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CEO Divorce TrackerHalf, live$55.7B

Menu divided 50/50 under California Family Code § 2550

NVDA $166.19 Nov 12 closeGates divorce $76B 2021, est.Prenup lawyers ▲ very bullishBezos divorce $38B 2019Couples therapy ▲ up bigHamm check $974,790,317.77 cents includedWildenstein divorce $3.8B 1999Joint accounts ▼ under review

Divorces Johnson

Robert and Sheila Johnson

BET co-founders. 1969–2001.

They built BET together, sold it for $3 billion and split it up.

TL;DR

Married in 1969. They co-founded Black Entertainment Television in 1979, and it went on the air in 1980. (Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson; Wikipedia: Sheila Johnson)
Viacom bought BET for a reported $3 billion. Robert became the first Black American billionaire, and Sheila the first Black woman billionaire. (Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson; Wikipedia: Sheila Johnson)
They divorced in 2001 (her biography says 2002). The settlement is reported at $400 million. (Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson; Wikipedia: Sheila Johnson; Wikipedia: List of most expensive divorces)

BETFINAL 2001

Robert and Sheila Johnson

1969–2001

$400M

Reported, per Wikipedia’s divorce list. An estimate.

Years: 32
Kids: 2
Per day: $34K
Rank: #16

ceodivorcetracker.com/divorces/johnson

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The box score

The marriage, scored like a season.

YRS: 32
DAYS: ~11,700
KIDS: 2
SET: $400M
$/DAY: $34K
RK: #16

Advanced stats

Per hour married: $1K
Median U.S. household incomes, per day: 0.4
In $1 bills, stacked: 27 miles

Per-day figures divide the settlement by the days married, approximate where the exact dates aren’t public. Household income: U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024, Sep 9, 2025. $1-bill thickness: Bureau of Engraving and Printing, currency facts (archived).

The receipts

$3B

Viacom’s reported price for BET.

(Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson)

2 hours

BET’s airtime at launch in 1980: Friday nights only.

(Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson)

3

Pro teams she now has a stake in through Monumental Sports: the Capitals, the Wizards and the Mystics.

(Wikipedia: Sheila Johnson)

The sale and the split

BET sale to Viacom
$3B
Reported settlement
$400M

Where it ranks

No. 16 of 46 divorces with a reported price tag.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates 2021
$76B
Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott 2019
$38B
Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein 1999
$3.8B
Rupert Murdoch and Anna dePeyster 1999
$1.7B
Bill and Sue Gross 2017
$1.3B
Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone 2009
$1.2B
Steve and Elaine Wynn 2010
$1B
Chey Tae-won and Roh Soh-yeong 2024
$1B
Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall 2012
$974.8M
Robert L. Johnson and Sheila Johnson 2001
$400M

See the full leaderboard

Timeline

1969
Married. (Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson)
1979
They co-found BET. (Wikipedia: Sheila Johnson)
1980
BET goes on the air. (Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson)
2001
Viacom buys BET for a reported $3 billion. Divorced. (Wikipedia: Robert L. Johnson)
2005
She founds Salamander Hotels and Resorts. (Wikipedia: Sheila Johnson)

Next on the docket

SK GroupChey Tae-won and Roh Soh-yeong1988–2025$644M$48K a day CitadelKen Griffin and Anne Dias2003–2015Undisclosedterms private General ElectricJack Welch and Jane Beasley1989–2003$180M$35K a day

All 16 divorces

Sources

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