I’m sure you’ve heard of the most expensive divorces in history, but I bet you don’t know that they all have something in common. Let’s find out together!
Jeff Bezos and his wife Mackenzie Scott
The richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, and his wife Mackenzie Scott have announced their divorce. The couple was married for 25 years and have four children together. The divorce cost $44.7 billion which makes it one of the most expensive divorces in history. This number includes a settlement of $35 billion plus another $9 billion as part of an agreement on how they will share ownership over Amazon stock owned by each other during their marriage (worth another $1 billion).
Alec Wildenstein and his ex-wife Jocelyn Wildenstein
Alec Wildenstein, a Swiss businessman and art dealer, divorced his wife Jocelyn Wildenstein in 1999. The settlement was the most expensive divorce of all time. The couple had a prenuptial agreement that divided their property between them. They also agreed that they would each receive half of any increase in value of their assets during the marriage. The settlement included $2.5 billion worth of art and real estate as well as $100 million cash (about $116 million today). It was reported at the time that this was the largest divorce settlement ever paid by one party to another–and it may still hold true today!
Adnan Khashoggi and Soraya Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and arms dealer. He’s been married five times, including to Soraya Khashoggi, who was born in Iran but raised in London. The couple wed in 1961 and divorced 16 years later in 1985 (they were married for 15 years). At the time of their split, Soraya was awarded $400 million worth of assets — including homes in France and England — as well as $1 million per month from Adnan until she remarried or reached 55 years old. It’s rumored that she received an additional $1 billion settlement when they finalized their divorce later that year!
Rupert Murdoch and his ex-wife Anna Murdoch Mann
There are many reasons why Rupert Murdoch and his ex-wife, Anna Murdoch Mann, stayed together as long as they did. They had three children together and were good friends even after their divorce. But there’s no denying that money also played an important role in keeping them together. The couple married in 1967 and remained married until 1999–a total of 44 years! The divorce itself was reportedly amicable; they remained close friends afterward and even vacationed together on occasion. Murdoch is now worth $13.9 billion while Anna is worth $6.5 billion–so why would anyone want to part with so much cash?
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were married in 2014, with their nuptials airing on reality TV. The couple have three children together, North, Saint and Chicago. They split in 2016 and finalized their divorce in 2020, making it the most expensive celebrity divorce of all time–and one of the most expensive divorces ever for any couple anywhere in the world.
These are some of the most expensive divorces of all time. We hope you enjoyed learning about them!
