Publish date: 2023-03-06
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- Justin Timberlakeneeds to be careful
- Russell Crowe Gives His Bride A Three-Year Contract
- Nicole Kidman Helps Keith Urban Say No
- Katie Holmes Puts Family Above Money
- Elizabeth Taylorshould have known better
- Jessica Simpson Puts A Price On Love
- Charlie Sheen Means Business When It Comes To Marriage
- Tiger Woods Tries To Buy Love
- Khloe Kardashian Gets An Allowance
- Another Kardashian Comes Out On Top
- Denise Richards Has Trust Issues, and For Good Reason
- Michael Douglas Should Invest In A Calculator
- Ben Affleck Tries To One Up Jennifer Lopez
- Jay-Z Has More Than 99 Problems
- End of an era
There's no denying that in some cases, having a prenuptial agreement is better than not having one, as one person could stand to lose half of their hard earned money at the snap of a finger. Prenups are a tricky situation though, as some relationships don't even make it to the altar because one person refuses to sign it. Plus, they can also be seen as someone admitting they don't think the marriage will last and it immediately puts a strain on the relationship. In the end, it's a toss-up as to whether or not a couple should have one unless we're talking about celebrity prenups, in which case some are so ridiculous it's no wonder the marriages don't last.
Sure, there are people who wouldn't hesitate to sign some of these prenups if they were the ones getting the large, annual payouts. However, this list focuses more on the celebrities who willingly gave away tons of money just to try and make their marriage work. Then there are the prenups where money isn't the issue but are focused more on restricting behavior or penalizing someone for committing a certain act. Essentially, some of these prenups make us wonder why someone would even think about getting married if they clearly don't trust their partner or need to give them money to entice them to stay, which seems to be the case whether they want to admit it or not. Continue reading and decide ifyou would sign these 15messed-up Hollywood prenups.
Justin Timberlakeneeds to be careful
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have been together for 11 years and married for six, so it's safe to say their relationship has been a success, that is unless you include the three months they were separated in 2011. They clearly worked through whatever issue was plaguing them and it didn't take long after they got back together for Timberlake to propose, but the reason for the break up may have played a part in drafting the subsequent prenup. Before walking down the aisle in 2012, Biel and Timberlake hashed out their prenup, which included an infidelity clause. This means that if Biel catches Timberlake being unfaithful during their marriage he has to pay her $500,000!
Sure, to someone like Timberlake, who has a reported net worth of $225 million, that's pocket change but to common folk that's a lot of money.
It doesn't seem to go both ways either, which may have to do with the fact that Timberlake was accused of being more than just friends with his co-star Mila Kunis while filmingFriends With Benefits. He denied the allegations but, clearly, Biel wanted to cover all of her bases before marrying the pop star.
Russell Crowe Gives His Bride A Three-Year Contract
Russell Crowe and Danielle Spencer met in 1989 on the set of the movieThe Crossing and sparked up a relationship that would be on and offfor a few years as their careers took them in different directions. It wasn't until 2002 when Crowe decided he wanted to settle down for good and declared his love to Spencer by proposing. They got married in 2003, but before going to the altar they drew up a prenuptial agreement that may have been influenced by the rocky start to their relationship. Basically, the prenup came out more like a sports contract than a marriage agreement.
It stated that Spencer would get $15 million if she and Crowe stayed together for more than three years, which, whether intentional or not, added an incentive to stay together.
The money didn't seem to play a factor though, as they were married for much longer than three years (unlike another marriage on this list). However, it's still an awkward way to start a marriage, and it was even reported that she was the one pushing for the divorce, which was finalized earlier this year. Spencer actually ended up getting about $20 million instead and also the ownership of their $11 million mansion.
Nicole Kidman Helps Keith Urban Say No
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman seem to be one of the only couples that worked out a prenup that isn't solely based on money but is meant to help the relationship, and so far, it's been effective. Urban has never been shy when it comes to opening up about his past struggles with relationships and his bad habits. It wasn't until he met Kidman that he started to get his act together and did everything possible to make the relationship, and later on marriage, work. That meant kicking hisbad habits, and Kidman did everything she could to help him along the way, including a nice cash incentive.
