The Priciest Celebrity Divorces Of The '90s

Celebrities these days share a lot of their lives online, making it easy for fans to follow along — whether that's a GRWM video before an award ceremony or a date night with their equally A-list partner. The easy ability to see the ins and outs of said relationships has resulted in many followers developing a parasocial connection to their favorite famous faces, often prompting celebrity breakups to hit fans hard, especially those celebrity couples who seemed like a perfect pairing but weren't meant to be.

Before the age of social media, however, celebrities were able to keep the finer details of their relationships out of the spotlight. In the '90s, for example, A-listers could go about their lives without sharing every moment with millions of followers, which is perhaps why there were so many celebrity couples who kept their separations secret. Others, however, still found themselves under the spotlight of the press, with some messy divorces leaving certain celebs nearly penniless.

Not every famous face was left in the red after splitting from their other half, though. In fact, some of the highest-earning celebrities in the '90s paid out millions during divorce proceedings and still had millions left in the bank. With that in mind, let's get into the priciest celebrity divorces of the '90s.

After splitting from his first wife, Randall Gosch, whom he had met at university, actor Ted Danson went on to marry again just two years later. Danson wed Cassandra Coates in 1977 and the pair went on to have a daughter in 1979. Coates suffered a stroke while giving birth and was left paralyzed on one side.

Although Coates' health struggles didn't stop them expanding their family further, as they later welcomed another daughter via adoption, it did cause issues in their marriage. "There was a huge rift between us — a massive lack of trust," Danson told People (via Newsweek) in 1982; Coates added, "We're adjusting to the fact that we aren't the same people we were before [the stroke] happened."

Ultimately, the pair's marriage was officially over by 1993. A year earlier, Danson was cast opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the move "Made in America." The duo began an affair and, while they managed to keep it hush-hush at first, the news eventually came out. It's no surprise, then, that Coates filed for divorce from Danson. As heartbreaking as the split was for Coates, she walked away with a $30 million settlement. Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson's relationship came to an end not long afterwards.

In 1980, at the Rainbow Bar on Hollywood's iconic Sunset Strip, Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman reportedly first laid eyes on each other. Love was clearly in the air that night, as four years later, the pair walked down the aisle. This was Phil's second marriage and Tavelman's first. By the end of the decade, the pair had welcomed a child together: Lily Collins of the popular Netflix series "Emily in Paris."

But Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman's marriage didn't last. The "Sussudio" singer went on to cheat on his second wife, later telling Australian news show "Sunday Night" (via The Mirror) that he regretted it. "I was following my heart. But it turned out I was being a bit of a bas***d," he confessed. The affair wasn't the most shocking thing about Phil and Tavelman's split, however. He was rumored to have broken up with her by fax, but according to the musician, that's not how it went down. Speaking to ABC News in 2016, he said, "[It] really hurt my career, or my public persona. And it was based on an untruth."

Phil's bank balance ended up with a bit of damage, too. Tavelman received $34 million in their 1994 divorce settlement, although that's not the highest amount Phil has had to pay out to one of his ex-wives. Famously, the Oscar winner is not a fan of prenups, and he didn't sign one ahead of his third marriage either. Records were broken when Phil handed over $46.76 million in his divorce from his third wife, Orianne Cevey, whom he was with from 1999 to 2007. Decades later, the pair reconciled and dated for some years, but their reunion ended in a dramatic $20 million lawsuit, as reported by Page Six.

It's hard to imagine a time before Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were an A-list power couple, given that the Hollywood duo have been married since 2000. However, the actor was previously married and his relationship with Diandra Luker lasted two decades. In fact, Douglas spoke of experiencing love at first sight with Luker, whom he reportedly proposed to after just two weeks. "I fell in love instantaneously. I have not quite figured it out," Douglas told Rolling Stone in 1979. "It never happened to me before."

Despite their head-over-heels romance, Douglas and Luker faced issues as their marriage progressed. In his 2026 memoir "One Helluva Ride," the actor recalled dating Kathleen Turner during a brief separation from Luker in the '80s. He later contemplated leaving his wife altogether after a short-lived affair with his "Basic Instinct" co-star Jeanne Tripplehorn. It's no surprise then that Douglas and Luker split in 1995. Once their divorce was finalized, Luker walked away with $45 million in addition to her and her ex-husband's Santa Barbara estate.

