HIGHLIGHTS:
- This article will cover the list of “Top 10 Most Expensive And Historic Divorces Of America”.
- You will also get an overview of each divorce settlement amount in this post.
The historic divorce proceedings of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have stirred the world’s interest in divorces. Although celebrity weddings look star-studded, they often turn into failures. Rich divorces often lead to breakdowns, controversies, differences, quarrels, and several other tactics that show their effects in the future.
Here is a list of the world’s top 10 most expensive and historic divorces that shook the media.
10. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
The seven-time Mr. Olympian winner is infamous as a former bodybuilder, actor, and politician. He served as the 38th governor of California from 2003-2011.
Maria Shiver is an activist, journalist, and author. She is the niece of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The divorce of Arnold and Maria is counted among the most expensive and historic divorces of all time.
Arnold met Maria in the August of 1977 and tied the knot on April 26, 1986. However, the couple separated in 2011, after 25 years of marriage. The divorce was filed in July 2011 and got finalized in December 2021, after Arnold was reported having an affair with their housekeeper.
| Year of marriage | 1986 |
| Year of divorce | 2011 |
| Estimated settlement | $250 million |
9. Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Madonna as you already know is a famous singer-songwriter and actor. She privately married the British actor, Guy Ritchie in Scotland on December 20, 2000.
Being two well-known artists, the couple was often in the headlines. They had a son before their wedding and adopted another kid in 2006.
However, this limelight celebrity couple didn’t last long and got separated under the title of the most famous divorce in Hollywood. They got divorced in November 2008.
As reported by Rolling Stone, Madonna had to pay a huge settlement amount of $75 million. The real reason for their shift of emotions was existential thoughts about love.
| Year of marriage | 2000 |
| Year of divorce | 2008 |
| Estimated settlement | $76 million |
8. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall
Harold Hamm is a businessman and the founder of Continental Resource Inc. He has been the CEO of various companies before founding Continental Resource Inc.
Sue Ann worked in the legal department where the couple had first met. The pair got married in April 1988. They’ve two daughters.
Ups and downs in a marriage are a given. But Harold Hamm and Sue Ann couldn’t work their marriage through these ups and downs. The couple parted ways in 2014 after 26 years of tying knots.
It is estimated that Harold settled the divorce at $11.2 billion. It was the highest divorce settlement in the history of divorces.
| Year of marriage | 1988 |
| Year of divorce | 2014 |
| Estimated settlement | $11.2 million |
7. James Cameron and Linda Hamilton
James Cameron would never have thought that he will have to share his Titanic earnings with his ex-wife Linda Hamilton. The couple started dating in March 1997 and tied knots in July 1997. However, the marriage lived short. After 1.3 years of nuptials, they filed for a divorce and finally parted ways in 1999.
The settlement amount of their divorce was a clean 50% of the $100 million that James Cameron earned as the director of the Titanic.
| Year of marriage | 1997 |
| Year of divorce | 1999 |
| Estimated settlement | $100 million |
6. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegran
Tiger Woods, the golf master, and Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model got married on October 5, 2004. What appeared to be a beautiful couple on the outside had a fair share of disparities on the inside. The damage Woods did to Elin made this marriage one of the historic divorces to date.
Tiger Woods consistently stayed in extramarital affairs. Quoting Elin,” For the last three and a half years, when all this was going on, I was home a lot more with pregnancies, than the children and my school.”
Certainly, their marriage was not a happy one with Woods’ weird sex addiction. The couple ended up getting a divorce. According to Forbes, their settlement amounted to $100 million.
| Year of marriage | 2004 |
| Year of divorce | 2010 |
| Estimated settlement | $100 million |
5. Frank and Jamie McCourt
Frank McCourt and Jamie McCourt got separated after 30 years of marriage in 2009. Mr. and Mrs. McCourt were the co-owners of the Dodgers. Once divorce hit the tables, Jamie McCourt filed a case claiming the ownership of the Dodgers while Mr. McCourt wanted to terminate her status as the chief executive.
According to reports, the divorce got settled at $20.6 million in legal bills. Apart from that, Mr. McCourt gave his three luxurious properties, Malibu, Holmby Hills, and Vail to Mrs. McCourt.
| Year of marriage | 1979 |
| Year of divorce | 2009 |
| Estimated settlement | $20.6 million |
4. Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy got wedded in 1989. They had three children: Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine.
Vanoy was a supportive wife and stayed close to Michael when his father got killed. Michael retired from basketball to spend more time with his family. However, in 2002 Vanoy filed for divorce and the couple officially parted ways in 2006 after 17 years of marriage.
Michael Jordan’s divorce is among the most expensive divorces in sports history. Vanoy received $168 million as the settlement money.
| Year of marriage | 1989 |
| Year of divorce | 2006 |
| Estimated settlement | $168 million |
3. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Mann
Divorce is not a new thing for Rupert Murdoch. The couple divorced in 1999 after 32 years of marriage and 3 children.
Rupert Murdoch is reported to have remarried weeks after her divorced Anna Mann, the Scottish journalist, and novelist. The settlement amounted to, believe it or not, $1.7 billion.
| Year of marriage | 1967 |
| Year of divorce | 1999 |
| Estimated settlement | $1.7 billion |
2. Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein
Alec Wildenstein as you might know is an infamous billionaire and a French businessman. His ex-wife Jocelyn Wildenstein is a socialite. The couple married on 30 April 1978 and had two children.
The couple was under wide media coverage from 1997-99, as the world’s biggest divorce case. As per Telegraph, their divorce is one of the costliest in the world. Jocelyn received $2.5 billion and an extra $100 million a year for the next 13 years to take care of her children.
| Year of marriage | 1978 |
| Year of divorce | 1999 |
| Estimated settlement | $2.5 billion |
Now to top the list of the reputed expensive divorces is that of, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott.
1. Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott
The divorce of Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott has got to be the most historic divorce of all times. The richest man in the world parted ways with his partner in 2018. The reason for their divorce is said to be Jeff’s extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez.
The separation of the parties disrupted the tabloid for Jeff and Mackenzie is currently the business partners of an Amazon plan. Their divorce might complicate things for Amazon.
In their 25 years of marriage, they had 4 children. As per reports, the settlement money to be received by Mackenzie was half of Jeff’s net worth. She has possibly received $37.5 million.
Although the divorce award is your usual amount, their divorce is considered historic for the effect it might bring on Amazon’s business.
| Year of marriage | 1993 |
| Year of divorce | 2019 |
| Estimated settlement | $37.5 million |
FAQs Related To Divorce
1. What is a divorce?
A divorce is the legal termination of the marriage based on mutual confirmation by the partners.
2. Which is the costliest divorce in history?
The divorce of Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein is accounted as the most expensive divorce in the world. Jocelyn received $2.5 billion as a settlement and an extra $100 million every year for the next 13 years.
3. How much is the cost of Johnny Depp’s divorce?
Johnny Depp initially paid $7 million to Amber Heard. After Heard defamed Depp and lost the trial, she is now expected to pay $10.35 million as compensation.
4. Which is Hollywood’s biggest divorce payout ever?
Hollywood’s biggest divorce payout to exist was between Gibson and Moore. The two got separated after 30 years of marriage and Moore received $425 million.