Before they got married, they signed a prenup that stated Urban would get $600,000 every year they were together as long as he stayed sober, and if he didn't, then he wouldn't see a dime. Kidman even staged an intervention four months after the wedding to convince Urban to go to rehab. He was hesitant at first as he thought it would be a strain on their relatively new marriage but, in the end, with her full support he checked himself in. They've been married for 12 years now and he's been sober for just as many.
Katie Holmes Puts Family Above Money
It's hard to decide which is crazier, the prenup Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise signed or the fact that Holmes stayed married to Cruise for six years even after his over the top couch jumping breakdown onOprah.Considering how much money was involved though, it's probably the prenup. Before they got married in 2006, they reached an agreement that Holmes would receive $3 million for every year she was married to Cruise but couldn't exceed $33 million.
However, if they stayed together for longer than 11 years, then the prenup was voided and she would get half of Cruise's money if they divorced. Five more years and Holmes could've set herself up for a hefty payday.
They weren't meant to be and divorced in 2012, with Holmes set to receive $15 million, however, she turned it down in favor of full custody of their daughter Suri and $400,000 a year in child support for 12 years, when Suri turns 18. In total, Cruise will end up paying $4.8 million, but even if he'd had to dish out the original amount it wouldn't have even put a dent in his $550 million net worth. It goes to show that Holmes values family and her daughter over a paycheck, as she didn't even take any spousal support or receive any money she can spend on herself as it all goes to supporting Suri.
Elizabeth Taylorshould have known better
Poor Elizabeth Taylor was just looking for a love that would last, as she was married eight times in her life with seven different men (she married the same guy twice). That could be the reason why, on her eighth and final marriage to construction worker Larry Fortensky, she gave him an incentive to stick around. In the prenup they ended up signing, Taylor agreed to give Fortensky $1 million if they stayed married past the five-year mark, regardless if they got divorced or were still together. Basically, once year five hit, he would be a million dollars richer. It worked too, as the couple made it to their five year anniversary, but unfortunately, that was as far as it went.
Whether it was a sheer coincidence or Fortensky was playing the long game, as soon as she wrote the check for $1 million, he was out the door. With that being said, there were other factors that contributed to the split.
For starters, Fortensky was twenty years younger than Taylor, who was 59 years old when they tied the knot. Then, there's the fact that he was a nobody who was thrust into the spotlight overnight, something he admitted he could never get used to. Either way, the lesson to learn here is that if you need to offer someone money to stay with you, it's probably not meant to be.
Jessica Simpson Puts A Price On Love
Jessica Simpson may have dodged a bullet when it came to the so called "porker clause" former boyfriend Tony Romo suggested for the prenup when they were together which stated that she would have to pay him $500,000 for every pound she gained over 135 pounds. However, as demeaning as that prenup was, there's no way it would have ever cost her as much, financially, as the one she ended up signing with her current husband, Eric Johnson. A former football player too, albeit, a much less successful one than Romo, Johnson will be heavily compensated during his marriage with Simpson, you know, the way all marriages should be.
In Simpson's case, it's much better to have a prenup than to not have one, as losing a portion of her money as opposed to half of it is a better deal, considering her company, the Jessica Simpson Collection, is valued at over $1 billion!
Johnson won't see a dime of that if they split, but thanks to the prenup, he did get $500,000 just for getting married and will receive an annual $200,00 bonus. On top of that, he will get an extra $500,000 on their five-year anniversary and $1 million on their ten-year anniversary. They've been together since 2014, so unless Johnson is terrible with money, his bank account isn't hurting at the moment and, honestly, neither is Simpson's.
Charlie Sheen Means Business When It Comes To Marriage
When Charlie Sheen married his third wife, Brooke Mueller, back in 2008, he was convinced this was the one that would last because to him, "The first one was a show, the second one was a con, and this one is the real deal." However, even that amount of faith didn't stop him from drafting a lengthy, 60-page prenup for Mueller and him to sign before the wedding. He was also raking in thatTwo and a Half Men money at the time, so no matter how confident he was about the relationship, he needed to protect his finances. It's a good thing too because, spoiler alert, they were divorced by 2011.
