The only thing Hollywood loves more than two beautiful people getting married is to watch as seemingly perfect couples fall apart. Because celebrity marriages are notoriously turbulent and there is so much money involved, it’s no surprise that celebrities have some of the strangest and most interesting prenup clauses around. Here are some the best celebrity prenup stories.
Cheating Clauses
One of the most common clauses in a celebrity prenup is that “cheating clause”. This clause awards one spouse money if their divorce after one spouse was caught cheating. These are so common, it’s a wonder that any celebrity ever has the confidence and trust to get married in the first place.
Charlie Sheen
You could write an entire book just about the volatile actor Charlie Sheen’s several marriages and his prenups. He had a prenup with Denise Richards that awarded her $4 million for cheating on her. Sheen and girlfriend Brett Rossi never actually tied the knot, but they had a prenup ready to go that would give Rossi $4 million if he ever cheated on her. Apparently, Sheen is clear on the cost of infidelity. In Sheen’s prenup with Brooke Mueller there wasn’t a cheating clause, but Mueller still walked away with a decent settlement.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
When Woods was caught in a massive cheating scandal, it increased the amount Nordegren was able to walk away with from the divorce from $20 million to $100 million.
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas
Under this couple’s prenuptial agreement, Jones is guaranteed to walk away with $2.8 million and gets an additional $5 million bonus of Douglas cheats on her.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake
This power couple’s prenup requires Timberlake to pay Biel $500,000 if he ever cheats on her. Compared to the other couples on this list that doesn’t seem like much. But, hopefully it will never matter for this happy couple.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
This power couple never actually made it to the altar. Reportedly, this was due in part by Lopez’s prenup demands that she would get half of his net-worth if he cheated on her.
Years of Marriage Clauses
Staying married as a celebrity couple takes a lot work. Some celebrities want to make sure they get paid for all of the work. Many celebrities put clauses in their prenups that give one of the spouses a set amount of money for each year they stay married.
Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller
Sheen and Mueller may not have had a cheating clause in their prenup, bur Mueller was awarded $500,000 just for going through with the wedding and another $300,000 per year she and Sheen stayed married. After the divorce Mueller also got $100,000 for relocation expenses and she got to keep the car she was driving at the time.
Beyoncé and Jay Z
They may be music royalty, but this power couple are also both sharp business owners keen on protecting their assets. In their prenup Beyoncé gets $1 million for each year they are married. She also gets $5 million for each child she gives birth to.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise
This cute couple may not have parted on the best of terms. But, thanks to the prenup, Holmes received $15 million, $3 million for each year she stayed married to Cruise. Not a bad parting gift.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
As the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most prominent attorneys, Kim Kardashian knows how to negotiate a deal. Under their prenup, Kardashian gets $1 million for each year she stays married to West.
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom
Kim’s sister Khloe may not be quite as high profile as her sister, but she still knows how to take care of business. In her prenup with former L.A. Laker standout Lamar Odom, Khloe Kardashian was awarded $500,000 for each year they stayed married. She also receives $6,000 a month for beauty upkeep and shopping, and she scored lifetime Lakers’ tickets.
Prenup Problems
While nobody ever gets married expecting they are going to get divorced, many celebrities have regretted not having a prenup in the first place or finding out that their prenup was not worth the paper it was printed on. Here are some of the biggest celebrity prenup disasters.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
McCartney might be a former Beatle and a musical genius, but he has made some spectacularly bad legal decisions. But, one of the worst decisions was not having Mills sign a prenup. The couple was sure it was true love, but their marriage didn’t even last four years. Mills walked away with $33 million in cash, $15 million in assets, and $700,000 a year in child support.
Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock
This couple did have a prenup, but there was a loophole. The prenup expired on the couple’s 18th anniversary. After getting caught cheating, the couple split after 20 years of marriage. Malaak Compton-Rock is currently seeking a large divorce settlement.
Mel Gibson and Robyn Denise Moore Gibson
Mel Gibson has the unfortunate distinction of being a part of the most expensive celebrity divorce of all time. He and his wife Robyn were married for more than 25 years and never had a prenup. Robyn Gibson reportedly walked away after the divorce proceedings with $450 million.
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving
Spielberg and Irving did have a prenup, but it was literally written on the back of a napkin. The divorce judge was not impressed. He threw out the cocktail napkin prenup and Irving eventually walked away with $100 million. That was the last back of the napkin deal that Spielberg ever made.
Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold
When two funny, volatile comedians get married what’s the worst that can happen? Well, if one of you is extremely rich and one of you is still struggling professionally you could end up with an ugly divorce. Barr and Arnold didn’t have a prenup, despite Barr’s lawyers begging her to have Arnold sign one. Barr ended up having to give Arnold $50 million. That’s $12.5 per year for their four-year marriage.
