New York Magazine

Howard and Alison Stern

Married: 23 years, 1978–2001
Reason for split: In a four-hour ramble on his show, Stern blamed himself for being a workaholic and a “crappy spouse."
Trial duration: None.
Dirtiest tactic: This was a totally amicable split—so why is it included? Because Stern’s massive audience was shocked by the news, and listeners called the show in tears. Despite his obsession with jiggly women, he always went to great pains to point out that he was faithful to his wife.
Gruesome detail: Stern mentioned his “penis depression.”
Settlement: Undisclosed but large.
Aftermath: Alison remarried. For the past eight years, Stern has been dating Beth Ostrosky, who is nineteen years his junior.
Photo: Getty Images

Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman

Married: 6 years, 1998–2004
Reason for split: Hawke reportedly had an affair with a 22-year-old on a Montreal movie set.
Trial duration: None.
Dirtiest tactic: Hawke's excuse: “It's unfair when one person's career is taking off and the other is really suffering.”
Gruesome details: Uma blamed herself on Oprah: “I should take full responsibility for the failure of my own marriage. I had a child and went back into an incredibly demanding job, and I think that put a huge amount of pressure on our marriage.”
Settlement: Undisclosed.
Aftermath: Uma’s on the dating A-list; Ethan’s supposedly knocked up his nanny, and the two are rumored to have applied for a marriage license.
Photo: Getty Images

Winthrop Rockefeller and Barbara Sears Rockefeller

Married: 5 years, 1949–1954
Reason for split: Barbara was a former screen star who needed attention; Winthrop was a notorious philanderer.
Trial duration: One year of long-distance haggling across state lines.
Dirtiest tactic: The feud was shockingly public for its time. In 1953, Winthrop moved to Arkansas for its relaxed divorce laws. Barbara said she wouldn't stand for a “cheap mail-order divorce.”
Gruesome details: Barbara showed up—surprise!—at Rockefeller’s empty New York apartment with her son. And she stayed there.
Settlement: At the time, a record: $2 million in cash and $3.5 million in trust funds.
Aftermath: She finally left the apartment.
Photo: Getty Images

Donald and Ivana Trump

Married: 15 years, 1977–1992
Reason for split: Donald’s long-rumored affair with former Georgia beauty queen Marla Maples.
Trial duration: 2 years.
Dirtiest tactic: Marla came to Aspen with the family; Ivana confronted her on the slopes.
Gruesome details: As Donald left Ivana, the Post's front-page headline screamed “Best Sex I’ve Ever Had”—in reference to another Trump affair.
Settlement: Ivana eventually got $14 million, along with the 45-room mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, a condo in Trump Tower, and use of Mar-a-Lago for one month a year.
Aftermath: Donald later sued Ivana for $25 million for violating the terms of their agreement (she had gone on television); Ivana adorably countersued. Oh, and Donald married Marla—we all know how that turned out.
Photo: Getty Images

Jack and Jane Welch

Married: 13 years, 1989–2003
Reason for split: The then-CEO of General Electric had an affair with Suzy Welaufer, then editor of the Harvard Business Review. The two met when Suzy, 22 years his junior, was profiling him. Trial duration: Settled just before it began.
Dirtiest tactic: Jane’s legal team published an affidavit detailing Jack's corporate perks: sports tickets; seats at the Metropolitan Opera; an apartment overlooking Central Park; free laundry. The SEC investigated.
Gruesome detail: Jack’s legal team revealed that Jane had an affair with a six-foot-two Italian chauffeur and bodyguard.
Settlement: Undisclosed.
Aftermath: Jack married Suzy, and the two co-authored a business book titled Winning.
Photo: Getty Images

Bryant and June Gumbel

Married: 27 years, 1974–2001
Reason for split: After years of acknowledged infidelity, Bryant finally walked out to be with his blonde leggy mistress Hilary Quinlan.
Trial duration: Four years.
Dirtiest tactic: Bryant sometimes refused to pay June’s expenses during their two-year estrangement (particularly if his team felt she was being “hostile”). A judge had to intervene.
Gruesome details: June saw pictures of Bryant’s many affairs and found love letters. After he walked out, she waited two years for him before finally filing for divorce.
Settlement: June reportedly got about half of her husband’s $20 million worth, the home in Westchester, plus their Manhattan co-op.
Aftermath: Four months after the divorce was settled, Bryant proposed to Quinlan.
Photo: Getty Images

Woody Allen and Mia Farrow

“Married:” Approximately 12 years, 1980–1992
Reason for split: Mia discovered nude photographs Woody had taken of Soon-Yi Previn, Mia's adopted child with Andrew Previn.
Trial duration: 3 months
Dirtiest tactic: Woody moved up the release date of Husbands and Wives, which starred both him and Mia, to cash in on the publicity.
Gruesome details: Mia accused Woody of sexually abusing their adopted daughter, Dylan; Woody was cleared, but a judge found his conduct with the girl to be “grossly inappropriate.”
Settlement: Farrow won custody rights over their children. Allen was denied visitation rights with Dylan.
Aftermath: Since Woody was not Soon-Yi’s stepfather, he could marry her—and did so in 1997. The pair have adopted two daughters.
Photo: Getty Images

Rudy Giuliani and Donna Hanover
Married: 18 years, 1984–2002
Reason for split: By 1996, Giuliani was rumored to be seeing his communications director, Cristyne Lategano. In May 1999, he met current wife Judith Nathan at an Upper East Side cigar bar.
Trial duration: 18 months
Dirtiest tactic: Hanover heard of the seperation via a Giuliani press conference.
Gruesome details: Nathan was barred from Gracie Mansion. Giuliani’s team revealed that he was impotent due to prostate cancer and wasn’t even having sex with Nathan.
Settlement: Giuliani paid Hanover a $6.8 million settlement; she was granted full custody of their two children.
Aftermath: Giuliani's kids won’t speak to him, and his daughter, who uses Hanover’s name, is rumored to be an Obama supporter.
Photo: Getty Images

Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin

Married: Approximately 5.5 years, 2000–2006
Reason for split: Legendary tempers; Perelman’s control issues; Barkin’s brief absence for a role in Ocean’s Thirteen.
Trial duration: Settled out of court in under 2 months.
Dirtiest tactic: Perelman's lawyers surprised Barkin with divorce papers.
Gruesome details: Armed guards watched while Barkin moved out of their townhouse.
Settlement: Perelman’s friends said she got $60 million; Barkin’s said “not a penny more” than $20 million.
Aftermath: Barkin auctioned off over 100 pieces of Perelman-gifted jewelry for more than $20 million. Perelman later sued Barkin for using money from the couple's movie-production company to launch a competing enterprise.
Photo: Getty Images

Ron Perelman and Patricia Duff

Official length of marriage: 20 months, 1994–1996
Reason for split: Perelman’s temper; Duff’s narcissism and paranoia
Trial duration: 5 years
Dirtiest tactic: Duff had the case opened to the public; 12,000 pages of testimony ensued.
Gruesome details: Perelman felt his daughter could be fed on $3 a day; mutual accusations of assault; courtroom objections such as, “Your honor, if Mr. Perelman can stop smirking and laughing, I would appreciate it.”
Settlement: Duff got $30 million; Perelman is the child’s legal guardian.
Aftermath: This week daughter Caleigh filed for an order of protection against her mother, citing stress and emotional abuse. Backed by Dad, of course.
Photo: Getty Images