THE HIGH PRICE OF love
Some of the most costly celebrity divorces in Hollywood history… By Keeley Ryan
Going through a break-up can be tough at the best of times. But doing it with a spotlight on your relationship and having it all play out in the public eye adds another complicated layer to the situation — particularly when it comes to celebrity divorces.
A number of high-pro le couples have called time on their relationship over the last year, from Rory Mcilroy and Erica Stoll to Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas; Tori Spelling and Dean Mcdermott to Sam Asghari to Britney Spears.
Sometimes, things can take years to iron out. Other times, nearly iron-clad prenups mean it’s a quick process.
Despite many couples in Tinseltown having a prenup in place before saying I do, divorces still can be expensive — especially when it comes to the discussions around the splitting up of assets, custody arrangements or providing spousal or child support.
This week, we’re taking a look at some of the biggest celebrity divorce settlements…
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes surprised fans when they were rst spotted together in April 2005 — and their whirlwind romance was packed with PDA- lled red carpet appearances, couchjumping talk show moments and an engagement two months after their public debut.
Within a year, the couple welcomed their daughter, Suri.
And six months later, they tied the knot in an Italian castle.
They went their separate ways at the end of June 2012, after Katie led for divorce. They are said to have had a
nancial prenup already in place, and the Batman Begins actress’s lawyer con rmed in early July that the divorce had been settled.
Tom and Katie said in a statement through their reps,“we are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests.
“We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents.”
Following their divorce, it was reported that Katie had gotten primary physical custody of Suri. The Top Gun actor is said to have gotten visitation, although the pair are reported to now be estranged.
According to TMZ, the settlement included Tom having to pay $400,000 a year in child support until
Suri turned 18. He also paid expenses, including medical, dental, education and extracurricular costs.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver nalised their divorce in 2021, a decade after they separated.
The pair had been married for 25 years, after they tied the knot in 1986. They announced in May 2011 that they had separated — and a few days later, the Kindergarten Cop actor con rmed he had fathered a child with the
family’s longtime housekeeper 14 years earlier.
He said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times,“after leaving the governor’s office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family.
“There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologised to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.”
The former couple settled their divorce in December 2021. According to Us
Weekly, Maria was entitled to half of what the Terminator actor earned throughout their marriage — from 1986 until she led for divorce in 2011.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez went their separate ways in 2023 after two and a half years of marriage.
The former couple wed in May 2021 in a private ceremony at home. They are said to have separated in February 2023 — and officially led for divorce in September that year.
According to Vanity Fair, Ariana and Dalton had a prenup in place. As part of their settlement, the 7 rings singer will pay her ex a one-time payment of $1.25 million and up to $25,000 towards his attorney fees. The pair will also split the proceeds of the sale of their home in Los Angeles.
Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd’s marriage came to an end in 2002 — just nine months after they said ‘I do’.
The Love Don’t Cost A Thing singer is said to have paid him $14 million as part of the settlement — and the split was amicable, with the exes continuing to speak highly of each other.
J-LO said on Watch What Happens Live!,“i’ve dated two dancers. One, I had a brief marriage with Cris Judd, who is an amazing person and who I love, and then Beau (Casper Smart). We just broke up, but who I love as well, and is a good friend.”
Country superstar Garth Brooks and college sweetheart, songwriter Sandy Mahl, tied the knot in 1986 — and it wasn’t long before the pair moved to Nashville together. He released his selftitled debut album in 1989.
The former couple welcomed three daughters together throughout their relationship. They separated in 1999, and their divorce was nalised in 2001.
Sandy is said to have received $125 million as the settlement. Around the same time, he took a step back from music to be there with his daughters.
Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott rst met before Amazon was founded and were married after six months of dating.
The former couple — who have four children together — announced in January 2019 that they were separating after 25 years of marriage. The pair are not said to have had a prenup in place.
As part of the settlement, Mackenzie received 25 per cent of the couple’s Amazon stock — around a 4 per cent stake in the online retailer, with an estimated value of $38 billion.
