By Maddy Mussen

Copyright standard

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban rather suddenly calling it quits after 19 years of marriage may have shocked the masses, but it’s the legal details of their divorce which have left mouths truly agape.

In the divorce filing, the 58-year-old actress cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the divorce. However, the filing also states that both parties will be retaining their own assets, which implies that a prenuptial agreement is in place.

And the particular section of that prenup which has garnered attention, multiple reports dating back years allege that Kidman included a “cocaine clause” in her prenuptial agreement with Urban, which entitled him to $600,000 for every year he didn’t do the drug.

Urban has spoken openly about his struggles with addiction for years. He largely credits Kidman for his sobriety and has revealed how she held an intervention six months into their marriage to encourage Urban to get clean.

As well as this unorthodox detail, Kidman’s divorce filing includes a parenting plan which outlines a very specific custody split. The pair’s two children, Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14, will spend 306 days with Nicole Kidman and 59 days with Keith Urban.

The parenting plan also stipulates that major decisions involving the couple’s children, including education and health care, will be made jointly. It further appears that the pair have agreed to take co-parenting classes.

In case there was any doubt, prenuptial agreements are still all the rage amongst the A-list. If anything, they’re more popular than ever. This is because of the amount of money involved, taking many of these couples from “high-net-worth” to “ultra-high-net-worth.”

“You might be surprised to learn that ‘high net worth’ simply means couples with combined assets over £1 million,” says Sara Rutter, Head of Family Law at Walker Foster Solicitors. “In today’s property market, this can include many ordinary families who’ve built up equity in their homes and saved for retirement.

“However, when we’re talking about ultra-high-net-worth cases — those involving £30 million or more — the complexity increases significantly. These situations often involve business interests, multiple properties, investment portfolios, and sometimes assets held internationally.”

Take Jeff Bezos, for example. When his first marriage to Mackenzie Scott ended in 2019, the lack of a prenup meant that Scott walked away with $35.6 billion (£26.3bn) in Amazon stock, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world.

It appears that Bezos is determined not to make the same mistake twice: according to some reports, his wedding to Lauren Sánchez this summer was delayed due to conditions on their prenup not being finalised.

While the granular details of Bezos’s (presumably thousand-page-long) prenup have not yet been revealed, some celebrity prenuptial agreements have made it into the public eye.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are one such case. According to an article in The Guardian, published in June 2000, the actress requested £3 million for every year of marriage as well as a house, while Douglas wanted to retain sole ownership of any wedding gifts valued over £12,000. Weird flex, but okay!

An equally niche prenup was reportedly arranged between Khloé Kardashian and LA Lakers basketballer Lamar Odom, who married in 2009. As per multiple reports, the prenup allegedly entitled her to a brand new car whenever her lease was up, courtside Lakers tickets for her entire family, $5,000 monthly shopping allowance, $1,000 monthly allowance for beauty expenses, $25,000 monthly spousal support, and an additional $500,000 for every year of marriage.

The couple divorced in 2016, but Kardashian was a vocal advocate for prenups long before her divorce was finalised. “Everybody needs a prenup!” she said in June 2011. “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.”

Then there’s the infamous prenup between rapper Ice-T and American television personality Coco Austin, signed before their 2002 wedding, which reportedly required her to return her butt and breast implants to him in the event of a divorce.

Celebrity prenups are known for being specific. When Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello filed for divorce after almost eight years of marriage in 2023, her prenup dictated that all her artwork and jewellery remain in her possession.

But a lot of the time it’s about property. As such, celebrities often lay out which spouse will receive which parts of the property portfolio in the event of divorce. When Kim Kardashian divorced Kanye West in 2022, court documents obtained revealed that they kept their finances separate during their marriage, and that Kim would keep their $50 million home. She has continued living there with their four children since the split.

Things becomes even more difficult if a celebrity’s lifestyle spans multiple countries, according to Rutter. “For families with international connections — whether through business, property, or simply where you’ve chosen to live — there’s an additional layer to consider: which country’s legal system will handle your divorce.

“This isn’t about finding loopholes. It’s about making sure your case is heard in the right place, with proper consideration given to all the assets involved. Different countries have wildly different approaches to fairness, and understanding these differences helps everyone make informed decisions.

“In cases involving Australia, the United States, and potentially the UK — as might be relevant for couples with international careers — the choice of jurisdiction can significantly impact how assets are divided and how arrangements for children are determined.” Luckily for Aussie-American Urban and Kidman, they’re both handily located in Nashville, Tennessee.