Celebs Who Were Flat Broke After Divorce

Hollywood stars have lives that many of us could only dream of having. From foreign cars and mansions to their affluent lifestyles and expensive taste, being a star means living a life of glamour. Whether they're famous for their talents or have found their way to pop culture relevance through reality television, they are paid big bucks to entertain. But fame comes with a price, and many celebrities have squandered their fortunes on reckless spending and bad decision-making. Many A-listers have lived under the impression that their money would never run out, but even some of the biggest names in Hollywood have fallen from financial grace.

Many times we have seen celebrities battle it out in divorce court and come out on the other side penniless. Often times it comes down to their decision not to sign a prenup, leaving their beloved assets in the hands of a judge. While celebrity couples' love for each other may end up being short-lived, child support bills and divorce settlement payments often last much longer. True love is hard to find, and many stars have been so badly burned financially that the concept of happily ever after only exists in fairytales. It's one thing to fail at marriage, but it's another to end up in debt at the same time. Their wedding bells may have rung, but their expensive divorces stung –  these are celebs who went flat broke after splitting up.

The late Tina Turner is one of the greatest music icons in history. With her star power and talent making her one of the most revered names in music, it's hard to imagine the singer was left with next to nothing after she filed for divorce from her ex-husband Ike in 1976. "The Best" singer tied the knot with Ike in 1962, but their marriage was incredibly tumultuous. 

The artist had one son with Ike but adopted his two children from a previous relationship; meanwhile, Ike adopted Tina's son from her former romance with Raymond Craig. Opening up about their marriage in her 2018 memoir "My Love Story" (via People), Tina claimed it was riddled with abuse, writing that her children "saw my black eyes and heard our endless fighting ... I knew it would make an impression on them, and it did." She went on to add: "We were scarred in different ways by Ike's behavior."

Turner walked away from her divorce from Ike with just two cars and her stage name. "The divorce, I got nothing. No money, no house," Turner wrote in her 1986 memoir "I, Turner." (per Showbiz Cheatsheet). "So I said: I'll just take my name." Though the singer wound up in debt following the split, it wasn't long before she became a household name. In 1983 she embarked on her solo career with the release of her track "Let's Stay Together," which became a part of her critically acclaimed album "Private Dancer." The single was largely believed to be what launched Turner to fame.

Actor Tisha Campbell may have had a successful acting career, but she didn't exactly walk away from her divorce as a winner. Campbell is known for her roles in television series like "Martin" and "My Wife and Kids" as well as in films like "Little Shop of Horrors" and "House Party." She met her husband, Duane Martin, in the 90s and they went on to wed in 1996 and welcome two children together. Martin, a fellow actor, is best known for starring in the television series "All of Us" as well as in films including "Scream 2" and "Above the Rim."

The couple filed for divorce in 2018 after 27 total years together, a couple years after it was reported that they had experienced serious financial woes. As per the Daily Mail, the couple filed for bankruptcy in 2016 after reportedly being more than $15 million in debt. At the time, their joint income was around $8,000, nearly half of their expenses. 

Campbell's financial problems worsened following her divorce from Martin. The "Little Shop of Horrors" actor told Entertainment Tonight the ending of her marriage left her broke. "Nothing. No one knows that but I had nothing. Nothing in the bank. Nothing," she said about what she was left with following the divorce. "I had maybe $7 to my name, and I was scared. It was like I was starting all over."

Mike Tyson might know a thing or two about a knockout — except when it's his bank account throwing the punches. The former professional boxer once had a fortune of around $300 million to his name, but he squandered a lot of it in the name of love and child support payments. Tyson has been married three times and has seven children, and his responsibilities caught up to him in 2003 when he announced he had gone bankrupt. 

On his site for his self-help program "12 Rounds with Tyson" (via Essentially Sports) he admitted to losing a grip on his finances following his loss against Buster Douglas in 1990. "After that? My life started collapsing before my very eyes. Bankruptcy. Addiction. Divorce. Prison. And my career was in the gutter," he wrote. Tyson split from his first wife Robin Givens in 1989 after she filed for divorce. Though the exact divorce settlement figure is unknown, outlets have suggested that Givens was awarded a $10 million dollar payment after their split, which she denied ever receiving.

