Most people don’t get married thinking about their possible future divorce — but most people aren’t major celebrities with tons of assets to protect. That’s where prenups come in.
For the uninitiated: A prenup (short for a prenuptial agreement) is a legal document signed before the wedding, which spells out how assets will be divided in the event of a divorce.
Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, her sister Khloé and Katharine McPhee have spoken about the importance of having it all hashed out ahead of time, while others, like Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, have explained why they didn’t feel the move was necessary.
Below, find out which celebrities have prenups, who got married without one and what they had to say about it.
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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot (twice!) in July 2022, and chose to walk down the aisle without a prenup in place.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, Lopez, who filed for divorce on Aug. 20, is not seeking spousal support from the Good Will Hunting actor and is asking the judge to ensure Affleck does the same.
The couple placed their $61 million Beverly Hills mansion for sale back in June 2024, as rumors of marital strife began to intensify.
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Despite the whirlwind nature of their romance, Golden Bachelor couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist did put a prenup in place ahead of their January nuptials. The couple filed for divorce in April, three months after their lavish television wedding.
When Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale divorced in 2016, both parties had the option to ask for a 50-50 split of their combined assets, as they didn’t have a prenup.
However, a source told PEOPLE Rossdale had agreed to an unequal split of property (giving Stefani the greater share). They did agree on 50-50 joint custody of their sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo.
For her second marriage to Blake Shelton, the No Doubt singer reportedly signed a prenup, which they finalized after “a few months” of negotiations, per Us Weekly.
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According to Fox Business, the HGTV star didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement when she secretly married Josh Hall back in Oct. 2021. He filed for divorce in July 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
As news of their divorce became public, Christina posted a scathing message to her Instagram Stories, referencing an “insecure man” who wanted to “take what they do not deserve,” perhaps hinting at Hall’s plan to pursue her assets in the divorce.
“Over here waiting for the typical Hired PR rep speech of ‘how I was blind-sided and how I’m working on myself and taking time to heal at her ranch …………. Meanwhile, I’m over here not as nice and quiet as I used to be …..,” her message began.
“I have worked my ass off to build this life for myself and my children and anyone who would try and take what they do not deserve/ what they did NOT work for should be ashamed. An insecure man with a large ego can sure try and derail you- but ‘still i rise’ ….” she continued before concluding with, “For those that aren’t aware … divorces do not happen overnight .. & there is always a breaking point. This one is personal…….”
When discussing her 2022 divorce from fellow singer Morgan Evans on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Kelsea Ballerini said that, even with a prenup, dividing the couple’s assets made her see her ex in a different light.
“Who you marry is not who you divorce,” Ballerini said. “As he’s putting out a song about being blindsided, he’s taking half the house that he didn’t pay for.”
“So you didn’t get a prenup?” host Alex Cooper asked.
“I did get a prenup,” Ballerini said, saying that, as his lawyers interpreted their prenup, “It was kind of like [give him the house] or alimony.”
In the end, facing down “messy” alimony proceedings, Ballerini decided, “Give him the house. I want out.”
The Vanderpump Rules star told Page Six that she and her fiancé Beau Clark, 39, actually found conversations about their prenup to be romantic ahead of their 202 wedding.
She said, “I feel like people look at that as like a dirty thing that we shouldn’t talk about, but it’s honestly, I feel like there is some romanticism to it.”
“Being able to be so close to someone that you’re willing to have those uncomfortable conversations … it’s brought me closer to Beau the more that we talk about it,” the reality star added.
Though Jessica Simpson thought her first marriage to Nick Lachey would last forever, she realizes now that she should have signed a prenup.
The pair split in 2005 after seven years together and three years of marriage.
During an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, the Open Book author, 39, opened about the one thing she would have done differently regarding her divorce from Lachey, 46.
“I wish I would’ve signed a prenup,” she said. laughing. “The funny thing is that Nick wanted me to sign a prenup but I was so offended. I’m like, ‘But we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives. We’re saying our vows to God and in front of all of our family and friends. This is never going to end,’ and we didn’t sign a prenup.”
Teresa and Joe Giudice, who separated in 2019, signed a prenup before tying the knot in 1999.
The Giudices were living apart beginning March 2016, when Joe began his 41-month prison sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud (Teresa had served a little over 11 months in prison for the same crimes, and was released on Dec. 23, 2015).
In an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa revealed in a phone call with Joe (while he was in custody at an ICE facility in Pennsylvania) that he was the one who “made [her] sign a prenup.”
“A week before we were getting married, Joe asked me to sign a prenup and I just felt when you love someone, you don’t do that,” Teresa then explained in a confessional.
Though she said she “wasn’t going to go through with it,” Teresa stressed that she couldn’t imagine actually cancelling their nuptials. “Being Italian, I have old school parents, and it’s an embarrassing thing to call off a wedding,” Teresa said.
She did have one condition: “I didn’t even read it, I just said, ‘I want you to put one thing in there. If you ever cheat, the prenup is void.'”
