The World’s Most Expensive Divorces, See How Much They Cost

They say love is priceless. Well, tell that to the billionaires, movie stars, and power couples who learned the hard way that divorce can be the costliest bill life ever hands you. From Hollywood scandals to billionaire breakups, when Cupid’s arrow snaps, the check is often written in billions.

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Grab your popcorn (and maybe a calculator), because we’re counting down the most expensive divorce settlements in history – from “small change” hundreds of millions to the earth-shaking $38 billion Amazon split.

#10 – Mel Gibson & Robyn Moore Gibson ($425 million, 2011)

Hollywood bad boy Mel Gibson wasn’t just known for Mad Max and Braveheart – he was also half of a marriage that lasted nearly 30 years. But when Robyn Moore filed for divorce, Gibson’s heart wasn’t the only thing broken – his bank account was too. The settlement? A cool $425 million. This was a story of how Braveheart lost his brave wallet.

#9 – Craig & Wendy McCaw ($460 million, 1997)

Craig McCaw, the telecom billionaire, dialed in one of the priciest divorces of the ’90s when his marriage to Wendy collapsed. Settlement? $460 million. Breaking up by text message would have been cheaper.

#8 – Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren ($710 million, 2010)

When Tiger Woods’s cheating scandal exploded in 2009, the golf legend lost more than tournaments. By 2010, Elin Nordegren walked away with $710 million. Moral of the story: one too many “holes-in-one” can bankrupt you.

#7 – Adnan & Soraya Khashoggi ($874 million, 1982)

Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and his wife Soraya had one of the most glamorous marriages of the 20th century. When they split in 1982, Soraya scored nearly $874 million. That’s the kind of ransom even James Bond villains don’t pay.

#6 – Harold Hamm & Sue Ann Arnall (~$975 million, 2012)

Oil tycoon Harold Hamm was forced to part with nearly $1 billion after his divorce from Sue Ann Arnall. She once rejected a $975 million check, calling it “too little.” When even a billion-dollar check feels light, you know you married big.

#5 – Steve & Elaine Wynn ($1 billion, 2010)

Casino mogul Steve Wynn found out the hard way that “the house doesn’t always win.” After splitting from Elaine Wynn, his ex left the table with $1 billion in stock and assets. Vegas has seen jackpots, but this was the mother of them all.

#4 – Bernie & Slavica Ecclestone ($1.2 billion, 2009)

Formula One racing boss Bernie Ecclestone ended his 23-year marriage to model Slavica with a settlement worth $1–1.2 billion. That’s more than most F1 teams’ budgets for a decade.

#3 – Rupert Murdoch & Anna Murdoch Mann ($1.7 billion, 1999)

Media titan Rupert Murdoch split from Anna Murdoch Mann after 32 years, handing over $1.7 billion. The kicker? He remarried just 17 days later. Talk about express shipping on love – Murdoch invented Amazon Prime before Bezos.

#2 – Alec & Jocelyn Wildenstein ($3.8 billion, 1999)

Known for their love of extravagant art and plastic surgery, Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein’s divorce remains legendary. Jocelyn received $2.5 billion upfront plus $100 million annually for 13 years, totaling around $3.8 billion. The only thing more shocking than their faces was the settlement.

#1 – Jeff Bezos & MacKenzie Scott ($35–38 billion, 2019)

And here it is – the mother of all divorce settlements. When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott split in 2019, she walked away with 4% of Amazon shares, valued between $35 and $38 billion. She didn’t just get Prime benefits – she got a Prime fortune. MacKenzie didn’t stop there – she’s since become one of the world’s biggest philanthropists, giving away billions while Bezos rockets into space.

Other Jaw-Dropping Settlements

• Chris Hohn & Jamie Cooper-Hohn (2014, UK): $530 million payout.
• Sheikh Mohammed & Princess Haya (2021, UK): £550 million (~$700 million).
• Vladimir Potanin (Russia): Ongoing battles may exceed billions.

Conclusion

From Tiger Woods’s golf swing to Jeff Bezos’s space dreams, these stories prove one thing: breaking up isn’t just hard to do – it’s expensive. Love may be blind, but divorce lawyers? They’ve got 20/20 vision. Which divorce settlement shocked you the most? Drop your thoughts below – and share this with someone who thinks marriage is just about love.

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