His financial woes didn't end there, however. When Tyson and his second wife Monica Turner divorced in 2003, he agreed to pay her $6.5 million and the rights to their Connecticut mansion. The former heavyweight champion made a financial comeback, however, with his starring roles in the "Hangover" films as well as his roles in "How I Met Your Mother," and "Law and Order: SVU." He also went on to publish his memoir "Undisputed Truth" in 2013 to help recoup his losses.

Terrell Owens may be considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, but that hasn't saved him from his financial problems. The former professional football player lost nearly $80 million dollars of his former fortune and is currently worth around $500,000 according to Celebrity Net Worth. He's owned up to falling victim to fame after being chosen to play for the 49ers, telling Insider: "At that time I got sucked into wanting to be like everybody else, the guys with the Mercedes and all the flashy cars and the jewelry." He continued: "I think those are some of the most idiotic purchases I think players can do, especially when they don't have that money in the bank account to really pay for that stuff."

But it wasn't just foreign cars that Owens shelled out the dough for. As per TMZ, he fell behind on child support to Kimberly Floyd and was forced to do community service at a Goodwill store in Los Angeles to make up for the missed payments. He married his ex-wife Rachel Snider in 2014 and the two split after just two weeks. As per TMZ, Snider claimed Owens married her to obtain a house loan. Snider, who worked for the postal service at the time, alleged that Owens used her finances to secure the $2 million dollar loan. The pair finalized their divorce in 2014, but by the looks of it — there wasn't much to fight over in terms of Owens' assets — or lack thereof.

Brandi Glanville is known for being dramatic — it's practically part of the Bravo Housewife job description, after all. But the former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star's own financial problems became the center point of drama following her divorce from actor Eddie Cibrian in 2010. The pair was enthralled in a bitter divorce battle after  "The Cave" actor cheated on Glanville with his former co-star Leann Rimes.

Glanville admitted on her "Brandi Glanville Unfiltered" podcast (per Showbiz Cheatsheet) that she wasn't exactly set up for success going into her divorce proceedings with Cibrian. "My ex-husband called all of the good attorneys [in Los Angeles] — just to call and set up meetings — so that when I called, they were like, 'It's a conflict of interest,'" she admitted, adding that she wasn't fond of the attorney she obtained. 

Glanville opened up to the New York Post in 2012 about her lack of financial independence following her and Cibrian's split. "I was a 36-year-old woman who couldn't lease a car and couldn't lease a house," she admitted, adding, "For 13 years, my name wasn't on one account. I am still building my credit." Sources told TMZ in 2014 that the "RHOBH" star could not afford the alimony payments that Cibrian requested from her after claiming he overpaid her in child support. The reality star's lawyer Ron Rale allegedly sent a letter to her ex-husband refusing to pay him, also claiming he could not ask for the money years after the initial overpayments. 

Dennis Rodman is known as one of the greatest NBA defenders in the history of the sport, but he made headlines for different reasons in 2012. The former professional athlete was handed 104 hours of volunteer work due to his failure to pay fees which amounted to around $800,000. Rodman's massive debt stemmed from back fees in child support for his two kids shared with his third wife Michelle, as well as $51,000 in spousal support, according to documents obtained by the LA Times. Rodman and Michelle married in 2003 and split up less than a year later, but their divorce was not finalized until 2012.

"In all honesty, Dennis, although a very sweet person, is an alcoholic," admitted Peggy Williams, who worked as Rodman's finance manager. Williams, who had previously loaned her client money for him to make payments, added his alcoholism prevented him from working. "Dennis cannot afford his own monthly expenses. If the court awards attorney fees, it is setting Dennis up to be in contempt because you cannot get blood from a turnip," Williams told The Washington Post.

At the height of his career, Rodman was receiving $27 million each season in the NBA. As a retired athlete, he is worth about $500,000, as per Celebrity Net Worth. His financial downfall wasn't just due to his messy divorce, however. Rodman hired a fraud financial advisor in the late 2000s who laundered millions from professional athletes. His reckless spending on his lavish lifestyle also didn't help alleviate the immense debt he racked up over the years.

