Photo: Instagram/marilynmonroe
(Podcast length 5:25 mins)
We've been binging "Loot" starring Maya Rudolph (Apple TV+). The story shares similarities with the Jeff Bezos divorce and many other celebrity divorces. That got us thinking, what were the messiest divorces in the world of sports? Well, here we go.
Transcript
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
The marriage between Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren was riddled with numerous affairs with a side of prescription drugs. But it all culminated in 2009 when Tiger Woods crashed his SUV. You might remember Nordegren used a golf club to smash the back window to get Woods out of the car. Nordegren's divorce filing came shortly after that. Woods admitted he was in the wrong, and she walked away with a rumored $100M settlement. Woods has only won one major since his divorce. KARMA?
Marylin Monroe and Joe DiMaggio
While Marylin Monroe and baseball's Joe DiMaggio were married in a quiet ceremony at City Hall in San Francisco, the quiet didn't last long. The couple's level of fame may have been their demise. Monroe tearfully told reporters that she was seeking a divorce from DiMaggio on the grounds of "mental cruelty." Initially drawn to her goddess-like ways, he was not okay with her flaunting it. Even after the divorce and her tragic death, DiMaggio still held onto their love. According to a Vanity Fair article, DiMaggio spoke about his ex-wife in his final words on his deathbed in 1999, "I'll finally get to see Marilyn." NO END TO LOVE
Hulk and Linda Hogan
Hulk Hogan and his wife Linda appeared to be a happy family on their TV show "Hogan Knows Best." After 24 years of marriage and allegations he cheated with their daughter's friend, the divorce came along with a lengthy, nasty court battle. It became messy again after that, with Linda dating Charley Hill, who was 19 at the time. Hill proposed to Linda on an episode of "Celebrity Therapy." They broke up, but he sued her for treating him like a laborer during their relationship. Hulk remarried, but they parted ways in early 2022. HULKMANIA
Scottie and Larsa Pippen
The bitter divorce of Larsa and former NBA (National Basketball Association) player Scottie Pippen spent a better part of the last few years in the headlines. Larsa filed for divorce again in November 2018 amid rumors the "Real Housewives of Miami" and former “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” guest star had an affair with rapper Future. The drama escalated when Larsa was pictured with another NBA player, Malik Beasley, who was married with a child. The divorce between the Pippens was finalized in December 2021. ONWARD AND UPWARD
Frank and Jamie McCourt
The divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt was something out of a movie. Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt separated from his wife of 30 years, Jamie, but it was a little awkward. You see, Jamie was the CEO of the team, and she was fired one week after the couple's separation was announced. So she filed for divorce. The public battle ensued. Long, bitter story short, she walked away with $131M and real estate assets, a far cry from half of what Frank sold the Dodgers for in 2012 - $2.5B. The two signed their divorce agreement in 2011 when the team was bankrupt. TAKE ME OUT TO THE COURTHOUSE
Honorable mention goes to three dissolutions of marriage. The first is Michael Jordan's divorce from his wife Juanita, one of the most expensive celebrity divorces of all time. Then in a story too weird that we had to mention it: New York Yankees Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich held separate press conferences during spring training in 1973, announcing they had traded wives. Entire families, actually, including dogs.
Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We break down what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or networking event switches to sports.
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