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Most Outrageous Celebrity Divorce Orders

Sometimes stars are just like the rest of us, but usually not when it comes to matters that are too costly for the average person. Most people don’t have the time to litigate issues that seem minute from the outside while going through a divorce, but celebrities have teams that can attend to every aspect of their lives, including legal matters like divorce. Celebrities who are famous for more than just being famous have an incentive and pressure to keep divorce issues under wraps. Even for the most cautious celeb, divorce details can leak, as some of their insiders may receive offers from tabloids to speak about them. Read on to see some of the most outrageous celebrity divorce orders in pop culture history. If you’re seeking family law representation in Phoenix or Maricopa County, call 480-470-1504 to set up your free consultation with My AZ Lawyers.

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Split custody… of a closet? Kim Zolciak, of Real Houswives fame, filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, Kroy Biermann, in 2023. Money has been tight for the couple, forcing them to continue living together while finalizing their divorce. Apparently, this closeness hasn’t been easy for the divorcing spouses, so they have been ordered to split custody of the main closet in their Georgia mansion. Zolciak is authorized to access the closet from Monday to Friday from 9AM to 3PM, while Biermann is allowed to access the closet at any other time. There should be plenty of space in this closet, as Biermann has made headlines for selling their designer duds on social media to avoid home foreclosure.

Rights to frozen embryos. Before she was divorced from heartthrob Joe Manganiello, Colombian actress Sofia Vergara created frozen embryos with ex-fiancée and American businessman Nick Loeb. The embryos were created in 2013, and they called off their engagement in 2014, but Loeb requested custody rights to them in 2021. This request coincidentally came after the Modern Family star became one of the highest-earning actresses in Hollywood. The judge ruled in Vergara’s favor, as she had no desire to have children with her ex of nearly a decade prior.

“Don’t hassle the Hoff” rights. In community property states, all assets acquired during a marriage belong to both spouses- even assets that are intangible. When Baywatch star David Hasselhoff and his wife Pamela Bach divorced, he fought to keep the rights to his nicknames, “The Hoff” and “Malibu Dave.” He also got to keep the legal rights to his catchphrase, “Don’t hassle the Hoff” and his 1984 album “Night Rider.” In exchange for these valuable community property assets, Bach was allowed to keep a 2006 Mercedes CLS 500, her mother’s paintings, and a photo of Michael Jackson. Hasselhoff was also ordered to pay her $4,000 per month in child support and $21,000 per month in spousal support.

Pet support. When pop star and actress Mandy Moore and her ex-husband Ryan Adams divorced in 2015, she was overwhelmed by being saddled with full custody of their 8 shared pets. Her reasoning was that her income was just ¼ of his and she had to turn down engagements in order to care for the large number of animals. She requested the pet support in addition to spousal support. She also noted that he had offered to take over the care of 2 of their cats but never followed through on the promise.

Unlicensed talent agency. America’s sweetheart and first winner of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, filed for divorce from her husband and former manager, Brandon Blackstock, in 2020. She was originally ordered to pay the hefty sums of $45,601 per month in child support and $115,000 per month in spousal support. This was in addition to a lump-sum payment of $1,326,161 as well as a one-time sum of $350,000 to cover their shared children’s air travel costs. However, as Clarkson was able to prove that he was working without proper talent agency licensure while acting as her manager, he was ordered to repay her more than $2.6 million in commissions in 2023.

No public dating for five years. Usually, orders to keep dating private are meant to protect minor children, but in this case, it appears it was ordered to protect one party’s ego. It’s no wonder Nicole Kidman looked so relieved when she divorced him- Katie Holmes was reportedly forbidden from publicly dating other men for five years after her split from Mission Impossible superstar Tom Cruise. She was also forbidden from discussing Cruise or the Church of Scientology. After the agreement expired, she moved on with Jamie Foxx, and their daughter Suri has a reportedly distant relationship with her father.

French wine estate worth $600 million. Those of us who were Team Jen when Mr. And Mrs. Smith co-stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s affair led to the divorce of the decade were hardly surprised when Pitt and Jolie’s marriage eventually fell apart as well. In 2012, the duo purchased a 1,200-acre French estate for $60 million. After launching Miraval Wines, the property’s value skyrocketed to more than $600 million. The famous exes have been embroiled in divorce drama for years now, in part due to Jolie selling her share in the wine estate allegedly without legally required consent from Pitt. Pitt claims that Jolie did not contribute to the wine business, while Jolie claims that Pitt physically assaulted her on an airplane.

Ordered to destroy private, explicit videos. Former Spice Girl Mel B had to deal with a nightmare situation when she had to deal with her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte having possession of “compromising videos” of her. Belafonte was ordered to destroy any copies he had of such videos and he claimed to not have any physical copies of the films. After 10 years of marriage, Mel B was ordered to pay him $15,000 per month in spousal support from 2017 until December 1, 2020.

Divorce lasting 8 times longer than the marriage. Back before she was known for being the “normal” parent to her children with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian was married to NBA “star” Kris Humphries. Their infamous marriage, which was her second, lasted for a brief 72 days in 2011. Their inevitable divorce ended up lasting 8 times longer than the marriage itself. He initially requested that the court annul the marriage rather than grant a divorce, which would mean the marriage never technically occurred. He also sought spousal support, but both spouses eventually left the marriage without payments ordered. Perhaps he got to keep a share of the reported $2 million earned from allowing People magazine cameras there to capture the event.

Skilled Maricopa County Family Law Attorneys for All of Your Divorce Needs

Does reading about Hollywood’s most dramatic divorce battles have you thinking about terms you would want to include in your own divorce? Our Maricopa County divorce lawyers can help you determine what would be best for your personal circumstances with your free consultation. Learn more about family law cases in Arizona and how skilled family law counsel can simplify the process. Your initial consultation is 100% free. To get started today with your free consultation, call 480-470-1504. Contact us at My Az Lawyer today!