15 Most Expensive Hollywood Celebrity Divorce Settlements Cost $1.66 Billion
Getting married can be quite expensive for Hollywood celebrities. Getting the almost inevitable divorce costs considerably more!
Perhaps the most mind-blowing aspect of these blockbuster divorce settlements is that these husbands ever chose to marry again. And, for some of them, that’s again, and again, and… which begs the question: Why?
Albert Einstein’s oft-repeated definition of insanity is: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” But, maybe Samuel Johnson’s observation that “second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience” is a more appropriate explanation of the phenomenon.
It could be that, for those in the movie or TV business, the necessity of going through a marriage ceremony has something to do with box-office earnings. Given that religion, especially Christianity, plays such a high-profile role in American society, perhaps there is the fear that being labeled as “living in sin” will upset too many people.
An analysis of our 15 most expensive divorce settlements listed below shows that almost all of the husbands did re-marry. Kenny Rogers and James Cameron are in joint first place with five marriages each! Kelsey Grammer is next with four attempts at marital bliss, followed by Neil Diamond, Harrison Ford, and Paul McCartney with three each.
All the others have married twice, with the notable exception of Mel Gibson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, both of whom are still considering whether Einstein could have been correct after all.
One exceptional feature on the list is the Madonna–Guy Ritchie divorce, in which she paid HIM some $90 million. She was previously married to actor-director Sean Penn, but neither she nor Ritchie have subsequently re-married.
So, that’s the analysis; this is the list:
- Mel and Robyn Gibson – $425 million
- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver – $250+ million
- Michael and Juanita Jordan – $168 million
- Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey – $150 million
- Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison – $118 million
- Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving – $100 million
- Madonna and Guy Ritchie – $90 million
- Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva – $80 million
- Kenny and Marianne Rogers – $60 million
- James Cameron and Linda Hamilton – $50 million
- Paul McCartney and Heather Mills – $49 million
- Michael and Diandra Douglas – $45 million
- Kelsey and Camille Grammer – $30 million
- Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall – $25 million
- Lionel and Diane Richie – $20 million
Because of the amount of publicity that celebrities attract — or create — the value of their divorce settlements is always a cause for speculation and curiosity. But, to put the subject into proportion, the total value of the 15 settlements above is only $1.66 billion.
Rupert Murdoch’s divorce from his second wife, Anna cost him a cool $1.7 billion. What his divorce from third wife Wendi Deng cost him is a secret, by mutual consent.
However, Murdoch’s settlement will not hold the world record for much longer. This could go to Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev. A Swiss court recently awarded his ex-wife, Elena, some 50 percent of his net worth which, if the ruling is confirmed, will give her $4.5 billion.
Not exactly the kind of world record anyone will be anxious to beat!
Featured image: reuters.com