Reflecting on their divorce, Douglas told The Mirror in 2013 he only had one regret. "I know I'm going to get into trouble here. I have nothing against her, and in fact I'm very fond of my first wife. But we should have ended that marriage eight or 10 years earlier," he said. "I think Diandra would probably say the same thing. That's the only clear regret that I have."

Director James Cameron and actor Linda Hamilton met on the set of 1984's "The Terminator," began dating in the early '90s, and married in 1997. A year later, the pair welcomed their only child, but then called time on their nuptials in 1999. 

When he was still married to Hamilton, Cameron directed "Titanic," and the film was released in cinemas in 1997. Surpassing "Jurassic Park," "Titanic" went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, a title it held onto for the next 12 years until it was knocked off the top spot by "Avatar," which, wouldn't you know it, is also one of Cameron's movies. With "Titanic" doing so well at the box office, it's no wonder the money it raked in featured heavily in Cameron and Hamilton's divorce. She was awarded half of his earnings from the movie, meaning the settlement was $50 million in her favor. 

Decades on from their divorce, Cameron and Hamilton reunited once more for "Terminator: Dark Fate." Reflecting on their split, Hamilton told People in 2019 that she believed her ex was more enamored with her on-screen character than with the woman behind it. "I think what happened there is that he really fell in love with Sarah Connor," she admitted. "That relationship was a mystery to all of us ... because we are terribly mismatched."

Musician Kenny Rogers met his fourth wife, actor Marianne Gordon, in 1974. The pair walked down the aisle three years later, and in 1981 they welcomed a son. Rogers and Gordon went on to enjoy wedded bliss for nearly two decades — which she reflected on after his death (more on that in a moment) — but split in 1993.

As heartbreaking as their divorce was, it proved pretty fruitful for Gordon, who walked away with a $60 million settlement. Rogers was happy to hand that over, too. "Marianne really did deserve the $60 million because she is a great girl and we had a perfect marriage for 15 years," he later told the Irish Independent (via Woman's World). Also in the interview, Rogers suggested that his touring as a musician and her life as a stay-at-home mother led to their split. "I found that our lifestyles were clashing," he recalled, which is perhaps why Kenny Rogers had a bumpy, five-marriage journey to happily ever after.

Regardless of their split, the former lovers seemingly maintained a friendship, as Gordon had nothing but nice things to say about her ex after he died in 2020. "It's very upsetting when I start talking about him," she told Closer at the time. "I couldn't say enough nice things about him and how special he was."

Kevin Costner has an interesting relationship history that includes a fairytale romance with his first wife, Cindy Silva. They met in 1975 at Disneyland, where he worked as a tour guide while she performed as Snow White. Three years later, in 1978, the pair wed, and across their 16-year marriage had three children together: Annie, Lily, and Joe Costner.

Announcing their divorce in 1994, Kevin and Silva released a statement. "After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage," they said, per People. "We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached." So, what was that settlement? A whopping $80 million, which is perhaps no surprise, considering the incredible (read: lucrative) trajectory of Kevin's career during their marriage.

And it was Kevin's incredible career that friends close to the former couple suspected led to his and Silva's split. Speaking to People, insider sources hinted that although Silva was always supportive of Kevin, his demanding schedule put a strain on their relationship. "I think their relationship as individuals will be okay. They have a common love, their kids, who are the most important thing to both of them," the source said. "I don't think they'll have one of those cutthroat relationships. It's just sad, because they were the perfect couple."

For some time, Neil Diamond was married to his high school sweetheart, Jayne Posner. But their childhood romance didn't last, and the pair ended things in 1969. After that, the musician tied the knot with production assistant Marcia Murphey and their marriage lasted several decades. Sadly, the pair split in 1994, with Murphey citing irreconcilable differences when she filed for divorce.

Given his high-profile image, Diamond's second divorce made headlines, especially due to the eye-watering settlement Murphey was rumored to have walked away with. The singer reportedly handed his ex-wife $150 million after their two-decade marriage, which was the biggest celebrity settlement at the time, according to the Daily Mail.

Since his divorce from Murphey, Diamond has refuted the sum he is said to have paid her. "It wasn't true," he told the Daily Mail of the reported $150 million payout. Nonetheless, Murphey still walked away with a decent (yet undisclosed) settlement, Diamond revealed. "She got enough to live on for the rest of her life," he continued, hinting that the reason he paid her so much is that he felt guilty over their marriage ending: "I did feel bad." This is a sentiment he backed up in a 2012 interview with Parade. "I had every possible chance to do it right," he said of his regret at not being able to make his first and second marriages last.