Female Celebrities Who Paid A Ton In Spousal Support
The American Psychology Association says 40 to 50 percent of American marriages end in divorce. Even worse? If you decide to get married again, your chances for divorce are even higher. And if you're a famous woman married to a not-so-famous (or not-famous-at-all) man, your chances of having to throw an exorbitant amount of money at him so he'll go away are even higher. From Madonna's jaw-dropping payout to Guy Ritchie, to Anna Faris' first husband who hasn't acted since, these female celebrities will make you want to stay single.
Jennifer Lopez
Following her highly publicized relationship, and equally publicized split, with Sean Combs, Jennifer Lopez decided to go low key with back-up dancer, Cris Judd in 2001. The couple were married on September 29 and divorced nine months later. Citing irreconcilable differences, Judd walked away with a reported $14 million of Lopez's then reported $80 million fortune. However, this sum came with a catch.
Per Daily Mail, Lopez's legal team made Judd sign documents to stop him from ever speaking publicly about their relationship: "Cris won't get the money all at once. He's been told that he'll be paid so many millions a year providing he keeps his mouth shut. Jennifer doesn't want her bedroom secrets splashed across the press, so she's hedging her bets."
Quick, clean, and painless. Judd moved on quietly with his cash, and Jennifer Lopez moved on with Ben Affleck. Not sure who got the better end of this deal.
Anna Faris
No, Anna Faris didn't have to pay Chris Pratt $900,000. He seems to be doing okay. This honor goes to Faris' first husband, Ben Indra, whom she married in 2004. Three short years later, the marriage was over. Indra's last big role as Josh on Raising Dad, had already ended after one season prior to their marriage, but as Faris continued to score projects like Lost In Translation and Brokeback Mountain, Indra's career went nowhere. Per her interview with Marie Claire in 2011, "That kind of destroyed my marriage," she confesses. "The divide became too great."
Mel B
Mel B's ongoing divorce with producer Stephen Belafonte could be it's own tragic reality show. Married in a secret ceremony in 2007 after five months of dating, their split in March 2017 was contentious from the jump.
From restraining orders, pregnant nannies, possible sex tapes, stolen Spice Girls' memorabilia, to restraining orders against nannies, this war seemed to play out in the media every single day until a judge handed down the support order in July: Mel B was on the hook to her estranged husband for a "one-time payment of $140,000 for Stephen's legal fees" and $40,000 monthly "until their final divorce settlement can be reached" (via TMZ).
Belafonte's requests partially break down like this (and it's insane): $750 for Belafonte's new cell phone plan, $4,300 for food and groceries, $2,000 monthly clothing allowance, and $11,000 per month on housing. Mel B's response? "Get a job" (via TMZ). At the time of this posting, a final settlement has yet to be reached, so it's safe to say Belafonte will be actively enjoying his unemployment for the foreseeable future.
Kate Winslet
There are two things we know about Kate Winslet: she's a terrific actor and she has a penchant for marrying directors. In November 1998, Winslet married her first, Jim Threapleton, an assistant director on her film, Hideous Kinky. One child and three years later, their divorce was finalized, with Winslet forking over an estimated one time pay out of $4 million (via Glamour).
"We have known for a little while that things are not good between them," Jean Threapleton (Threapleton's grandmother) told the Daily Express. "Her work and his work often kept them apart. They seem to be under so much pressure that they don't have time for each other — her with her film career and Jim writing."
As soon as the ink was dry, Kate Winslet quickly moved on with director Sam Mendes, whom she married in 2003. Then divorced in 2010. I guess what we're saying here is, if you're a director and you're also into Kate Winslet, you might have a chance.
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige wed her manager Martin Isaacs in 2003, and when their marriage dissolved in 2016, Isaacs wanted his cut from the reigning Queen of Hip Hop Soul — in the form of $129,319 per month. According to TMZ, "Mary was the breadwinner during their 12-year marriage and got him used to their lavish lifestyle."
The judge must have been a big Mary J fan, because Blige was only ordered to pay $30,000. Per TMZ, "The court found Martin was entitled to some dough to accommodate the standard of living he was used to while married to Mary, but also decided his dream number was unreasonable." Needless to say, Mary J. Blige is perfectly fine with no more drama.
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor's messy marriage history is almost as legendary as her illustrious career. Skipping her first six, we're going to focus on her seventh (and final) husband, Larry Fortensky, a construction worker she met in rehab. Married in 1991 and divorced in 1996, Fortensky received a cool $1 million in the settlement, but their story didn't end there.
In 1999, Fortensky "suffered a serious head injury from a drunken fall that left him in a coma for six weeks." Taylor's response? "Darling Larry. I've been thinking of you lately and worry about you," Taylor wrote in a letter. "I think you could use a little help so I would like to send you a thousand a month for the rest of my life or until I go broke." (via NY Daily News).
Taylor's love and generosity kept going. When the bank was threatening to foreclose on his house, Taylor sent him $15,000. When Taylor died in 2011, she willed him $800,000.
"I was so sure she would get to go home and I would talk to her once again," he said. "I love her, I always will. And I know she loved me, too." With a heart like this, it's difficult to imagine why Elizabeth Taylor and marriage never learned to get along.
Anne Heche
Anne Heche's bitter 2007 divorce battle with ex-husband Coley Lafoon — a cameraman she met during Ellen DeGeneres' stand-up comedy tour — took a turn when she nabbed a starring role in the short-lived series, Men In Trees. The series filmed in Vancouver, Canada, but a judge temporarily ruled that the couple's then 5-year-old son, Homer, would stay in Los Angeles with Lafoon. Per People, Lafoon, a "who says he was making just $6,000 a year when he quit his job to take care of Homer, sought primary custody and at least $33,000 a month in support." He got $14,798.
Men In Trees was canceled a year later in 2008, making Heche unable to afford the payments: "I am continuing to look for work, but I have no offers pending and the impending strike by the Screen Actors Guild reduces my prospects for work even further...Since January 18, 2008, I have been unemployed and had no income from employment except for one very short-term contract for a movie role for which I received a total of $65,000, approximately the amount I received for one episode of Men In Trees." (via People)
Thankfully for Heche, those numbers were short-lived. When the divorce was officially finalized in 2009, Heche "agreed to pay $3,700 in monthly child support, as well as 75 percent of her son's private school tuition." (via CBS)
Madonna
Guy Ritchie's 2000 marriage to Madonna seemed like aa match made in heaven. Sadly, the union ended in 2008, with Madonna's spokeswoman announcing the terms of split, calling it "one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement".
Ritchie was reportedly furious at the leak, and with constant pressure on Madonna to backtrack, the couple issued a joint statement: "We have tried to maintain a dignified silence regarding the details of our divorce for the last few months whilst accepting the obvious media interest. A misleading and inaccurate statement, specifically in relation to the sums of money involved, was wrongly issued to AP this week. The financial details of the settlement will remain private, save to say that both of us are happy with our agreement. Our primary concern, like any co-parents, is the care and well-being of our children" (via Telegraph). Although no number has been officially confirmed, it is widely believed that Ritchie snatched $92 million of Madonna's reported $450 million fortune.
Ouch. At least Madonna got to keep her fake British accent.