In the words of Kelsea Ballerini, “who you marry is not who you divorce.” In celebrity splits, one of the biggest points of contention is often how to divvy up their massive wealth. Even with a prenup, things can get unfathomably expensive.

Here are 21 celebs who had to pay wild amounts of money in their divorces:

1. Sia

Sia began publicly dating her second husband, Modern Medicine Services cofounder and CEO Daniel Bernad, in 2021. They got married in Italy in 2023, then they welcomed their child, Somersault, in 2024. The couple separated shortly before the baby’s first birthday.

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People reported that Sia would be required to pay Daniel $42,500 in monthly child support — that’s $510,000 a year. On Twitter, she said, “I see my settlement has been picked up by the press. I’m a sober working mom trying to buy peace. I have primary custody of our son and since i am the only parent earning income i still have to pay California’s incredibly high child support. This has been a horrific year but it taught me how to navigate incredibly difficult situations, prioritize my family and not absorb other people’s negativity. ‘To err is human, to forgive is divine.'”

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2. Rachel Lindsay

Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo fell in love on The Bachelorette Season 13 in 2017. After earning her first impression rose and getting the first kiss of the season, Bryan proposed to Rachel in the finale. Two years later, they got married in Mexico. However, he filed for divorce on New Year’s Eve in 2023, and they announced their split in the new year.

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Rachel and Bryan didn’t sign a prenup because, when they first got married, they were at a more even financial place. So, when they finalized their divorce in 2025, she had to pay him a lump sum of $500,000 in spousal support.

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Rachel told the podcast Pop Syllabus, “I felt powerless that I didn’t have a prenup. He took so much from me. But I feel powerful that I was able to [pay it off] in a year.”

3. Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford met screenwriter Melissa Mathison (she wrote E.T.: The Extraterrestrial) while filming Apocalypse Now in 1976, while he was still married to his first wife, Mary Marquardt. Harrison and Mary divorced in 1979, and he didn’t pursue a relationship with Melissa until 1982. They tied the knot in 1983 and had two kids, a son and a daughter. The couple separated in 2000, but the divorce wasn’t finalized until 2004. Harrison reportedly paid Melissa an $85 million settlement!

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4. Britney Spears

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline met at a club in the summer of 2004. Within months, she asked for his hand, but he declined, believing he should be the one to propose. Three months after their relationship began, they had a surprise wedding at their small engagement party. They welcomed two sons. However, Britney filed for divorce in 2006.

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In her memoir The Woman in Me, she wrote, “Again and again in my life, I’ve seen fame and money ruin people. And I saw it happen with Kevin in slow motion.”

In his 2025 memoir You Thought You Knew, Kevin said that they had a “pretty standard” prenup, which he thought was unnecessary because he “wasn’t some bum just sitting around waiting for a check.” Britney paid him $20,000 in monthly alimony for 13 months — half the length of their marriage. That’s a total of $260,000! Additionally, she paid him $20,000 in monthly child support ($240,000 a year).

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He wrote, “People hear figures like that and think you’re financially set. But the reality is far from that. … Raising two young boys in Los Angeles, while maintaining the security and stability they needed, came with a price tag that would make anyone’s head spin.”

In a statement, Britney’s reps told People, “Once again [Federline] and others are profiting off her, and sadly it comes after child support has ended with Kevin.”

5. Jessica Alba

In 2004, Jessica Alba and Cash Warren fell in love on the set of Fantastic Four, where she starred as the Invisible Woman, and he was a director’s assistant. Four years later, they had a courthouse wedding a few weeks before the birth of their first daughter. They later welcomed a second daughter and a son together. Jessica filed for divorce in 2025.

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According to E! News, the former couple agreed to split everything down the middle. As a result, she was required to pay him $5 million from the sale of a house they jointly owned. Additionally, Cash was entitled to half of the residuals and royalties Jessica earned from any acting projects filmed while they were married, AND half of the restricted shares of the Honest Company, the consumer goods company she founded, which is reportedly valued at around $609 million as of 2025. She also had to put aside $500,000 to cover expenses for their kids.

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6. Elin Nordegren

Elin Nordegren was working as a nanny for pro golfer Jesper Parnevik and his wife, Mia, when she met Tiger Woods. For a year, Tiger had been asking the couple to introduce him to their nanny, who was already dating someone. Elin and Tiger got married in 2004, and they welcomed a son and a daughter together. However, the couple divorced in 2010 after Tiger admitted to cheating on her.

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He reportedly paid Elin $100 million dollars in their divorce settlement. She told People, “Money doesn’t make you happy, but I have to be honest: It is making some things easier. I have the opportunity to be with my children as much I want, and I am able to travel to see my family and also have them come here as often as I like.”

