Celebrity Divorce Club: Who Pays the Most in Alimony? – Part II

We continue with the fascinating Celebrity Divorce List and the fabulous Amounts paid by them.

Michael Douglas – $45 Million

Actor Michael Douglas is happily married to young Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000, but his first marriage to Diandra Luker in 1977, long before he was famous. They split 23 years later when she learnt of Douglas dating Zeta-Jones, on the sly. Her errant husband had Wall Street and Fatal Attraction, as successes and Diandra secured a divorce settlement of $45 million.

Madonna & Guy Ritchie: Between $76 Million – $92 Million

The ‘Material Girl’ crooner married British film director Guy Ritchie in 2000, after she divorced her first husband, actor Sean Penn in 1989 after 4 years of marriage. The Madonna-Guy marriage lasted eight years, with the couple adopting one child and having another, but failed to save the relationship which ended in 2008. Madonna’s earnings exceeded Ritchie’s who secured an alimony settlement, between $76 million and $92 million. He never wanted his ex-wife’s fortune, but things were ugly in the divorce court, and he changed his mind.

Michael Jordan – $168 Million

Michael Jordan amicably split with Juanita Vanoy after seventeen years of marriage in 2006, but Juanita’s settlement was $168 million, keeping the former banker and their two children in a luxurious lifestyle. Jordan then married a young model Yvette Prieto, in 2013. Unsurprisingly, he insisted on a pre-nup this time.

Kevin Costner – $80 Million

Costner was a big Hollywood star, winning an Oscar for “Dances with Wolves”, and earned $50 million in 1991. His wife, Cindy Silva, married since 1978 while in college, decided in 1994, to divorce her husband, after rumors of multiple affairs. Cindy secured a $80-million settlement, well-deserved for putting up with Costner’s 16 years womanizing history!

James Cameron & Linda Hamilton – $50 Million

Oscar-winning director James Cameron married actress Linda Hamilton in 1997 after working for decades, in the Terminator films but the marriage lasted 18 months when the couple separated when Cameron had an affair while filming the Titanic. Linda secured a $50 million settlement.

Jennifer Lopez – $13 Million

J-Lo is a music star unlucky in love. Her 2001 marriage to dancer Cris Judd lasted less than a year, with a huge alimony settlement of about $13 million if Judd remained silent about their relationship.

Harrison Ford – $85 Million

Han Solo couldn’t help alter ego, Harrison Ford, from divorcing his wife of 21 years. Ford met screenwriter Melissa Mathison in 1979, before he became a superstar but married in 1983. The couple split acrimoniously in 2004 and Mathison hired a top Hollywood divorce lawyer, who secured a $85-million lump sum, besides a percentage of future royalties from movies Ford made during their marriage, including the Indiana Jones money-spinner films.

Steven Spielberg – $100 Million Alimony Settlement

Steven Spielberg is a great director of all time, winning two Oscars for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan but gets no awards for fidelity, as his first wife, Amy Irving, would tell you. After four years of marriage, Spielberg dated Kate Capshaw, starring in his Indiana Jones film, with Irving filing for divorce. She secured a $100-million alimony settlement, with the judge ruling that a pre-nup jointly scrawled on a restaurant napkin before their marriage had no legal validity.