Few people want to enter into a marriage thinking about divorce. However, many couples create a prenuptial agreement just in case. These legal documents state agreements about finances, child custody and other such matters if a separation takes place. Conditions for ending the marriage (like if an affair occurs) are also part of many prenups.
Despite growth in support of this idea, only a small percentage of people actually get prenups. According USA Today, three percent of married couples have prenuptial agreements although almost a third of adults state they would make their spouse sign one.
On the other side, a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers discovered that over 60 percent of lawyers saw a rise in prenups since 2010, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Most of these agreements make sense and are helpful in the case of divorce. However, some people put less reasonable and more excessive terms into their prenups. Celebrities are certainly not the only ones with strange or surprising prenup terms. However, these stories often gain heightened publicity. Here are some of the craziest prenup stories regarding celebrities.
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[ new page = Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan ]
10. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan – No Dates on Facebook
Sometimes, people want to get ahead of the game by creating terms even before marriage. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have no known prenup. According to Forbes, the couple had been dating for nine years before their private wedding. Thus, one might infer that their long relationship made them comfortable not thinking about separation.
However, Chan made a dating contract or “prenup” of sorts before moving closer to Zuckerberg in 2007. According to Gawker, the book Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good by Sarah Lacey states the terms of the relationship: “One date per week, a minimum of a hundred minutes of alone time, not in his apartment and definitely not at Facebook.” If this was the dating contract, one can only guess what would be on an actual prenup.
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9. Jack Welch and Jane Beasley – Expiring at Sunset
Sometimes a prenup might work well but have one little loophole that is used to take advantage of one person. Former chief of General Electric Company Jack Welch and his wife Jane Beasley settled their agreement before 13 years of marriage. Things became nasty, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, when Welch began having an affair and then gave his wife papers stating he wanted a divorce as well as a list of divorce lawyers he suggested.
Beasley refused to quietly end the marriage. Citing the sunset clause that stated the prenuptial agreement terms ended after 10 years of marriage, she took Welch to court for over $15 million, according to People. A lawyer told the Los Angeles Times that, “Jack Welch has clearly met his match.”
Image via Facebook from Jack Welch
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8. Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold – Too Much in Love to Prenup
Those opposed to prenups often state that they will be in love with their spouse forever. Comedian Roseanne Barr and actor Tom Arnold believed that when they were engaged. In fact, the lawyers that suggested the couple make a prenup were fired by Barr, according to Madame Noire. Everything seemed to be going perfectly between them, with Arnold writing and acting in Barr’s television show, Roseanne.
This deep romance made the following divorce even more volatile. Abuse and addiction made Barr want to leave Arnold, and an affair finalized the marriage for her, reported the Daily Mail. Despite this, the marriage ended with Arnold receiving $50 million. The feud between these two is still regarded as one of the most bitter in Hollywood.
Image via Twitter from Tom Arnold
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7. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban – Staying Clean
At times, prenups are done for the health not only of the marriage but also the people involved. That is the case in the marriage of actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban. This beautiful couple seems blissful together.
However, Kidman wants to make sure that the union stays strong by Urban staying off of drugs. Her advisors convinced the actress to make of this by making an agreement. According to The Frisky, in the case of a divorce, Urban will get $640,000 for each year of marriage. If the singer begins taking drugs again, he will lose not only his marriage but also the money, according to CBS. This arrangement might seem harsh but is done in hopes that Urban will remain clean.
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6. Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom – Shopping Money Still Needed
Money for child support and other issues is sometimes part of a prenup. Reality star Khloe Kardashian and NBA player Lamar Odom included this in their agreement. According to E! Online, both stars have tens of millions of dollars that they earned, but Kardashian has more ability to make money.
Despite her wealth, Kardashian made sure that she would profit from a divorce. The $4 million mansion and $1 million ring will be hers, as reported by Hollywood Life, along with $500,000 for each year of their marriage. Odom will even need to provide his soon to be ex-wife with money for shopping, according to Radar Online. Perhaps shopping is a necessity of life for her.
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5. Mark and Jenny Sanford – Joke Prenups Foretell Future
Sometimes a gesture, even done jokingly, can show someone’s underlying character. The people of South Carolina and the rest of the U.S. were surprised when their governor was exposed as having an affair. Mark Sanford, now a U.S. representative, was then married to Jenny Sanford. The news of his infidelity became public in 2009, according to People, when he pretended to be hiking the Appalachian trail but was instead in Argentina.
Jenny Sanford turned to writing to tell her story. In her memoir Staying True, a story of the couple’s earlier years provides some insight into their relationship. According to the New York Times, the husband wrote a playful prenup that declared his right to manage all of the finances and have the final say in everything. This document was certainly not legally binding, but it might show his mindset toward the marriage.
Image via Facebook from Congressman Mark Sanford
[ new page = Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky ]
4. Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky – Only a Deadline
Having set timings can be helpful but also dangerous. The marriage between model and actress Elizabeth Taylor and construction worker Larry Fortensky seemed like a fairytale; the beautiful princess was marrying the lowly commoner. Their first meeting place, according to the Daily Mail, was a bit less romantic because it was when they both went to the Betty Ford Clinic for addictions.
Little is known about the couple’s prenup. However, sources such as Celebuzz state that the main term was that Fortensky would receive $1 million if they divorced after five years of marriage. After those five tumultuous years, Taylor’s eighth and final husband left with her money. However, the couple remained friendly. After the death of Taylor, Fortensky was left $800,000 and stated to Times of Oman, “I have very precious memories of our life together.”
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[ new page = Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren ]
3. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren – Cheating Raises the Price
Many couples – celebrity or not – have terms against infidelity in their prenups. When the golf champion Tiger Woods was found to be cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren, the world responded with shock and disgust. Immediately, people began to speculate that Nordegren would want a divorce after finding out that her husband had been with different women.
Woods must have feared that his wife would leave, too. According to the Daily News, he offered Nodegren money to stay with him longer - $5 million at first, $55 million for two years and $80 million for seven years. In response, she upped her prenup from to $110 million if he cheats again, reports Voxxi. That would certainly be enough to keep most guys in line. When they did divorce, she got one of the biggest payouts in history - a reported $750 million.
Image via Facebook from Tiger Woods
[ new page = Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving ]
2. Steven Spielberg – Napkin Prenup
Some prenups might be informal, but to be valid, they must be legal. Director George Lucas introduced actress Amy Irving and director Steven Spielberg to each other. Although the beginnings were good, the pressure of the marriage began to pull the two apart as the L.A. Times reported Irving stating, “During my marriage to Steven, I felt like a politician's wife. . .there were certain things expected of me that definitely weren't me.”
During the divorce, Spielberg claimed that a prenup had been written and signed. However, that was contested by Irving because it had been written on a napkin, according to MSN Entertainment. Thus, she ended up getting $100 million, making this one of the most expensive celebrity divorces.
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[ new page = Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo ]
1. Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo – Warning for the Future
A benefit of prenups is that they can sometimes stop a bad marriage before it occurs. Dallas Cowboy Tony Romo was dating Jessica Simpson in 2009. However, their relationship ended before they could get married despite their previously deeply romantic relationship. In fact, according to People, fans blamed Simpson for making the football player lose focus of the game.
The ending of the relationship hit Simpson very hard. However, there were already indications that the couple would have trouble in the future. For example, Romo’s friends were encouraging him to add a “poker clause” to his prenup if they had one, according to Celebrity Dirt. This included the term that she would have to pay money if she gained over 135 pounds. Having those types of expectations during a relationship is usually an indication of more to come.
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