Their prenup ended up looking more like a bank loan than a marriage agreement. Mueller was given $500,000 for just marrying Sheen, followed by an additional $300,000 every year for the first 10 years they were married.
If Sheen ever missed a payment, after a certain period of time interest would accrue. On top of that, she got a share of his house and property, which would increase every year, as well as a $100,000 relocation fee in the event of a divorce. She even got to keep whatever car she was driving at the time.
Tiger Woods Tries To Buy Love
Considering Tiger Woods was the first ever billionaire athlete, it should come as no surprise how much money he was willing to throw down to keep his marriage to Elin Nordegren going. When all was said and done, he realized money couldn't save his marriage and he still lost a staggering amount. Well, staggering to anyone who isn't a billionaire. The original prenup that Woods and Nordegren signed stated that she would get $20 million after 10 years but she filed for divorce after only five meaning she wasn't going to get that money, and she didn't. She got much more. Woods' multiplerelationships meant that Nordegren had the power to restructure the prenup, as Woods wanted to keep his bad behavior out of the public eye, and that's where things get interesting. There are reports that Woods offered Nordegren $200 million to stay married to him.
That was followed by a payment plan that would see the original prenup shortened from 10 years to 7 so she could get the $20 million in the next two years, plus an instant $5 million bonus and up to $75 million spread out overfiveyears.
In the end, Nordegren divorced Woods and ended up getting about $110 million, which, funny enough, works out to about $20 million for every year they were married.
Khloe Kardashian Gets An Allowance
The prenup that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom signed before their marriage, back in 2009, is a bit different than other celebrities on this list as instead of her negotiating one large payment in the event of a divorce, she would get smaller amounts in monthly instalments, as well as a few gifts. And sure enough, when they got divorced in 2016, the prenup was honored and Khloe began making money. This one is a mouthful so try and keep up. The prenuptial agreement they signed stipulated that Khloe would get $500,000 for every year she was married to Odom (she filed in 2013 but the papers weren't signed until 2015 and it was finalized in 2016, so it's unclear how much she got), as well as monthly payments of $25,000, $5,000, and $1,000 for support, shopping, and beauty care, respectively.
Then came the perks, which were courtside tickets to Lakers games for everyone in her family (Kardashians know how to look out for their own), ownership of their $4 million mansion and a new car every time the lease ends.
With everything she got, one has to wonder if divorce was always the plan for Khloe.
Another Kardashian Comes Out On Top
Kim Kardashian took a page out of her sister Khloe's playbook and made sure she gets well compensated if her marriage with Kanye West doesn't work out. And West seemed to have taken a page out of Odom's playbook by letting Kim have everything and asking for nothing in return. In fact, apparently,West didn't even think a prenup was necessary and was willing to give Kim access to all of his finances. It's a good thing she didn't take him up on that offer though, considering not too long after the wedding he was tweeting about being in a personal debt of $53 million. West may not have asked for anything on his side of the deal but Kim made sure to have everything covered, from money to personal items.
The prenuptial agreement states that she is entitled to $1 million for every year they are married, for up to 10 years, and she gets the entirety of the $20 million life insurance policy taken out on West, even if they get divorced.
She also gets to keep their house, any jewelry or gifts he gives her and all the profits she gains from her clothing line and her reality showKeeping Up With The Kardashians. However, while putting all of that together they somehow forgot they had a daughter and didn't include anything about her custody.
Denise Richards Has Trust Issues, and For Good Reason
Although the infidelity clause in a prenup seems to be a common trend nowadays, as even a few celebrities on this list have it in theirs, it's actually speculated that Denise Richards was the pioneer of it in Hollywood. It's not that surprising though when you factor in that she was marrying notable party boy, and previous entrant on this list, Charlie Sheen. However, that's about all the prenup seemed to cover, as Sheen reportedly didn't worry about losing half of his money in the event of a divorce because he didn't have that much to begin with at that time.
With that being said, the payout if he was caught with someone else was a reported $4 million, so either he trusted himself to stay faithful or he didn't have a lot of money by Hollywood standards but he did in traditional standards. It's hard to decide though who is nuttier for signing this prenup, as $4 million is a lot regardless but on the other hand, why would Richards even bother marrying a man who she already didn't trust. Or, maybe that's the exact reason why she decided to marry him. Think about it. Actually, she probably just loved him and wanted to make it work any way possible. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter as Sheen stayed trust worthy by all accounts and they still got divorced.
