Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces

With British legislative bodies moving to implement the principle of ‘no-fault divorce’ this year and the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial recently dominating headlines, divorce has been a hot topic in recent months. Given the vast amount of assets changing hands in the divorce settlements of the rich and famous, it’s easy to see how such high-profile cases have captured the imagination of the public.

If the Heard-Depp trial had your jaw on the floor, you haven’t seen anything yet. Prestige finance brokers Anglo Scottish Asset Finance take a look at 10 of the most expensive, highest-profile divorce cases in history to find out exactly how much money has changed hands.

Key Findings:
• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ split from wife MacKenzie Scott is by far the most expensive divorce settlement in history, totalling $38bn.
• The second-most expensive divorce settlement came in 1999 from art dealer Alec Wildenstein and ex-wife Jocelyn and was worth £3.8bn.
• The most expensive divorce settlement paid by a sports player was by Tiger Woods, who was forced to pay out over $700m as a result of his divorce from Elin Nordegren in 2010.
• The most expensive Hollywood divorce in history was that of Mel Gibson and Robin Moore in 2011, where the former was forced to pay out $425m.

Couple
Divorce Settlement
Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott (2019)
$38bn
Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein (1999)
$3.8bn
Steve Wynn and Elaine Wynn (2010)
$1.4bn
Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Hamm (2014)
$974m
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren (2010)
$710m
Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore (2011)
$425m
Roman Abramovich and Irina Malandina (2007)
$187m
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy (2006)
$168m
Harrison Ford and Melissa Matheson (2001)
$118m
Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Ecclestone (2009)
$???

Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most expensive divorce settlement of all time comes from a marriage where Jeff Bezos is involved. Once the world’s richest man, the Amazon magnate entered an amicable divorce with then-wife MacKenzie Scott in 2019.

Scott received an incomprehensible $38bn at the time of the settlement, a result of the transfer of Bezos’ Amazon stakes. She became the world’s fourth-richest woman as a result of the divorce, but immediately promised to give half of her newfound fortune to charity.

Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein
Before Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott, the most expensive divorce settlement of all time was issued as a result of the split between billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein and his wife Jocelyn.

This time, the divorce was far from amicable – Jocelyn had caught Alec with a 19-year-old Russian model in her bedroom, after which Alec had threatened her with a gun. Jocelyn’s total settlement totalled $3.8bn, with $2.5bn issued upfront, and an additional $100m to be paid each year after for 13 years.

Steve Wynn and Elaine Wynn
Las Vegas casino tycoon Steve Wynn split from his wife Elaine in 2010, in a huge settlement that totalled over $1bn. Steve was forced to pay Elaine $460m compensation for a 19-year marriage and was also forced to split his 38% stake in Wynn Resorts Ltd, a business over which she had had a huge influence. Elaine walked away with stock alone valued at $955m, with the overall settlement valued at over $1bn.

Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Hamm
Founder and chairman of petrol company Continental Resources, Harold Hamm, was forced to pay out $1bn in a court-ordered settlement in 2014 after splitting with his wife, Sue Ann. Whilst $1bn is hardly a small amount of money, Harold was expected to be sacrificing a greater proportion of his $20bn fortune. Though Sue Ann fought the verdict, she eventually cashed a settlement check for £974m.

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
Golf star Tiger Woods was the subject of various media exposures in 2010, with tabloids alleging infidelities with porn stars, lingerie models, and more. Nordegren subsequently moved to end their 5-year marriage, with divorce papers citing the marriage as ‘irretrievably broken.’ Nordegren earned an estimated $710m from the settlement, which would be worth almost $900m today.

Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore
Said to be the biggest Hollywood divorce of all time, the split between Mel Gibson and wife Robyn Moore took place in 2011, after 31 years of marriage, and reportedly cost Gibson over $400 million. As there was no prenuptial agreement in place, and California is a community property state, Moore was entitled to half of everything earned during the marriage – a figure that totalled $425 million.

Roman Abramovich and Irina Malandina
The divorce between Roman Abramovich – former Chelsea FC owner and Russian oligarch – and his second wife Irina has been described as ‘the perfect divorce’. Irina called the split amicable and friendly and noted the couple did not have a bad word to say about each other. Abramovich, however, was forced to pay out £155m ($187m) after a 16-year marriage. His thoughts on the split are unclear.

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy
Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and his wife Juanita Vanoy divorced in 2006 after a 17-year marriage, with Vanoy receiving one of the biggest divorce settlements in sports history as a result. Vanoy and the 6-time NBA champ described the split as mutual and amicable and retained joint custody of their children. The divorce cost Jordan $168m at the time, which is an eyewatering $226m in today’s money.

Harrison Ford and Melissa Matheson
Hollywood A-lister Harrison Ford split from wife Melissa Matheson in 2000 after 18 years together and a brief attempt at reconciliation. Their divorce was finalised in 2004, with Ford paying out around $118m. Matheson also negotiated a portion of Ford’s future earnings from Indiana Jones and The Fugitive, which he had filmed whilst they were still an item.

Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Ecclestone
When the divorce between F1 boss Bernie and his Croatian ex-wife Slavica was announced, early reports suggested Mr Ecclestone would be forced to pay out close to $2bn of his fortune as part of the divorce settlement. She was eventually paid out $740m, but court documents revealed in 2014 showed that Slavica was actually paying Bernie. He received $540m (over $100m a year) from her trust fund, making the real value of their divorce unclear.

Allan Hetherington, Head of Prestige Finance at Anglo Scottish, comments: “Divorce can be a financially complex issue, and no more so than when it comes to the asset management of some of the richest people in the world. The intricacy of these cases means that the true value of even high-profile settlements is sometimes not made public knowledge until years later.”

“However, our findings show that large divorce cases often end up costing one or both of the involved parties staggering sums. Whether it’s in the form of shares in some of the world’s largest companies or other assets such as luxury vehicles or property, the financial effects of these divorces are amplified when many of the said parties have not taken proper precautions when it comes to asset management and finance.”