Alright, grab your popcorn because we’re diving deep into the glamorous but sometimes messy world of celebrity relationships, where prenuptial agreements play unexpected starring roles. In this wild exploration, we’ll spill the tea on the most recent prenup tales involving the likes of Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Darby, Kelsea Ballerini, Ariana Grande, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, and Britney Spears, to name a few, revealing how these legal documents became crucial players in their romantic sagas. Let’s jump in!
Mary-Kate Olsen – 2021
According to a source from U.S. Weekly, Mary-Kate Olsen was married to French banker Olivier Sarkozy in 2015. Just five years later, in 2020 (right in the middle of the pandemic), Mary-Kate sought an emergency order to have the court accept her divorce filings to end the marriage ASAP. This was allegedly because Olivier was forcing her out of their NYC apartment by terminating the lease early. The court denied her emergency request, likely due to the quarantine guidelines at the time, according to TMZ.
Among her requests to the court, she also asked to enforce their prenup. As U.S. Weekly reported, the prenup kept her child-stardom fortune and fashion business interests separate. The famous twin is worth approximately $250 million! The result? Vanity Fair disclosed that the prenup was, in fact, enforced, and there were very few shared assets between the couple that the court needed to split up in the divorce. The moral of the story? Another prenup saves the day!
Kate Bosworth – 2021
Kate and her former husband, Michael Polish, called it quits back in 2021. Luckily for Kate, she had an ironclad prenup in tow, stating that she was not required to pay any spousal support. In addition, all assets were kept separate, and no community property was created during the marriage, according to Yahoo Entertainment. It was also reported that both parties were to cover their own legal fees (likely thanks to the prenup), but nevertheless, court documents reflected that Kate actually filed the paperwork without a lawyer. The lack of an attorney for Kate was likely due to enforcing the prenup’s terms, meaning property division was straightforward and to be dispersed accordingly.
Ray-J – 2021
Ray-J, the famous R&B singer who is arguably more famous for his relationship with THE Kim Kardashian, announced his divorce from his wife, Princess Love, in 2021 (note: this is the couple’s third time filing for divorce). According to the court documents released to TMZ, they filed for divorce based on irreconcilable differences, and Ray-J also mentioned there was a prenup. The existence of the prenup is the likely explanation as to why they checked off the option for no spousal support for either party on the court documents. In other words, their prenup probably waived both spouses’ right to spousal support, which likely came in handy when filing for divorce–making the process that much quicker.
Ashley Darby of The Real Housewives of Potomac – 2022
Ashley Darby and her husband Michael Darby, announced their divorce in 2022. Michael is a successful, wealthy businessman, and Ashley married him before her success on the Real Housewives franchise. The two wed in 2014. According to Ashley herself, on Season 7, Episode 18 of the Real Housewives of Potomac, she told the world that the pair had an “ironclad prenup” that “didn’t work out in her favor.” She further explained that she wasn’t able to ask for alimony because of the terms of the agreement. Wendy Osefo (her castmate on the show) asked her, “Why would you sign something like that?” To which Ashley responded, “I signed it all the way.” However, Ashley stated that she was walking away from the divorce with child support, a house, and a “financial safety net” in case she runs into financial issues in the future. The takeaway is never to sign something you don’t feel comfortable with because, chances are, you will be held to those terms in case of a divorce!
Scooter Braun – 2022
Scooter Braun (famous music industry executive best known for representing Justin Bieber) and wife, Yael Cohen (businesswoman and health activist), parted ways in 2022. Luckily for them, they did sign a prenup in 2014 laying out the terms of their assets and other marital matters. According to U.S. Weekly, the pair agreed via the prenup that Scooter would receive “several of their properties, over 100 pieces of artwork, several cars, four golf carts and one electric scooter.” (A scooter for Scooter?). As for Yael, Scooter will be required to pay her $20 million to cover the value of their joint property, along with a spousal support buyout, and child support, according to Vanity Fair.