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7. Kandi Burruss

Xscape member Kandi Burruss — who’s also a songwriter, known for contributing to “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child and “No Scrubs” by TLC — met line producer Todd Tucker while shooting The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2011. The couple engaged in 2013 and tied the knot on the Bravo special Kandi’s Wedding a year later. They welcomed a son and a daughter together. However, they separated in late 2025 and divorced the following year.

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On Watch What Happens Live, Kandi said that they split over “a specific situation that happened,” but she declined to go into further detail.

According to Forbes, Todd alleged that he was pressured to sign a prenup without his lawyer present, but Kandi repeatedly shut down speculation that he was trying to “fight” the prenup. They reportedly split all of their assets equally, with Kandi paying Todd a $426,388.77 lump sum because of their jointly owned real estate.

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8. Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor and production designer Eve Mavrakis met when he guest-starred on the TV show Kavanagh QC, where she was the assistant art director. They got married in 1995 and had four daughters together. However, in 2017, they announced their separation amid reports that he had been photographed kissing his Fargo costar, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The divorce was finalized in 2020.

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According to People, Ewan agreed to pay Eve $35,868 in monthly spousal support, adding up to $430,416 a year. The former couple maintained joint legal and physical custody of their youngest daughter, Anouk (of their four daughters, she’s the only one who was still a minor when the divorce was finalized), but Ewan also agreed to pay an additional $14,934 in monthly child support (that’s $179,208 a year). He established a trust fund for her educational expenses as well.

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Ewan and Eve split all of their assets equally, and she was entitled to half of his acting royalties and residuals from projects filmed while they were together.

9. Ariana Grande

In early 2020, Ariana Grande was looking to buy a getaway house away from LA, so her team found luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez. She reportedly thought he was cute and requested an in-person meeting right away. They fell in love and had a “tiny and intimate” wedding in 2021. However, they split two years later and finalized their divorce in 2024.

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Ariana reportedly paid Dalton $1.25 million and covered up to $25,000 of his legal fees “in lieu of any spousal support payments.” They also reportedly agreed to pay off their $6 million mortgage, sell the house, then split the profits 50/50.

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10. Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy and Nicole Murphy (née Mitchell) first met in 1988. Five years later, they got married, and they had five kids together. Nicole filed for divorce in 2005, and it was finalized a year later. Eddie reportedly paid Nicole a $15 million settlement. However, several years later, a con artist frauded her out of more than $10 million from that settlement.

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The fraudster, Troy Stratos, reportedly claimed to be “in love” with Nicole. After her high-profile divorce, he reached out with an offer of help, purportedly claiming he could invest her money in other countries. Instead, he blew her fortune on fancy cars, lavish parties, and Vegas trips.

However, Nicole wasn’t his only victim — he was accused of stealing more than $43 million in total! In 2016, he was sentenced “to 21 years and 10 months in prison for multiple counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.”

In the courtroom, Nicole reportedly said, “All along, he was just there to steal my money. He was there to steal my children’s money. He ruined my life.”

11. Kenny Rogers

Late country singer Kenny Rogers married actor Marianne Gordon, his fourth wife, in 1977. They welcomed a son named Christopher. When they divorced in 1993, Kenny paid Marianne a $60 million settlement. Kenny told the Irish Independent, “She deserved every penny.”

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He said, “But Marianne really did deserve the 60 million because she is a great girl, and we had a perfect marriage for 15 years. In fact, everything was fine until our son Christopher was born — but I wouldn’t want him to take any responsibility for this — because that’s when Marianne stopped touring with me and stayed home to take care of him, and then when I came home from touring or doing a tennis tournament, I found that our lifestyles were clashing. So one day we just said, ‘Life is short, we deserve to be happy, let’s find something else to do with our lives,’ and the marriage ended.”

12. Kris Jenner

Kris Jenner (née Kardashian) and Caitlyn Jenner dated for five months before their 1991 wedding. They share two daughters, Kendall and Kylie. They renewed their vows on Keeping Up With the Kardashians on their 20th anniversary, but they separated two years later in 2013. Their divorce was finalized in 2015.

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The former couple didn’t have a prenup. Kris reportedly agreed to pay Caitlyn a $2.5 million equalization payment, and they divided all of their other assets except for the family home, which Kris kept.

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13. Paul McCartney

In 1999, Paul McCartney met Heather Mills at a charity event. They got married in 2003 and welcomed a daughter, Beatrice. Ahead of their wedding, Heather brought up the idea of a prenup to “prove” her love for Paul, but he declined getting one. The couple announced their separation in 2006 and divorced in 2008. Initially, Heather tried to get $250 million, but in the end, Paul was only required to pay her $48.7 million. After the judge decided to make his ruling public, Heather reportedly dumped a jug of water over Paul’s divorce lawyer’s head.

