A harmless kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert has exploded into a scandal. A viral clip of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his HR head, Kristin Cabot, caught in an intimate moment has sparked rampant rumors of an affair. With a potential divorce looming and his company’s wealth at stake, the focus has shifted to the staggering cost of high-profile breakups.
From tech billionaires to media barons, the breakdown of these high-stakes marriages has re-written the record books on alimony and division of assets. Here we examine the most costly divorces ever, cases which act as a sobering reminder of the complicated marriage of love, vast fortune, and the law.
The divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates in 2021, is widely considered as the most expensive in history, although the total overall value of the settlement was never publicly quoted in one figure. As Washington is a community property state, it’s estimated that Melinda received half of their over $130 billion fortune, which includes assets like Bill’s shares in Microsoft and other businesses, as well as their extensive real estate and art collection. The couple signed a separation agreement to divide their assets, and Melinda has since used her portion to fund independent philanthropic work, with a particular focus on women’s issues
In 2019, the world’s richest man Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Scott finalized their divorce after 25 years of marriage. The settlement was estimated to be around a whopping $38 billion along with 4% of shares in Amazon. MacKenzie went on to establish herself as one of the richest individuals in the world overnight. The split was mutually welcomed by both the parties who publicly thanked the other for the time they had spent together. MacKenzie became a phenomenally active philanthropist afterward, donating billions of dollars from her wealth to numerous charities.
This 1999 split is a legendary story of art world riches and tabloid soap opera. Art dealer Alec Wildenstein and socialite Jocelyn “Catwoman” Wildenstein ended their heated and very publicized divorce with a massive settlement. The Swiss court first awarded a lump sum of $2.5 billion, which was later followed with $100 million per year for 13 years. Their divorce was a media circus, filled with Jocelyn’s many plastic surgeries and accusations of catching her husband cheating on her with a model in their house.
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s divorce from his second wife, Anna, in 1999 after 32 years of marriage cost him a $1.7 billion settlement. The divorce initially remained friendly but later turned sour when Murdoch’s new affair blew up in public just a few months following the divorce settlement. The settlement was split on grounds of cash and assets, one of the most costly divorce cases at the time and one of the largest breakups of an international empire.
The mysterious 2009 split of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and his ex-model wife, Slavica Radic,left many confused. Their divorce settlement was put at a staggering $1.2 billion. Strangely, some reports said, because of an intricate financial arrangement, the cash went the opposite way from Bernie to Slavica since Bernie had invested the bulk of his fortune in his wife’s name so he would not have to pay taxes in Britain. The case also highlighted how enormous global wealth can complicate divorce.
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