The 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces Ever

The Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces Ever. The Top 10 List

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Celebrity divorces are always great fodder for the tabloid media – and even us, from time to time. The Madonna/Guy Ritchie split is the latest in a long, expensive history of celebrity splits.

So what are the most expensive celebrity divorces? Who best to outline the list than the money list-makers Forbes magazine.

To quote Forbes:

Given the fame of both Guy and Madge, their split ensures a media maelstrom, but when it comes to money, the settlement may not be as noteworthy. Though the material girl made $40 million last year, the most expensive celebrity divorces have historically been the provenance of superstar men and their relatively unknown wives.

Celebrity divorces are big business. Tabloids voraciously cover them. Fans hungrily follow them. Lawyers and business managers protectively orchestrate them. And they certainly are common. This year alone saw the breakups of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, Hulk and Linda Hogan and Cynthia and Alex Rodriguez.

Many Hollywood marriages last barely long enough for the ink to dry on the marriage licenses. Singer Kid Rock and Baywatch babe Pam Anderson were wed for just four months. Actress Drew Barrymore's nuptials to comic Tom Green hit the skids after five months. Pop diva Jennifer Lopez and backup dancer Chris Judd managed to make it to only the eight-month mark before calling it quits.

Who did what to whom is far less important in a celebrity divorce than who gives what to whom. Generally, the bigger the star, the greater the payout. For the showbiz legends who landed on our list of the 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces, the spectacular settlements with their exes made Hollywood history.

The list is populated exclusively by superstar men who settled with their ex-wives--a reflection of the historic dominance men have played in the entertainment industry. Though stars like Kirstie Alley and Janet Jackson have ponied up settlements to their ex-husbands, the biggest awards, by far, are paid out by men.

No. 1 Michael and Juanita Jordan
Estimated settlement: $168 million

No. 2 Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey
Estimated settlement: $150 million

No. 3 Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving
Estimated settlement: $100 million

No. 4 Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison
Estimated settlement: $85 million

No. 5 Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva
Estimated settlement: $80 million

No. 6 James Cameron and Linda Hamilton
Estimated settlement: $50 million

No. 7 Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Estimated settlement: $49 million

No. 8 Phil Collins and Orianne Cevey
Estimated settlement: $47 million

No. 9 Michael and Diandra Douglas
Estimated settlement: $45 million

No. 10 Lionel and Diane Richie
Estimated settlement: $20 million

ENDS

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