Most Expensive Hollywood Divorces of All Time

Celebrity marriages often involve fortunes built over decades of work, which means a split can lead to record breaking settlements. The figures people talk about are usually estimates pulled from court filings and reliable reports, and they reflect how prenups, community property rules, and long careers can shape the final number.

Below are ten high profile Hollywood divorces that stand out for the sheer size of the settlement or payout. The amounts noted are the widely reported totals or ranges and the context includes duration of the marriage, whether a prenup existed, and how assets like royalties or real estate were handled.

Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore

Gibson married Moore in 1980 and their divorce was finalized in 2011 with no prenup in place under California community property rules. Reports put the payout at about 425 million dollars, which represented roughly half of his fortune at the time.

The couple were married for more than two decades and had seven children together, and the settlement has remained one of the largest publicly known totals tied to a Hollywood figure.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver

Schwarzenegger and Shriver married in 1986 and separated in 2011, with the divorce finalized in 2021. The settlement was not disclosed, but well sourced estimates have placed it in a very high range, often cited between about 150 million and 375 million dollars.

The pair share four children and their property division took years to conclude due to the size and complexity of their assets, which commentators frequently noted under California’s community property framework.

Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey

Diamond and Murphey divorced in 1994 after around 25 years of marriage, and reports place the settlement at about 150 million dollars, making it one of the largest entertainment payouts of its era.

Coverage of the split has often referenced Diamond’s own remarks about the payment and the length of the marriage, which help explain why the total reached that level.

Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving

Spielberg and Irving divorced in 1989 after a marriage that began in 1985. The settlement was widely reported at about 100 million dollars after a judge declined to accept an informal prenup that had been written on a napkin.

The case is frequently cited in legal roundups of celebrity splits because the invalidated prenup shaped the outcome and because both parties were prominent figures in the industry at the time.

Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison

Ford and screenwriter Mathison finalized their divorce in 2004. Reports commonly place the settlement between about 85 million and 118 million dollars, with terms that included a share of residuals from projects made during the marriage.

They did not have a prenup and the long marriage, two children, and Ford’s earnings during that period all factored into the final number that outlets discussed at the time.

Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva

Costner and Silva ended their marriage in 1994 after about 16 years together, and multiple outlets have reported an estimated settlement of roughly 80 million dollars.

Accounts of the split often note that the couple shared three children and that the absence of a prenup influenced the outcome in a significant way.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie

Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie married in 2000 and split in 2008. Her spokesperson confirmed at the time that he received up to 92 million dollars in a combination of cash and property as part of the settlement.

Later statements clarified that exact figures were intended to remain private under confidentiality terms, which is why reporting often uses an upper limit when describing the payout.

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis

Moore and Willis finalized their divorce in 2000 after a long marriage and three children. Reports have consistently placed the settlement at about 90 million dollars, including cash and real estate.

Coverage of the split has also highlighted assets like a New York City penthouse and the pair’s approach to co parenting in the years that followed, which kept their financial arrangements in public view.

Kenny Rogers and Marianne Gordon

Country star Rogers and actor Marianne Gordon divorced in 1993 after 16 years of marriage. The settlement was widely reported at around 60 million dollars, which placed it among the larger entertainment payouts of that time.

Reports have also noted that the couple shared one child and that Rogers publicly acknowledged the size of the payment while reflecting on the length of the marriage.

James Cameron and Linda Hamilton

Director Cameron and actor Hamilton married in 1997 and divorced in 1999. The settlement has long been cited at about 50 million dollars, a figure linked to Cameron’s earnings from the period when ‘Titanic’ dominated the box office.

The marriage itself was brief, which is why legal summaries often point to income timing and the absence of a long term prenup based structure as key reasons the total reached that level.

Tell us which cases surprised you the most and share any other Hollywood splits you think belong on a future list.