💔 Most expensive divorces ever: Gates ~$76B, Bezos ~$38B

Both figures are estimates, the two largest ever reported. Most further down are reported estimates too, not disclosed court terms. 📌

By , money desk · Desk editor Laima Ērkšķe-Kreicberga · · 2 min read

Divorce papers with a wedding ring lying on top (stock photo)RANKEDPhoto: RDNE Stock project · Pexels License

Stock photo: RDNE Stock project, Pexels License, via Pexels. Desaturated and cropped by MrScandal.

What we know

  • Bill Gates's 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates is the most expensive on record; with Gates worth about $152 billion and the terms not publicly disclosed, Investopedia estimated the split at roughly $76 billion.
  • Jeff Bezos's 2019 divorce from MacKenzie Bezos (now MacKenzie Scott) ranks second: she received a 25% share of the couple's Amazon stock worth about $38 billion, while Bezos kept the other 75% and voting control, CNN reported.
  • Alec Wildenstein's 1999 divorce from Jocelyn Wildenstein came to $3.8 billion - a flat $2.3 billion plus $100 million a year for 13 years, per Investopedia.
  • Sergey Brin's 2023 divorce from Nicole Shanahan left her with Alphabet shares worth about $390 million based on his SEC filings, Forbes estimated; Shanahan had sought more than $1 billion.
  • MacKenzie Scott has given away $26.3 billion since her 2019 divorce, CNBC reported, including a $45 million gift to the Trevor Project at the end of 2025, per the AP.

Divorce used to be a private matter between two people and their lawyers. Once the people involved own chunks of Microsoft, Amazon or a Formula One empire, you get a market event you can rank.

The record, by the dollar figure

The two largest settlements on record both trace back to Seattle tech money. Bill Gates's 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates leads at roughly $76 billion, an estimate Investopedia reached from his then-$152 billion fortune after the couple declined to disclose terms. Jeff Bezos's 2019 split from MacKenzie Bezos, now MacKenzie Scott, sits second at about $38 billion - her 25% share of the couple's Amazon stock, with Bezos keeping the other 75% and voting control, CNN reported. Everything below drops off fast: the third-largest, Alec Wildenstein's 1999 divorce from Jocelyn Wildenstein, came to $3.8 billion, less than a tenth of the Gates figure.

RankWhoYearReported settlement
1Bill Gates → Melinda French Gates2021~$76 billion (estimated; terms not disclosed)
2Jeff Bezos → MacKenzie Bezos (now Scott)2019~$38 billion (25% of Amazon stock)
3Alec Wildenstein → Jocelyn Wildenstein1999$3.8 billion
4Rupert Murdoch → Anna Murdoch1999$1.7 billion
5Bill Gross → Sue Gross2017$1.3 billion
6Bernie Ecclestone → Slavica2009~$1.2 billion
7Steve Wynn → Elaine2010~$1 billion
8Chey Tae-won → Roh Soh-yeong2024~$1 billion (Seoul High Court)
9Harold Hamm → Sue Ann Arnall2012$974.8 million
10Adnan Khashoggi → Soraya Khashoggi1982$874 million
11Tiger Woods → Elin Nordegren2010$750 million (reported)
12Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum → Haya bint Hussein2021$730 million (UK court)
13Dmitry Rybolovlev → Elena2014$604 million
14Mel Gibson → Robyn Moore Gibson2011~$425 million
15Robert L. Johnson → Sheila Johnson2000$400 million
16Sergey Brin → Nicole Shanahan2023~$390 million (SEC filings); sought >$1 billion
17Roman Abramovich → Irina Abramovich2007$300 million
18Michael Jordan → Juanita Jordan2006$168 million

Ranked by how solid the record is rather than by the size of the estimate, the order changes. The MrScandal Pantheon puts Wildenstein and Harold Hamm on top, because their figures trace to court decisions, while the Gates figure is an estimate built from his net worth.

What happened to the money after

Scott has become one of the most aggressive givers of her generation. By the end of 2025 she had given away $26.3 billion since the 2019 divorce, CNBC reported, including a $45 million gift to the Trevor Project at the end of 2025 - the largest in that group's history, per the AP.

The Ledger

On the record

  • Bill Gates's 2021 divorce was the most expensive on record; with his fortune around $152 billion and the terms undisclosed, Investopedia put the split at roughly $76 billion.
  • In Jeff Bezos's 2019 divorce, MacKenzie Bezos (now MacKenzie Scott) received a 25% share of the couple's Amazon stock worth about $38 billion, while Bezos kept 75% and voting control, CNN reported.
  • South Korea's Chey Tae-won was ordered by the Seoul High Court in 2024 to pay about $1 billion (1.38 trillion won), the country's largest divorce settlement, BBC reported.
  • MacKenzie Scott has given away $26.3 billion since her 2019 divorce (CNBC), including $45 million to the Trevor Project at the end of 2025 (AP).

Still rumour

  • The inflation-adjusted amounts and many of the settlement figures below the top entries are reported estimates, not disclosed court terms.
  • Sergey Brin's divorce terms were not disclosed; his SEC filings point to Alphabet shares worth about $390 million, while Shanahan sought more than $1 billion, Forbes reported.
  • Tiger Woods's 2010 settlement was reported at $750 million by The Sun (via Fox News), but CNBC reported the actual figure was considerably less; no exact amount was disclosed.

That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MissFortune

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