lap?” she added, but assured the outlet that, per their agreement: “I get taken care of very well.”
Per the Post, their prenup states that $2.8 million will go to Zeta-Jones for every year of marriage.
Ali Wong
Before her divorce from Justin Hakuta, Ali Wong joked in her comedy special Hard Knock Wife that his folks were the one to make them sign a prenup. However, she said in her memoir that “I was very motivated to make my own money because I signed a document specifically outlining how much I couldn’t depend on my husband. My father always praised ‘the gift of fear,’ and that prenup scared the s— out of me. In the end, being forced to sign that prenup was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me and my career.”
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