Kelsea Ballerini – 2022-23
Kelsea Ballerini, country star extraordinaire, divorced her husband, Morgan Evans and enforced her prenup. The only bad part was that her prenup was not so straightforward. Kelsea sat down with Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy Podcast and explained that the way the prenup was interpreted by the lawyers was not how she intended it. Basically, because of some “messy” alimony language in the prenup, she was faced with an unwanted choice: give up half the house that she owned or pay him alimony. Despite her original intentions, she decided to give up half of the house, a decision she hadn’t initially planned on, especially considering her prenup. However, she made this choice to avoid prolonged and public legal proceedings aimed at determining alimony. The moral of the story? Make sure your prenup has strong and clear language to avoid misinterpretation in the event of a divorce.
Ariana Grande – 2023
Ariana’s whirlwind romance with ex-husband Dalton Gomez came to an end in 2023. Of course, the mega-pop star had an ironclad prenup in place, which she sought to enforce at the time of her divorce. According to U.S. Weekly, documents revealed disputes over the prenup terms. What exactly was disputed is unclear. What we do know is that, as per their prenup, Ariana was not required to pay Dalton any spousal support (we’re sure she was thankful for her prenup for that). However, she was required to pay him $1.25 million and half of the proceeds from their L.A. home, plus up to $25k of his attorney fees. U.S. Weekly also reported that their prenup included a confidentiality clause, which prevents both parties from releasing photos, videos, and/or releasing any books or articles about their marriage. Ariana is likely saying, “Thank you, prenup, next!”
Jeannie Mai Jenkins – 2023
Emmy award-winning producer, famous TV personality, and fashion expert Jeannie Mai Jenkins split with her famous rapper husband, Jeezy, in 2023. The divorce is still ongoing at this point, but it has been reported by U.S. Weekly that they do have a prenup (signed in 2021) with an infidelity clause that Jeannie is looking to enforce. Jeezy’s response? A source on behalf of Jeezy told U.S. Weekly that the cheating claims are “100%” false.
According to the court documents revealed to U.S. Weekly, the prenup’s infidelity clause states, in part, that “. . . [In] the event that either party engages in sexual relations, an emotional relationship, or is emotionally or sexually suggestive in communication with a third party . . . shall result in a significant financial penalty upon the adulterous party as specified in said Prenuptial Agreement.” In other words, whoever cheats must pay the other for their wrongdoings. We don’t know exactly how much, but time will tell if their prenup’s infidelity clause is enforced and Jeezy is required to pay.
Britney Spears – 2023
According to TMZ, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari entered into a prenup back in 2022, which allegedly protects Britney’s $60 million fortune and keeps everything totally separate (as TMZ said, “he doesn’t get a dime.”). Fast forward to 2023 (just 14 months into marriage), Sam filed for divorce under irreconcilable differences. However, sources tell TMZ state that there was more to the story than that. The source reported that Sam was filing for divorce for several reasons, including a big blowout fight, physical aggression from Britney, and even infidelity on Britney’s part. This story is still unfolding, so stay tuned to see how the cards play out for Britney.
The bottom line
As we wrap up this journey through the glittering but tumultuous realm of celebrity prenups, let these tales serve as cautionary message from what to do and what not to do when it comes to prenups. From Kate Bosworth’s simple divorce resolution (thanks to her prenup) to Kelsea Ballerini’s failed prenup language, there is something to learn from all of these celebs. But one thing remains clear – the significance of a well-crafted prenuptial agreement cannot be overstated. Whether you’re a celebrity or an everyday individual, a prenup is a great idea to consider for your love story.
Nicole Sheehey is the Head of Legal Content at HelloPrenup, and an Illinois licensed attorney. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to prenuptial agreements. Nicole has Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School. She has a deep understanding of the legal and financial implications of prenuptial agreements, and enjoys writing and collaborating with other attorneys on the nuances of the law. Nicole is passionate about helping couples locate the information they need when it comes to prenuptial agreements. You can reach Nicole here: [email protected]
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