You know what the sad thing is about Hollywood?
It’s given marriage a bad rep.
When celebrities announce their marriage, they’re often met with cynical comments
like “Agh I wonder how long this one’s going to last.”
The other tough side of getting a divorce in Hollywood?
It’s expensive.
Really, really expensive.
Unfortunately, not all the splits can be handled amicably and very often it’s all their loot
that becomes the main concern.
It can’t be easy deciding who’s going to get the holiday house in Paris or the New
York penthouse apartment.
With one of the world's richest men announcing his divorce, we thought it would be a good
idea to count down some of the most expensive splits in the celebrity world.
Bill and Melinda Gates: Estimated $73 Billion
The pair married in 1994, seven years after Melinda joined Microsoft as a product manager.
When Bill initially asked her out, he wanted to know if they could go out "two weeks from
tonight."
Melinda was initially baffled and responded "I have no idea what I'm doing two weeks from
tonight."
So Bill told her, "You're not spontaneous enough for me."
After taking her number, he ended up calling her
that same day.
At the beginning of May this year, one of the richest couples in the world announced
that they are divorcing after 27 years of marriage.
While it's too soon to put a dollar amount on how much this split is going to cost, Bill
has a net worth of more than $130 billion, with Melinda having a reported net worth of
around $70 billion of her own.
So it’s not entirely clear how things are going to be split, but it could reach a $73
billion settlement.
Each of the three Gates children is already set to inherit $10 million, with the rest
of the couple's wealth going to charity.
So far, the reasons for this split seem to be relatively scandal free however it was
reported in the divorce filings that the marriage was “irretrievably broken”.
The couple said in a statement on Twitter:
"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation
that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.
We ... will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we
can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
Harrison Ford And Melissa Mathison: $85 Million
Once one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors and the whip cracking legend Indiana Jones,
Harrison Ford went through a bit of a rough patch back in the early 2000s.
Unfortunately, his wife at the time, Melissa Mathison didn’t have the patience to endure
his mid-life-crisis and filed for divorce.
She called in the lawyers, admitting she could no longer take her husband's 'bad boy bachelor
behaviour' and wanted to end their 18-year marriage.
The marriage - previously regarded as one of the most solid in Hollywood - began to
unravel when 58-year-old Ford moved out of the family's Manhattan apartment.
He settled into a nearby hotel and appeared to develop a liking for the bachelor lifestyle.
Friends said Melissa was appalled when she saw pictures of her husband with Jack Nicholson's
ex-girlfriend Lara Flynn Boyle at a party in a New York club.
In the hope of keeping her husband away from the bright lights of Hollywood, she insisted
they spend time together at their isolated 800-acre ranch in Wyoming.
However, it is believed that problems persisted and Melissa decided enough was enough.
Despite Ford begging for another chance and promising to change his ways, she was having
none of it.
The settlement awarded Mathison $85 million, plus future royalties for three of Ford’s
Indiana Jones films and two of his Star Wars movies.
With these additions, it’s among the most expensive divorce settlements on record.
Tragically, Melissa Mathison died of cancer in 2015 at just the age of 65.
Steven Spielberg And Amy Irving: $100 Million
It was almost like a movie: Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving decided to marry in 1985 when
they learned that Amy was pregnant.
However, the marriage ended after just 4 years, with $100 million going to Irving in the settlement.
At the time, it was among the most expensive divorces on record.
Steven Spielberg is known for being a perfectionist behind the camera, but his meticulous nature
does not, apparently, carry over into his personal life.
Amy argued in court that she did not have legal representation when the couple informally
sketched out a prenup on a scrap of paper.
The court sided with Irving, who was granted $100 million — half of Spielberg's fortune
and nearly $210 million in 2020 dollars.
That kind of money would grab tabloid headlines today, but back then, nine-figure settlements
were almost unheard of.
Arnold Schwarzenegger And Maria Shriver: $250 Million
Schwarzenegger was charming, funny and was so kind to all those around him that it was
virtually impossible not to fall in love with him.
Unfortunately, the upcoming actor soon had to learn that there was a downside to fame,
which was the loss of anonymity.
Now that the world knew who he was, there was no way for him to keep his private life
away from the tabloids, and soon there would be a scandal so big that it would shake his
family and test the strength of his marriage.
He eventually married Maria Shriver in 1986, who was a member of the famous Kennedy family.
For a while, it seemed as though Arnold had everything a man could ever dream of: a booming
career that was churning out blockbuster films left right and center, a beautiful wife and
children, and more money than he could have ever imagined.
He was no longer the small, bullied boy from Austria who was being beaten by the hands
of his father and couldn't afford food.
He was a Hollywood action hero turned politician, there was nothing he couldn’t do.
In 2011, the world was shocked to find out that Maria and Arnold had separated.
His wife had found out that her husband had an affair with none other than their family
housekeeper, Mildred.
Not only had they had an affair, but he had also gotten her pregnant.
Even more shocking was that Mildred gave birth to their son, Joseph, just a few days after
his wife gave birth to their second son, Christopher.
However, Arnold adamantly denied that Joseph was his son, and he did so for almost 8 years.
The two ended their marriage in 2011 after 25 years together.
While the divorce still hasn’t been finalized, it’s estimated that Maria will receive at
least $250 million when it’s all said and done.
Mel Gibson And Robyn Moore: $425 Million
After a dream wedding in 1980, Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore spent 26 years as husband
and wife.
In 2006, Mel Gibson was arrested in Malibu, California, for driving under the influence
of alcohol.
Following his arrest, his affair and love child with another woman was made public a
few years later, throwing their marriage onto the rocks yet again.
In an interview, Mel confessed that his relationship with Robyn had never been the same post his
arrest.
Robyn was the one who chose to file for divorce.
In 2012, their long, public, and bitter divorce — which coincided with a string of ugly
and racially charged Gibson meltdowns — was finalized.
Moore, who was a former dental nurse, was awarded half of Gibson's $850 million fortune.
She also received half of all Gibson's future movie royalties.
A little later, Mel Gibson shared additional information during one of his interviews.
He said he might be responsible for the fact their marriage didn’t work out.
“When all's said and done I did a pretty good hatchet job on my marriage.
I'm to blame, if you're inclined to judge.”
Madonna and Guy Ritchie: $92 Million
We know this divorce settlement isn’t as big as some of the previous ones that were
mentioned on our list today, but we couldn’t help but give this one an honorable mention.
Considering she’s known as the world’s “material girl”, her divorce made international
headlines regardless of the settlement amount.
Madonna needs no introduction.
Her list of musical awards is endless and she has a whopping net worth of $590 million
dollars.
She’s also no stranger to the tabloids and what they have to say.
Madonna’s second marriage was to movie director, Guy Ritchie, in December of 2000.
They had one, Rocco.
After unfortunate complications with placenta previa left the singer unable to conceive,
the couple traveled to Malawi to adopt their second son, David, a few years later.
They split later in 2008 and the singer had this to say about her marriage, "There were
times I felt incarcerated.
I wasn't really allowed to be myself."
It seemed that Guy wasn’t too comfortable with her personal expression through fashion
and music.
She added, " … if you're an artist, you've got to find someone who accepts who you are
and is comfortable with that."
Besides being one of the most expensive celebrity divorces ever, Madonna’s divorce from husband
Guy Ritchie was among the most talked-about.
The cost?
Somewhere between a whopping $76 and $92million.
In most expensive celebrity divorces, it’s the woman who walks away with the cash.
In this unique case, the judgement was awarded to Guy Ritchie.
Besides tens of millions in cash, Ritchie received real estate and sole proprietorship
of a pub that he’d co-owned with Madonna.