Dennis Rodman wasn't the only retired NBA player making headlines for outstanding child support fees. Kenny Anderson, who played point guard professionally for years, ended up squandering his fortune which totaled over $63 million. The former athlete filed for bankruptcy in 2005, and cited multiple marriages and several children with different partners led to his financial woes. "I thought it would last and I didn't know how to say no," he said. "I had great attorneys that advised me well throughout my career, but I never listened," Rodman told Forbes.

As per TMZ, at one point Anderson owed his ex-wife Tami Roman around $800,000 in child support payments over their two daughters. The lawsuit between the two lasted for over nine years and was finally settled in 2012. As per the reports, Roman received just shy of what she was owed, and the rest of the payments will be funneled out of the former NBA player's retirement fund. 

After settling his debts with Roman, Anderson had a few more ups and downs. The former professional athlete was fired from his job as a high school basketball coach in 2013 after being arrested for a DUI. He ended up turning things around, however, and went on to be a basketball coach for Frisk University. As of the time of writing, Anderson has coached five seasons for the men's basketball team.

While Sonja Morgan may be a fan favorite on "The Real Housewives of New York City," the reality star has weathered her fair share of ups and downs. Morgan's faced a series of financial setbacks after divorcing her ex-husband Johns Adams Morgan in 2006. She filed for bankruptcy in 2010, listing $19.8 million in debt and $13.5 million in assets, as per the Wall Street Journal. According to documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the "RHONY" star claimed her husband, who is the great-grandson of J.P. Morgan, refused to give her a $3 million payment she was owed, as well as $300,000 in back alimony related to their divorce.

"I'm sure the world thinks, 'Sonja doesn't have to worry, she's got that husband there for her.' But I'm on my own," Sonja told the New York Post after the bankruptcy filing. She also accused her ex-husband of refusing to allow her to sell, or even frequent the vacation properties they shared. On top of citing her divorce as a reason for her financial problems, she lost a $7 million dollar judgment over the failed movie "Fast Flash to Bang Time," which never started filming due to Sonja being unable to meet several conditions John Travolta required. 

Ultimately Sonja bounced back and wasn't forced to sell her New York City apartment to pay off her debts. The reality personality paid off her debts in 2015 and settled her bankruptcy case. As of the time of writing, her ex-husband has yet to pay her the $3 million. 

Imagine it taking over two decades to pay off a divorce settlement. The late actor Burt Reynolds knew the dilemma all too well, as it took 22 years for the "Smokey and the Bandit" star to pay off what he owed his ex-wife Loni Anderson. As per TMZ, Reynolds finally paid off the outstanding debt to his ex-wife in 2015.

The pair's five-year marriage led to "Reynolds's slide into bankruptcy, foreclosure proceedings, shame, and retreat," as per Vanity Fair. They split up in 1993 and finalized their divorce that same year. As per TMZ, Reynolds agreed to pay her nearly $250,000. While the "Boogie " star paid some of the money to the "WKRP in Cincinnati" star, she claimed he still owed her almost $100,000. Reynolds fell short of their agreement and ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 1996. A costly divorce, several failed business ventures, and a failure to pay back CBS for a nearly $4 million loan all contributed to Reynolds' financial turmoil. 

Reynolds died in 2018, leaving behind $5 million to his name. Despite his tumultuous relationship with money, the actor told Vanity Fair in 2015: "I would have spent more money and had a lot more fun," he said. "It's always possible to spend more money."

Former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Porsha Williams went through quite a few ups and downs while on the show. Her tumultuous marriage with her ex-husband Kordell Stewart was a highlight of the reality series, and it ultimately ended in divorce. The former NFL player and Williams tied the knot in 2011, but their union was short-lived and they ultimately divorced in 2013.

 The "RHOA" star's marital woes weren't over when Stewart filed for divorce. Williams ended up battling her ex-husband in court over their assets in a bitter divorce settlement. As per TMZ, he requested the judge at the time deny Williams any spousal support, alleging that "[She's] an able-bodied person, earning income and is capable of supporting herself." 

According to documents obtained by TMZ, Williams ended up walking away with little to her name after the divorce. It's a good thing she was earning checks from Bravo because the reality star was left without alimony, the deed to their house, NFL money, or health insurance. She did get to keep a number of personal assets, including her engagement ring.