A widely circulated social media post earlier this year claimed that the five wealthiest women in the world built their fortunes through divorce settlements. The implication is that women accumulate wealth primarily by dissolving marriages, rather than creating it themselves. This claim doesn't hold up to scrutiny. It's worth examining both why it's inaccurate and what it means for high-earning women seeking to protect their wealth in the event of divorce.
Examining the Claim
The post in question lists five women and attributes their wealth to divorce settlements: Mackenzie Scott ($41.9 billion, following her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos), Melinda French Gates ($29.9 billion, following her divorce from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates), Sue Ann Arnall ($1 billion, from her divorce from oil executive Harold Hamm), Elaine Wynn ($2 billion, from her divorce from casino executive Steve Wynn), and Sheila Johnson ($1 billion, from her divorce from BET founder Robert Johnson).
These are substantial settlements, and the underlying figures are broadly accurate. But where these women actually rank among the world's wealthiest tells a more complete story. According to Forbes' 2025 list of the wealthiest women, Mackenzie Scott ranks eighth behind five women whose fortunes came from other sources entirely:
- Alice Walton — ~$101 billion, inherited Walmart stake from founder Sam Walton
- Françoise Bettencourt Meyers — ~$81.6 billion, inherited controlling family interest in L'Oréal
- Julia Koch — ~$74.2 billion, inherited stake in Koch Industries following husband David Koch's death
- Jacqueline Mars — ~$42 billion, inherited ownership stake in the Mars candy empire
- Rafaela Aponte-Diamant — ~$37.7 billion, self-made; co-founded Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
Most of these fortunes were inherited rather than earned, but Ms. Aponte-Diamant's self-made wealth exceeds even Ms. Scott's record-setting settlement. She's not alone: several other self-made businesswomen have built fortunes that outpace the largest divorce settlements on record.
- Judy Faulkner — founder of Epic Systems, whose electronic health record software is used across many of the world's largest healthcare systems, with a net worth estimated at $9.6 billion (as of May 27, 2026).
- Denise Coates — founder and co-CEO of bet365, one of the world's largest online gambling companies, which she launched in 2000; estimated net worth of $8.7 billion.
- Oprah Winfrey — former talk show host and media executive, with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion (as of June 2026).
The data tells a clear story: the world's wealthiest women, for the most part, did not acquire their fortunes through divorce. The more relevant question for women who have built substantial wealth is how exposed that wealth is if their own marriage ends.
Wealthy Women Who Lost Fortunes in Divorce Settlements
Most celebrity divorces involve a high-earning husband compelled to remit half of his accumulated wealth to his wife. Noteworthy in this regard are Mel Gibson, who surrendered half of his estimated $850 million fortune; Kevin Costner, whose first divorce cost him $80 million; Steven Spielberg, who paid Amy Irving $100 million; and Tiger Woods, who paid Elin Nordegren $100 million in one of the largest celebrity divorce settlements on record.
However, some of the most expensive celebrity divorces involved high-earning wives who paid immense settlements to their husbands. These include:
- Adele — Though her settlement with ex-husband Simon Konecki was sealed, media reports speculate that the singer’s fortune, estimated between $170–190 million, was subject to division, because the couple had no prenuptial agreement.
- Britney Spears — In her divorce from background dancer Kevin Federline, Spears reportedly paid tens of millions, comprising a cash settlement and years of lavish child-support payments.
- Janet Jackson — In her “Nasty” divorce from René Elizondo Jr., the singer, worth hundreds of millions, reportedly settled for approximately $10 million plus legal fees.
- Roseanne Barr — After a short marriage, the star of Roseanne divorced her husband, Tom Arnold, at the height of her fame and before he’d garnered any of his own. Although precise figures are hard to establish, the settlement is thought to have been in the multimillion-dollar range.
However, in 2008, the title of the most expensive celebrity divorce for a woman went to Madonna, whose divorce from director Guy Ritchie, after eight years of marriage, reportedly cost her between $76 and $92 million. In addition to tens of millions of dollars in cash, “Ritchie received real estate and sole proprietorship of a pub that he’d co-owned with Madonna.” The couple had been married for eight years and had a son, Rocco. The settlement is noteworthy because Mr. Ritchie had a prolific and lucrative career as a film director, even though his attempt to direct Madonna in the 2002 film Swept Away is regarded as a low point.
The Madonna-Ritchie settlement illustrates that a high-earning wife can be compelled to share a substantial portion of her wealth earned during the marriage, even if the husband is fully capable of earning a comfortable living.
How the Self-Made Woman Can “Divorce-Proof” Her Wealth
The first step towards a solution is recognizing a potential problem. In this case, women must understand that if they are the high-earners in a marriage, they may receive less from the marital estate than they put into it. Whether you reside in a community property state like California or an equitable distribution state like New York, you are likely to receive only half of the marital estate, unless there are extenuating circumstances militating for a greater portion or you have taken decisive steps to divorce-proof your wealth.
The strongest protection is a marital agreement, either prenuptial or post-nuptial, that identifies assets and sources of revenue as separate property not subject to division. A clear, detailed marital contract can designate property as separate and reduce or eliminate spousal support.
Entertainers, such as Madonna, can also incorporate, ensuring that revenue for their entertainment services goes “to the company,” rather than to them personally. As long as the incorporated entity is their separate property, a spouse will face extreme difficulty attaching those assets in divorce. Women can also place assets in a trust, removing that property from the marital estate altogether.
It Is Not Too Late to Seek Protection
Many couples refrain from executing a prenuptial agreement because it strikes them as unduly pessimistic. They might also see their careers on similar tracks, so they don’t anticipate significant income disparities. Then life intervenes. A wife might unexpectedly become the high earner in the marriage. The gap could even widen as her husband suffers business setbacks. At this point, it’s wise to discuss the possibility of a post-marital agreement. Many women balk at the suggestion, which seems like an admission that their marriage is headed for divorce. But in reality, the security a post-marital agreement provides can relieve financial pressures in the relationship. What women in this position don’t want is to be blindsided by divorce papers before they have acted to protect their wealth.
Preserved Wealth, Purposeful Legacy
Finally, since we began this discussion with Mackenzie Scott, it’s perhaps fitting to conclude with her second divorce. Since her first divorce from Jeff Bezos, which at the time made her the third-wealthiest woman in the world, Ms. Scott has reinvented herself as a novelist and a philanthropist. She is a signatory of The Giving Pledge, which its website describes as “a promise by the world's wealthiest philanthropists to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes in their lifetime or wills.” Ms. Scott reportedly “donated $12.5 billion to more than 1,250 organizations in less than two years.”
Ms. Scott also got married and divorced in less than two years. She wed Seattle-based high school science teacher Dan Jewett in 2021. Mr. Jewett was reportedly aligned with his wife’s philanthropic mission, but that did not prove sufficient to sustain their union. Ms. Scott filed for divorce after one year, and the couple finalized a settlement four months later. Despite rumors that Mr. Jewett received upwards of $20 million, the settlement agreement was sealed, and no reputable news outlet has reported a dollar amount.
Ms. Scott’s case suggests that one can afford to be foolish in love as long as you’re not foolish where money is concerned. She seems to have gotten solid legal advice and, when the marriage appeared to have been a mistake, she was able to extricate herself without too much emotional or financial pain. She remains in control of her fortune and can direct her resources according to her own priorities. The lesson is simple: protecting the wealth you've built gives you the freedom to decide how it will be used, regardless of what the future holds.
Every situation is different, and the right protection depends on your specific assets, income, and goals. If you'd like to talk through your options, contact Bikel Rosenthal & Schanfield at 212.682.6222 or online.