Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Billionaire divorce club: the most expensive splits of all time

Billionaire divorce club: the most expensive splits of all time

Super settlements and high-powered lawyers - Bill and Melinda Gates have joined the world’s most exclusive set, says Suzannah Ramsdale

This week, Bill and Melinda Gates became members of the most exclusive (but not exactly coveted) club in the world: the billionaires’ divorce club. After 27 years of marriage, three children, one world-leading philanthropic foundation and an estimated $130billion in the bank, the couple announced on Monday that their marriage was “irretrievably broken”.

Gates is the fourth richest man in the world, and with no pre-nup, the stakes are high for this most powerful of power couples. So, as they begin to lawyer up, how do they stack up against other mega-money divorces?

From the socialite divorcee who was given $2.5billion on the condition she didn’t spend it on plastic surgery to the Rich List husband who’s still receiving pay-outs from an ex-wife 28 years his junior, all is fair in love and billionaire divorce court.

Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott


Lowdown: After 25 years of marriage and four children, the richest couple in the world announced they were calling it quits via Twitter in 2019. The Amazon chief explained: “After a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.”

Assets: Described as the Godzilla of all splits, it led to the biggest divorce settlement of all time and made Scott, who met Bezos in 1993, a year before he started Amazon in his garage, the fourth richest woman in the world. She was given a four per cent stake in the online shopping behemoth, equating to a $38billion pay-out. The author immediately promised to give away at least half of it, saying she had “a disproportionate amount of money to share”. Bezos kept hold of their other assets including The Washington Post and his beloved space company Blue Origin. He’s still the world’s richest person.

Amicable? Their so-called friendly split may have been soured by the National Enquirer’s 11-page story claiming Bezos had been having an affair with his now-girlfriend news anchor Lauren Sanchez. Even so, Bezos congratulated his ex when she signed up to giving away half her money to the Giving Pledge. “MacKenzie is going to be amazing and thoughtful and effective at philanthropy, and I’m proud of her,” he said. “Her letter is so beautiful. Go get ’em MacKenzie.”

Jeff Besoz and MacKenzie Scott


Elon Musk and Justine Musk and Talulah Riley (twice)


Lowdown: The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX boss has been divorced three times — twice from the same woman. Justine Musk, whom he met at university, has described herself as a “starter wife”. The pair have five children together (twins and triplets) and were hitched for eight years. He then married and divorced, then married and divorced again actress Talulah Riley.

Assets: Musk is now the second richest man in the world, with an estimated wealth of $170 billion. In a blog post in response to an article Justine had written about their marriage and split,Elon detailed his divorce payments to her which included a $170,000 monthly legal bill, nanny salaries, $20,000 for clothing and the family home in Bel Air. Riley received a $20 million settlement from the entrepreneur.

Amicable? Yes and no. Justine has said she goes through his assistant to make arrangements about their kids and accused him of rendering her “disposable”. Riley and Musk remain friends.



Kim Kardashian and Kanye West


Lowdown: After almost seven years, several social media meltdowns and one presidential campaign, Kimye are on their way to splitsville. The pair have already agreed to joint custody of their four children, North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, who turns two next month.

Assets: Both are newly minted billionaires so all eyes will be watching to see how they divvy up their considerable wealth. Kim, 40, has hired the services of “disso queen” divorce attorney Laura Wasser to oversee how the couple split their Calabasas mansion, Miami condo and Wyoming ranch. It’s thought the couple also has $5million of art, $4million tied up in vehicles, $3.2million in jewellery and $300,000 of livestock. Neither has requested spousal support.

Amicable? So far both Kim and Kayne have kept a dignified silence.

Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West


Jocelyn and Alec Wildenstein


The lowdown: In the late Nineties, this was the most expensive divorce settlement in history. Jocelyn, known as “catwoman” for her penchant for face-altering plastic surgery, divorced her former art dealer and racehorse owner husband after she caught him in bed with another woman. She was given $2.5billion.

Assets: Known for their remarkable ability to blow through money, the couple are thought to have spent about $1million in an average month. The socialite said that her husband didn’t bat an eyelid when she bought a $350,000 Chanel dress and blew $10million on jewellery. They built their daughter, Diane, a $3million mansion for her 17th birthday on their nature reserve Ol Jogi in Kenya.

Amicable? It was a long and messy split and their lawyers were put to work. Her legal team demanded she was given interim support of $200,000 a month and $50million for security. His applied for her to be evicted from the family townhouse and household staff were told to ignore her requests. The divorce played out for two years. Despite the multi-billion dollar settlement, Jocelyn filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone


Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone


Lowdown: The pair were married for 24 years before Slavica, Formula One tycoon Bernie’s second wife, filed for divorce in 2009 on the grounds of his “unreasonable behaviour”. The details of the split were largely kept quiet with the settlement thought to be around $1.2billion.

Assets: But, wait, there’s a twist! In Bernie’s 2014 German bribery trial it was revealed that he was receiving $100million per year from Slavica. According to indictment paperwork: “Since his divorce from his wife, the accused [Mr Ecclestone] has received payments on the basis of the British decree nisi. The payments amount to around $100million per year. The duration of the payments from the divorce decree is not known.” Bernie also managed to hang on to his private jets, chalet in Gstaad and his 190ft yacht called Petara, a mash-up of his daughters’ names, Petra and Tamara.

Amicable? As friendly as can be. They were granted a quickie divorce in just 58 seconds.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×