The former couple announced their separation in December 2019 before they finalized their divorce in September the following year.
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore explained why she and her estranged husband, Marc Daly, did not sign a prenup on an episode of RHOA filmed before their split.
Moore said that Daly refused to sign a prenup before the pair tied the knot in June 2017.
“You know, Marc didn’t want a prenup. We don’t have one. Like, he wouldn’t even have the conversation,” Moore said, adding that Marc said he “didn’t want one” when she tried to bring up the topic. “That’s how strongly he felt about it.”
Daly explained, “We never had a discussion about [a] prenup because for me, you bring up prenup to me, it’s over,” he said. ” I’m not going to marry someone who has a prenup. If you’re with me, you’re all the way with me or you’re not with me.”
The pair, who share a child together, announced their divorce in Sept. 2019. It was finalized in Dec. 2023.
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While talking to Howard Stern in 2011 ahead of his wedding to Lauren Miller, Seth Rogen fielded questions from Stern about whether he had protected his finances with a prenup, which Rogen denied. Though Stern gave him a hard time, Rogen had a sweet answer: “Marriage can be expensive, and if I lose millions, then it’ll be the best millions I’ve spent.”
Katharine McPhee and David Foster cracked a joke about having a prenup in a silly video promoting his “Hitman Tour,” in Jan 2020.
At one point in the video, Foster joked, “She’s making fun of my song,” after interrupting McPhee, who featured on the tour as a special guest.
“You’re using me for my talents,” quipped the American Idol alum to which the 16-time Grammy winner replied, “Totally.”
Later on, McPhee also joked about how they would have to keep Foster’s melody intact for a song, “otherwise I’ll have to take five percent.”
“You already got 50 percent, so … ” he fired back with a laugh, as she turned to the camera and said, “It’s called a prenup.”
As the pair both continued to laugh, he added: “Didn’t include theatrical releases though.”
Even your favorite power couple protects their assets. In 2014, before Gabrielle Union wed Dwyane Wade, the actress told Arsenio Hall that she would definitely have a prenup.
Union said that she was hoping to avoid the mistakes she made in her first marriage to NFL star Chris Howard, who she divorced in 2005.
“The biggest difference between this and the last marriage will be a prenup – at my insistence,” she bluntly told Hall. “When you have your own stuff, you don’t need to worry about anyone else’s stuff. So everyone should go into the relationship knowing ‘I’m here for you and you’re here for me.’ And the reality is, I’ve never seen Dwyane balance a checkbook.”
She added, “I’ve got to protect my stuff. It’s the wave of the future, protecting your stuff.”
The pair remain happily married.
Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom were together just three weeks before tying the knot in Sept. 2009. The pair officially divorced in Dec. 2016, but Kardashian made it clear during their marriage that the pair was practical when to came to protecting their assets.
Kardashian told E! News in 2011 that the pair “of course” had a prenup.
“We have a prenup, prenups are…do you know what kind of day and age this is?” Khloé said, adding: “Everybody needs a prenup!”
She continued, “I mean, I don’t care if you make $5 or $5 million, in this day and age …people are crazy, you never know. And when you have businesses together, like we do, you have to protect yourself. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them.”
Her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries may have ended unexpectedly, but Kim was prepared for all possibilities.
In Oct. 2011, just days before announcing their split, Kardashian told Reuters, “I don’t really talk finances. My father was an attorney and I’m a smart girl — I’d like to think so — you can do the math. I wouldn’t worry about that.”
Clearly, the second Kardashian sister is consistent. For her third wedding to Kanye West, the couple had a prenup that kept their assets largely separate, so when they filed for divorce in 2021, each party’s property was protected.
The Real Housewives of New York married Tom D’Agostino on New Year’s Eve of 2016 and divorced just seven months later.
When asked whether or not they would be signing a prenup, de Lessups told PEOPLE in Aug. 2016, “Oh yeah, well, we both have assets. He’s got a big business and assets and so do I.”
In April 2019, Williams filed for divorce from her husband (and manager) of two decades after he allegedly fathered a child with his mistress.
Williams opened up about her ongoing divorce from ex Kevin Hunter during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning, revealing that the pair don’t have a prenuptial agreement.
“I didn’t think it would end, first of all, and second of all, that is not sexy to introduce paperwork when you are in love with somebody,” she explained of her decision not to sign a prenup.
Years later, Hunter continues to be in legal battles with Williams over finances.
Shepard and Bell are one of Hollywood’s most candid couples, sharing about everything from their kids cursing to fights they’ve had.
Shepard told Conan O’Brien that the pair do not have a prenup. Bell had asked Shepard if he would like a prenup before they tied the knot in Oct. 2013, but the actor said no.
“I said ‘No, I don’t want a prenup,’ but I really wanted a prenup. Really bad,” he admits. “But I said no, I don’t want one.”
O’Brien asked why he didn’t just ask for one and Shepard said, “Because something good came over me for once and I made the right decision.”
“But the joke is now on her because she’s become much more successful than me and has much more money than me,” Shepard said. laughing.
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