The Oscar-winning American filmmaker Steven Spielberg is one of the most celebrated personalities of Hollywood. The dramas that he unfolds on the big screen scream of chaos in a neatly packed cinematic structure. But speaking of chaos, one can’t help but recall Steven Spielberg’s 1989 divorce from his wife Amy Irving. Just after four years of marriage, the divorce settlement cost that Steven Spielberg had to bear was reportedly around $100 million. If you are thinking, how did he end up paying such a hefty amount, was there no pre-nup? Well, in this case, there was a prenup, which allowed Amy to walk away only with a limited amount of money. However, Irving challenged the pre-nup on strong grounds of technicalities, and the court ruled in her favour.
Why did Steven Spielberg’s pay $100 million in his divorce settlement from Amy Irving despite the prenup?
In 1985, Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving tied the knot, and after four years, on April 24, 1989, they announced their decision to divorce “in the spirit of caring,” as reported by the United Press.When the two got married in a private ceremony, they reportedly drew up and signed a prenuptial agreement. This agreement outlined their income and property and limited how much Irving would walk away with if they decided to part ways. Reports suggest that there was no lawyer present when the agreement was drawn up and, more importantly, it was written on the back of a cocktail napkin.According to Forbes, at the time of divorce, Irving challenged the back-of-napkin agreement. She claimed it to be invalid because she did not have an attorney when the ad-hoc prenup was drawn. Thus, the court ruled in her favour under California law, entitling Irving to half of all Spielberg’s earnings from the four years of their marriage, a $100 million.
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving’s relationship timeline
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving first met in 1975, for professional reasons. She auditioned for Steven’s ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’ In no time, the two hit it off and started dating. Before they knew it, the former couple started living together and reportedly had a dog named Elmer.However, the flames of their love faced a harsh storm sooner rather than later. Within a short span of time, one could sense that there was trouble in paradise. Both Steven and Amy were highly passionate about their work and individuality. The latter, being the daughter of famed stage director Jules Irving, couldn’t stand having a life under the shadow of the ‘Indiana Jones’ director. “I do not ever want to be known as ‘Steven Spielberg’s girlfriend. First I want to be Amy Irving,” she told Femme Fatales magazine in 1977. In 1980, the two split, as Irving needed her space, and even lost a cinematic role owing to her separation from Spielberg.In 1985, the two resumed their relationship and decided to wed after getting pregnant with their son Max. After getting married, Amy kept her personal and professional life separate. However, if that was a step taken to keep the relationship safe, it didn’t really work. Steven’s devotion to his career affected his marriage. “During my marriage to Steven, I felt like a politician’s wife. There were certain things expected of me that definitely weren’t me,” Irving told the LA Times in 1994.Later, in 1989, rumours of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw started doing the rounds. Following which, in April 1989, Spielberg and Irving announced their separation.
