LOS ANGELES. – There’s no denying that we have developed a fascination with the divorces of celebrities.
There are a variety of reasons for this phenomenon, one of which stems from the outsized egos and personalities involved, inevitably leading to juicy drama than any soap opera could possibly provide.
Over the years, in fact, there have been some truly nasty celeb divorces that provided rich fodder for tabloids.
For example, the end of Johhny Depp’s tumultuous marriage to Amber Heard, and the allegations and legal battles that followed, surely generated more headlines than all of their movies combined.
Or how about the still-ongoing battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie?
In terms of sheer venom, those two are kind of tough to top.
Another reason why people are so interested in celebrity divorces is the vast sums of money on the table.
Money, in fact, usually seems to be the sticking point when celebrities and their future ex-spouses head to court.
The rule of thumb tends to be, the bigger the star, the higher the payout.
When estranged spouses lawyer up, haggling over who gets how much can sometimes take years, with legal fees eating up a substantial chunk of the cash they’re fighting over.
With that in mind, read on for a look into the most egregiously expensive divorces in Hollywood history.
Dr Dre (whose real name is Andre Romell Young) earned some serious money as a rapper, but that was small potatoes compared to what he raked in when he sold his Beats headphone empire to Apple for a reported $3 billion in 2014.
In 2020, his wife of more than 20 years, Nicole Young, filed for divorce.
Not only was there no prenup, but TMZ reported that her divorce filing contained allegations of her husband’s physical and emotional abuse, accusing him of holding a gun to her head, and, on another occasion, slamming her against a wall and lifting her off the floor by her neck.
“Andre has verbally and emotionally decimated my personhood to the extent that I currently suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome,” she claimed.
Dre denied all her allegations.
The following year, the divorce was finalized, with Dre reportedly paying his ex $100 million — $50 million immediately, with the remaining $50 million to be paid out a year later.
She was ordered to vacate the couple’s mansion in Malibu and to cover the costs of her own legal bills related to the divorce
OTHER HIGH PROFILE DIVORCES
- Mel Gibson’s Divorce From Robyn Moore Cost Him Half His $850M Fortune.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Paid Ex-Wife Maria Shriver Millions After Impregnating Their Housekeeper.
- Neil Diamond Reportedly Lost $150M In His Divorce, But Said The Amount Had Been Exaggerated.
- Garth Brooks Paid $125M To End His First Marriage.
- Steven Spielberg Paid First Wife Amy Irving $100M In Divorce Settlement.
- Madonna Had To Pay Big Bucks To Ex Guy Ritchie.
- Melissa Mathison Was Awarded $90M In Her Divorce From Harrison Ford.
- Kevin Costner’s Divorce From Cindy Silva Left Him $80M Poorer.
- Kenny Rogers Took A Hit With His $60M Divorce Settlement.
- Phil Collins’ Divorce Settlement With Ex-Wife Orianne Cevey Set A Record.
- Paul McCartney Paid Nearly $50M To Escape His Tumultuous Marriage With Heather Mills — But That Was A Tiny Fraction Of What She Wanted.
- James Cameron Paid $50M To Linda Hamilton In Their Divorce Settlement.
- Michael Douglas Lost $45M In His Divorce From Ex-Wife Diandra. – msn.