Forbes Releases Top 10 Celebrity Divorce Settlements of All Time!
Forbes Magazine recently released a list of the top 10 costliest celebrity divorces of all time. Just as he was the top player in the NBA during his 15-year career, former Chicago Bulls’ superstar Michael Jordan is at the top of this list. While Jordan’s divorce with his wife of 18 years, Juanita Vanoy, is still pending, Forbes said that it could be the most expensive divorce settlement of all time with Vanoy estimated to receive more than $150 million. Other big names on this costly divorce list include Steven Spielberg, Paul McCartney, Harrison Ford, Neil Diamond and Kevin Costner, and the order might surprise you.
Here’s the breakdown of Forbes’ top 10 costliest celebrity divorces.
1. Michael and Juanita Jordan: The pending Michael Jordan divorce could be worth more than $150 million. With how much Jordan makes in endorsements each year, it’s highly doubtful that he’ll have to pawn off any of his six NBA championship rings.
2. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey: That’s right. Neil Diamond is number two. Who would have guessed it? Diamond’s 1996 divorce from Marcia Murphey, a one-time TV production assistant whom he married in 1969, included an estimated settlement of $150 million dollars. I didn’t know that many people were touched by Diamond and his hit album, “Touching You, Touching Me.”
3. Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving: The movie producer’s divorce with his first wife, actress Amy Irving, resulted in an estimated $100 million divorce settlement. According to Forbes, Irving won that settlement after successfully contesting the couple’s pre-nuptial agreement, which was allegedly scribbled on a napkin.
4. Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison: Forbes said that the estimated $85 million settlement between Ford and his first wife included her negotiating a piece of his earnings from movies that he made during their marriage.
5. Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva: The star of “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams” reached an estimated $80 million settlement with his first wife. The couple was married for 16 years.
6. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills: This much publicized, pending divorce is expected to reach a $60 million settlement. The former Beatle McCartney is allegedly worth $700 million.
7. James Cameron and Linda Hamilton: Did you know that Cameron (producer of “Titanic”) was married to Hamilton (a star in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”)? Makes sense considering that Cameron co-wrote the movie. Cameron paid Hamilton $50 million (half of what he earned on “Titanic”) in their divorce settlement.
8. Michael and Diandra Douglas: Douglass divorced his first wife for an estimated $45 million and is now married to Catherine Zeta-Jones.
9. Lionel and Diane Richie: Lionel Richie’s second divorce allegedly cost him $20 million.
10. Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall: And rounding out the top ten is Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. Forbes estimated his divorce from Texas supermodel Hall to be anywhere from $15 million to $25 million.
If this list has piqued your craving for the latest celebrity divorce news, you can always visit the very popular Celebrity Divorce Spotlight, or connect with a divorce lawyer and start your own divorce.
