How Steven Spielberg's Ex-Wife Really Feels About Him

The love life of Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving had a beginning worthy of Hollywood: the director, who was on a steady rise to A-list status after making "Jaws," reportedly met Irving when she auditioned for a role on his sci-fi classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." She ended up not landing the role, but they started dating in 1976. (On the other hand, The LA Times reported that their mutual connection to George Lucas is how the former couple crossed paths.) At one point, Irving and Spielberg split up and then got back together again, going on to marry in 1985 and later welcoming their son. A few years after, Irving made history by becoming the person to receive one of the largest divorce settlements in Hollywood — $100 million dollars in 1989. At the time, Spielberg reportedly had $200 million to his name.

Such a hefty sum would be enough to develop into a tragic Hollywood story, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case with Spielberg and Irving. The couple went their separate ways but you might be surprised to discover how Spielberg's ex-wife really feels about him. During a 2025 participation on The Hollywood Reporter's "It Happened in Hollywood" podcast, Irving revealed where she and Spielberg stand decades later. She stated: "We've always communicated and been close. He and Kate [Capshaw, Spielberg's current wife] and my husband [Kenneth Bowser] and I, we try to double-date now and then."

Even in the years following their divorce, it doesn't seem like Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving had a problem with each other and their divorce wasn't drawn out at all. She reportedly didn't move far away from Steven because, after all, they had a kid together and young Max Spielberg needed to spend time with both parents. In a 1994 sit-down with The LA Times, Irving revealed that one of the reasons it didn't work out was because she "felt like a politician's wife" — and that's easy to imagine, considering that she was beside one of the most popular directors in the world with countless events to attend. She added: "I think it hurt being Steven Spielberg's wife, and then it hurt being the ex-Mrs. Steven Spielberg. It was awkward for a while. I don't know why. I only know that I felt nonexistent."

Steven might not have been too fazed with the divorce settlement because he was a rising superstar in Hollywood at the time. Some years before his divorce, "Jaws" elevated him to A-list status and grossed over $470 million worldwide, becoming one of the most profitable movies ever. In 2026, Steven's net worth was estimated at over $7 billion — as of writing, more than wealthy figures like Donald Trump. This was likely possible because Steven co-founded the production company DreamWorks in 1994, and today he is one of he wealthiest and most sought-after producers in Hollywood. As a producer, he gets a percentage of the profit of anything that the production company makes. Thankfully Steven's divorce from Irving wasn't a celebrity divorce that left him penniless, but he likely would've bounced back nonetheless.