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Paul also paid $70,000 in alimony annually for Beatrice, and he covered all the costs for her schooling and nanny care as well.

Heather told Rolling Stone, “I’m so glad it’s over. It was an incredible result in the end to secure mine and my daughter’s future and that of all the charities that I obviously plan on helping and making a difference with — because, you know, it has been my life for twenty years.”

14. Michael Jordan

In 1985, during Michael Jordan’s first season with the Chicago Bulls, he met Juanita Vanoy at a restaurant, where friends introduced them. They welcomed their first son in 1988, and then they had a Vegas wedding the following year. They had another son and a daughter together. Michael retired from the NBA in 1993, only to unretire multiple times. In 2002, Juanita filed for divorce, a year before his final retirement. The couple reconciled but ultimately divorced in 2006. He reportedly paid her $168 million in the divorce, but he got to keep their Chicago mansion.

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15. Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner met Cindy Silva at California State University, where they both studied in the mid-’70s. When they got married in 1978, he was a studio manager, and she worked in Delta Airlines’ marketing department. They had a son and two daughters. However, they divorced in 1994. Cindy reportedly received $80 million in their divorce settlement!

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16. Madonna

Madonna and director Guy Ritchie were introduced at a dinner party by Trudy Styler, the actor/director/producer who’s married to Sting. The couple welcomed their first son and got married in 2000. In 2006, they began the adoption process for their second son, which was finalized in 2008. However, the couple divorced later that year.

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Madonna’s spokesperson, Liz Rosenberg, told the AP that the pop star paid her ex a divorce settlement between £50 to 60 million (or $76 to 92 million). Liz said, “I’d assume it’s one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce.”

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17. Jane Fonda

In 1990, billionaire Ted Turner heard that Jane Fonda was divorcing her second husband, Tom Hayden, so, despite not really knowing her, he called her and asked her out. Initially, she said no, but he continued pursuing her for six months until she agreed to go out with him. They wed in 1991, and Jane retired from acting. However, she later realized that, though staying with a wealthy man would be easy, it would prevent her from becoming everything she could be. The couple also had communication issues due to spending a lot of time apart, which contributed to the end of their marriage. They divorced in 2001.

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He reportedly paid her $40 million in their divorce settlement. In a statement following their split, Jane said, “I feel sadness. We shared 10 years together, and I will always care for him. Now it’s time to move on, and I wish him well.”

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18. Mackenzie Scott

When Mackenzie Scott moved to NYC after college, she applied to work at a financial firm, where Jeff Bezos interviewed her. He hired her, and, after three months of dating, they got engaged. They tied the knot in 1993, and they share a daughter and three sons. In 2019, they divorced.

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He reportedly signed over a four percent stake in Amazon, which was worth $38 billion. At the time, it was the largest divorce settlement in history. In a letter to the Giving Pledge, Mackenzie said, “I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”

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In just 2025, she gave away $7.2 billion — which is $2.5 billion more than her ex-husband has donated in his entire lifetime! Mackenzie has donated an estimated $26.4 billion in her lifetime.

19. Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates met Bill Gates at a sales meeting after she began working as a product manager at Microsoft in 1987. He asked her out in the parking lot, but she initially declined because he wasn’t “spontaneous enough.” However, he called her an hour later, and she agreed to a date. They got engaged after six years of dating and married in 1994. The couple had two daughters and a son. However, they divorced in 2021.

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Bill reportedly transferred $6.3 billion worth of stock into Melissa’s name after their split. In her updated pledge letter to the Giving Pledge, she wrote, “I co-founded the Giving Pledge in 2010 and committed to giving away the majority of my resources in my lifetime. Today, I’m reaffirming that commitment. I recognize the absurdity of so much wealth being concentrated in the hands of one person, and I believe the only responsible thing to do with a fortune this size is give it away — as thoughtfully and impactfully as possible. The ultimate goal of any philanthropist should be to render the need for philanthropy obsolete.”

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20. Yael Cohen

Scooter Braun and activist Yael Cohen announced their engagement in 2014 and tied the knot six months later. They welcomed two sons and a daughter. Scooter filed for divorce in 2021, and they finalized it a year later. He reportedly paid Yael a $20 million settlement, and she also reportedly kept their family home, which was worth $30 million, as well as several artworks and her Land Rover.

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However, he allegedly kept many valuable assets, including properties, artwork, cars, an electric scooter, and a private jet.

21. Mariah Carey

And finally, this one isn’t about an actual divorce, but it’s too good not to include! After a few months of dating, Mariah Carey got engaged to billionaire investor James Packer in 2016. When they broke up eight months later, she allegedly sought a $50 million “inconvenience fee” from him. They reportedly later settled for $5 to 10 million, and she got to keep her 35-carat diamond ring, which was originally appraised at $10 million but reportedly cost less than that.

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