Rupert Murdoch, Jerry Hall call it quits: Here’s a look at messy, expensive divorces

Assets drawn up and quartered. Tears. Rage. And for some, a huge pay cheque. These are the glories of a divorce that plays out in a public area and the ones battling it out have huge fortunes on their side. As we hear about Rupert Murdoch fourth divorce, we look back at other expensive, messy relationship exits from around the world.

Up first, it came as a shock when Rupert Murdoch, who is the proud owner of a $17b fortune, announced his split with supermodel Jerry Hall. Rumours of an impending divorce were sparked when Hall was absent from the 91-year-old media mogul’s UK party. This is Murdoch’s fourth marriage.

When he divorced his second wife Anna Maria Mann, a Scottish journalist and novelist, in 1999, he coughed up $1.8 billion as a settlement and $110 million in cash. That split remains one of the most expensive in history. Murdoch didn’t seem too bothered by the money he lost though; 17 days after the papers were finalized, he remarried Wendi Deng, a Chinese-American actor and businesswoman who was 38 years his junior. Currently, the Hall-Murdoch divorce is very much unsettled – who walks away with what? Only time will tell.

When the world's sixth richest man and Google's co-founder Sergey Brin files for divorce with his wife Nicole Shanahan over ‘irreconcilable differences’, can drama be far behind? Brian and Shanahan, who’s an attorney by profession, are embroiled in a bitter settlement battle. Brin’s net worth is around $93 billion and is poised to be one of the most expensive divorces ever. As per media reports, Brin and Shanahan recently purchased, a $13.5 million Malibu estate jointly and there’s likely to be a tug of war for this. Their settlement is yet to be reached but is being closely watched.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have a combined net worth of $2.1 billion and therefore it’s only natural that they have a lot of wealth and assets to haggle over. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's potential divorce is likely to be one of the most expensive splits in history. Be prepared to see this glamorous couple fight over billions worth of assets ranging from luxury cars to multi-million dollar companies. Reports claim Kim is suing for full custody of the couple's four children, North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm - but she also wants to hold on to the family home, an LA mansion worth $75 million which has gone through major renovations over four years.

The Gates’ split is all set to be THE most expensive divorce in the world; the honey pot that needs dividing stands at a cool $127 billion (Dh466 billion). As discussions speed up, we wonder, who wouldn’t like to be a fly on a wall during that meeting?.

When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and then wife MacKenzie Scott announced they were going their separate ways in 2019, it came with much conjecture about who would get what. Scott took $38 billion – her net worth now is $6.1 billion. Bezos, by the way, is the richest man on the planet.

Living legend and golfer Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren ended things three years into their marriage; she took home $100 million from the bank.

‘SongSong couple’ Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, whose split was one of the most high-profile in Asia, did not split their assets or money, making it an unusual end to a relationship. But they are among South Korea's highest-paid celebrities and so cash was clearly not a major concern.

Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein had an unusual deal when they broke up in 1999. She’d get $2.5 billion plus $100 million each year for 13 years afterwards from the billionaire art dealer. But the contract got odder still. One of the conditions of the money exchanging hands was that the Swiss-born socialite could no longer use the cash for plastic surgery.

CEO of Continental Resources Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Hamm filed for divorce 24 years after being together. In 2014, he was ordered by the court to shell out almost one billion dollars, which he did in monthly instalments.

Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy split up after a 17-year marriage, and the athlete at this point gave up $168 million. The amount was one of the largest given in sports history. But to be fair, this check-out happened amid cheating rumours, best if things ended amicably.

Actor Harrison Ford and screenwriter Melissa Mathison’s divorce reportedly cost $118 million.