She has establishedyield Giving to contribute to a number of non-pro ts, and has donated more than $17.3 billion to over 2,300 organisations. She is currently listed at No. 43 on Forbes’ annual billionaire list.
James Cameron and Linda Hamilton met lming The Terminator — but it wasn’t until after lming 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day that they got together.
The former couple welcomed their daughter in 1993 and tied the knot in
1997. Their relationship came to an end in 1999, with Linda said to be receiving $50 million as part of their divorce settlement.
The pair reunited professionally for 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate — and the Chuck star re ected on the relationship in an interview with the Newyork Times.
She said,“that relationship was a mystery to all of us
— even Jim and myself—because we are terribly mismatched.
“I used to say we t together like a puzzle: Everywhere he’s convex, I’m concave.”
The actress added that she felt“what happened there is that he really fell in love with Sarah Connor, and I did, too.”
The director said, ”I fell in love with her initially because I thought she was a little closer to Sarah than she actually is, but that doesn’t mean that much once you get to know somebody.
“I think we were just in this highvelocity spiral around each other for a long time. We were fascinated by each other.”
Kelsey Grammer and Camille Grammer met in 1996 and got married the following year in Malibu.
The former couple — who have two children together — were married for nearly 14 years when Camille led for divorce, seeking primary physical custody of their kids.
Their divorce was nalised in February 2011, with the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star’s settlement said to be an estimated $30 million.
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock met when they bumped into each other at an awards show in 2006 — but it wasn’t until 2012 that they reconnected.
They con rmed their relationship in March that year, with Brandon popping the question in December. The duo tied the knot in October 2013 and welcomed their
rst child together in 2014. Their second child was born in 2016.
The Since U Been Gone hitmaker led for divorce in June 2020, after almost seven years of marriage. She was granted primary physical custody of their two children later that year.
“I wanted to make it beautiful. I wanted to make it awesome...”
Their divorce was nalised in March 2022, with the Stronger singer ordered to pay Brandon a one-time payment of $1.3million — as well as $45,000 a month in child support. She also paid $115,000 a month in spousal support, until January 2024.
During an appearance on Angie Martinez’s IRL podcast in March 2023, she said,“i think the thing about divorce — especially having it publicised, and people thinking they know the whole thing — the hardest part of that is, like, it wasn’t an overnight decision.
“I wanted to make it beautiful. I wanted to make it awesome. I wanted to make it everything it possibly could be, and sometimes that just doesn’t happen.”
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison are said to have met on the set of Apocalypse Now — but it wasn’t until 1982 that their relationship began.
The pair wed the following year, and welcomed two children together. They separated in 2000 — and although they said in November that year that they “sincerely hope that we can work out our differences”, their divorce was nalised in 2004.
It took three years to reach a settlement. According to Forbes, the E.T. The Extra Terrestrial screenwriter is said to have been awarded $85 million. As part of the settlement, she was also said to have negotiated a portion of his future earnings of the movies he made while they were together.
Kim Kardashian led for divorce from Kanye West in February 2021 after nearly seven years of marriage. The duo, who share four children together, tied the knot in Italy in May 2014.
In December 2021, Kim led to be declared legally single, asking for the issues of custody of their kids and property to be separated from her marital status.
Her ex challenged the request in February the following year, but by March 2022, a judge had declared her legally single.
Towards the end of that year, it was reported that the pair had nalised their divorce and reached a settlement.
Sky reported that the pair would have joint custody of their kids, and would share the cost of their private security and schooling. Kanye is said to pay $200,000 a month in child support.
Paul Mccartney and Heather Mills’ relationship began in 2000, with the pair tying the knot at Castle Leslie in June 2002. They welcomed their daughter in October 2003.
However, they announced three years later that they had separated — and their divorce was nalised in 2008.
According to the Mirror, Heather is said to have received £24.3 million as part of the settlement. She was also awarded annual payments of £35,000 for school costs for their child.