Most expensive Hollywood divorce settlements of all time

Model Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce from Yellowstone star Kevin Costner after an 18-year marriage, resulting in several child support disputes and a legal battle over their $145 million Santa Barbara home.

The former couple finalised their divorce in February 2024, months after reaching a settlement in September 2023, where a judge ordered the enforcement of their 2004 prenuptial agreement, giving Christine a $1.5 million payout.

While his ex-wife also requested a monthly child support sum of $248,000, the court found it would be “unjust” to calculate this sum from Kevin’s highest salary (from Yellowstone), settling on an amount of $63,209. Kevin also offered his estranged wife $30,000 a month for a rental home, while Christine was ordered to pay $14k of Kevin’s divorce attorney fees.

Prior to Christine Baumgartner, Kevin Costner was married to Cindy Silva for 16 years, a union that ended in a record-breaking divorce settlement at the time.

According to a People cover story from 1997, the split stemmed largely from allegations of Kevin’s infidelity. Without a prenuptial agreement in place, the Yellowstone star reportedly handed Cindy an estimated $80 million payout.

Despite the high stakes, Kevin and Cindy publicly stated that they had resolved their differences amicably. 

After Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced their split in 2021, many wondered how the couple would divide their astronomical $2.1 billion fortune. It was later revealed that neither party would pay spousal support, likely due to their individual financial sufficiency.

Child support, however, was a different story. Despite joint custody of the pair’s four children – North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm – Kanye pays a staggering $200,000 per month to Kim as the primary custodial parent, so the split was not without its costly consequences.

After mutually ending their 17-year marriage in 2006, model Juanita Vanoy received a staggering settlement of $168 million from the renowned basketball player. Without a prenup, Michael Jordan’s former wife was entitled to half of his assets.

The split, which was amicable, remains the most expensive divorce in sports history, and led Michael to seek a prenup for his second marriage to Yvette Prieto.

Former acting couple Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore finalised their divorce in 2011 after more than 30 years of marriage. Though the exact terms of the settlement were never officially disclosed, it’s believed to have been enormously costly, particularly since the couple had no prenuptial agreement.

Around the time, the Braveheart star’s net worth was estimated at around $900 million. Under California law, Robyn was entitled to an equal division of marital assets, resulting in a payout of roughly $425 million. The hefty sum not only included cash and property, but also a share of future residuals from Mel’s work.

Rapper and Beats headphones businessman Dr. Dre, real name Andre Romelle Young, and his wife Nicole Young finalised their divorce in 2021 after an 18-month settlement dispute. 

Dr. Dre was ordered to pay a sum of $100 million to his ex-wife – $50 million immediately, and the remainder the following year. While Nicole had to vacate the pair’s Malibu mansion and pay for her own legal fees, she was able to keep all her jewellery and four luxury cars, including a Rolls Royce and a Range Rover.

The Still D.R.E rapper kept the right to his properties, as well as his music and stock options – the star sold Beats to Apple in 2014 for $3 billion.

Following their 15-month marriage, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp reached a divorce settlement in 2016 in which the Aquaman actress received $7 million (£5.6m). But this was not the end for the couple’s highly publicised split.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor’s defamation lawsuit against The Sun, who called him a “wife-beater”, brought the pair’s relationship back into the spotlight, followed by his defamation lawsuit against Amber (and her countersuit) regarding her Washington Post article, in which she detailed domestic abuse. 

After the six week trial, Amber agreed to pay $1 million to her former spouse, which she completed in 2023. Johnny allegedly pledged to donate this sum to charity. 

After 25 years of marriage, Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos and his philanthropist wife MacKenzie Scott announced their separation in 2019. Under Washington State community property laws – and with no prenuptial agreement in place – MacKenzie walked away with a 4% stake in Amazon, estimated at around $38 billion, setting a new record for celebrity divorces. 

Since the split, MacKenzie has donated more than $19 billion to over 2,000 organisations, and has a reported net worth of $41.9 billion thanks to her 1.3 per cent stake in Amazon, making her the third wealthiest woman in the United States. 

Meanwhile, Jeff has reportedly taken precautions for his new marriage: he and Lauren Sánchez, who wed in Venice in 2025, are said to have signed an “ironclad” prenup to protect his substantial fortune.

Thought to be the most expensive divorce in history, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his philanthropist Melinda French Gates split in 2021 after 27 years of marriage and three children. At the time, the tech titan was thought to be worth around $152 billion.

Though the terms of the divorce were not publicly disclosed, under the same Washington State community property laws as the Bezos’ – and the same lack of a prenup – it’s thought that their marital assets were likely divided 50/50, leaving Melinda with roughly $76 billion. 

Paul McCartney’s second marriage to ex-model Heather Mills was marked by a public and lengthy court battle, with Heather seeking £125 million from the former Beatle. After being married for six years, the couple divorced in 2008, with Paul instead offering his former wife £15.8 million.

The couple finalised their divorce with a £24.3 million settlement, ending their bitter legal dispute. This sum included £16.5 million and £7.8 million in assets, exclusive of child support for their shared daughter, Beatrice.