It’s natural to want to follow the ups and downs of celebrity couples. When they’re on the upswing, it makes for some truly romantic tales, and when they’re on the downswing, the lows can make for some rather interesting drama. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the latter, and covering some legendary celebrity splits that would give pause to even the most seasoned divorce attorney.
Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise
Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes began dating Tom Cruise back in 2005, and eventually married the legendary actor in 2006. While they were together, from 2006 to 2012, they had one daughter, Suri, and when Holmes filed for divorce in June of that final year, things got quite tumultuous in the press.
In the fallout, Holmes received primary custody of her daughter, with Cruise only being granted visitation rights. One odd detail of the divorce, though — the agreement stipulated that Holmes not date anyone else publicly for 5 years following the split.
Jeff Bezos & Mackenzie Bezos
Do you think Mackenzie Bezos had to contact a lawyer about when to consider spousal support following her split with Jeff Bezos in 2019? We’re thinking not, as she walked away from the marriage of 25 years with $36 billion, give or take.
You see, Mr. Bezos was the world’s richest man at the time, and she was entitled to half since Washington, the state where they lived, is a community property state. Guess that makes Mackenzie one of the world’s richest women now, huh?
Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
For a time, these two successful actors were quite the pair, and while the 15-year age gap may have seemed strange to some, the fact that their relationship lasted for six years led most to believe everything was fine and dandy between the two.
Alas, not all was as it seemed, as Kutcher reportedly cheated on Moore on the weekend of their sixth anniversary. The pair announced the split the following month, and it was finalized in 2013 with Kutcher having to pay up. He has since gone on to marry 70s Show co-star Mila Kunis.
Russell Brand & Katy Perry
Comedian Russell Brand and musician Katy Perry met in 2009, and wed in 2010. The relationship was short lived, however, with Brand filing for divorce in 2011, only two years after their engagement. Though he was entitled to half of the $44 million Perry had earned over their marriage, Brand did not accept the money, and the two went their separate ways.
Michael Jordan & Juanita Jordan
Perhaps the greatest professional basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan was married to wife Juanita for 17 years. Though it wasn’t the first time they had considered divorce (Juanita had filed once before in 2002), the 2006 split was finalized, with MJ paying Juanita $168 million.