Michael Douglas Should Invest In A Calculator
Michael Douglas at least knows how to make a relationship last, as even though he's been married twice, the first one lasted over 20 years and the second one is still going strong after 18 years. What he seems to struggle with is the business side of these relationships and the prenup he has with his current wife Catherine Zeta-Jones is proof of that. Zeta-Jones will be paid handsomely if they get divorced and she seems to be looking forward to it. She toldVanity Fair back in 2000 that she thinks prenups are "brilliant" and that if the marriage is a failure, she gets "taken care of very well." This was right before she married Douglas too, so not the best mindset to be in to start a marriage.
The prenup states that Zeta-Jones gets $2.8 million for every year she is married to Douglas, as well as an extra $5 million if Douglas betrays her. She almost got a big paycheck back in 2013 too, when Douglas and her separated briefly. They ended up working through it and got back together in 2014 but if they had gotten divorced, Zeta-Jones would have been looking at a potential $36.4 million payout. That's a lot of money but believe it or not, it's actually less than the payout he had to give his first wife, Diandra Luker, which ended up being $45 million.
Ben Affleck Tries To One Up Jennifer Lopez
This is a case of a prenup being a bit too over the top that not even the couple who drew it up could go through with signing it. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were on their way to becoming a Hollywood power couple after they announced they were getting married but they never made it to the altar. It's believed that the prenup, and Affleck's unwillingness to sign it, was the nail in the coffin that put an end to the terribly-named Bennifer.
After Lopez found out that Affleck spent the night at a strip club while filming a movie in Canada, she decided it would be a good idea to cover her bases and add an infidelity clause to the prenup. In the event that Affleck betrayed her, she would be entitled to half of his earnings, but if he stayed committed and they ended up getting divorced then they would stay away from each other's money. Apparently, Affleck wasn't a fan of this new addition and decided to add a few clauses of his own, which stated that they had to had to be intimateat least four times a week and he would get $5 million just for marrying her. Maybe it's a good thing they called off the wedding because that is not an ideal way to start a life together.
Jay-Z Has More Than 99 Problems
If there is one thing that Jay-Z and Beyoncé are not, it's strapped for cash, as the power couple is worth over a combined $1 billion! So, as shocking as the payments may be in regards to their prenup for people who aren't billionaires, it's not as terrifying for someone as rich as Jay-Z. Then again, it's still a hefty amount regardless. For every child they have together, Beyoncé gets paid $5 million, which means that, for those of you counting at home, she's currently given birth to $15 million. On top of that, she would have received $10 million if the marriage had ended before two years but now she'll get $1 million for every year they are married for up to 15 years. However, after their highly-publicized scandal back in 2016, the couple added to the document.
The newly-drafted post-nup took time to put together as they looked at the best way to divvy up their combined fortune, which includes all of their property and possessions.
They also agreed on joint custody of their children, Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir, as well as set up trust funds of an undisclosed sum for the kids. Surprisingly, there was no mention of an infidelity clause.
End of an era
It's unfortunate, but Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie called it quits recently after surviving the scandal with Jennifer Aniston and the many, many kids. In the end, it seemed like they fought over their different parenting methods and Pitt's bad habits and temper. Nonetheless, they lasted longer than other Hollywood couples. Funny enough, even though Pitt was unfaithful with Angelina, she still didn't trust him enough to not include an ironclad adultery clause in their prenup. According to sources, they have a $400 million prenup. They have 12 properties in total. Pitt bought 7, Jolie purchased 2, and the couple bought 3 together. Some say that the prenup was so well done, that perhaps the couple expected to get divorced.
References:thetalko.com,people.com,telegraph.co.uk,celebritydirt.com,forbes.com, hollywoodlife.com,new.com.au,yahoo.com,radaronline.com,ranker.com, biography.com,gawker.com,diply.com,nickiswift.com,thedailybeast.com,ft.com, eonline.com,nydailynews.com,usmagazine.com,instyle.com,businessinsider.com, ew.com,screenrant.com,babygaga.com,redbookmag.com
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