Adele's rumored $140M divorce settlement sparks equality debate: 'Jeff Bezos paid and so should she'
Adele has won the hearts of her fans over the years with her soulful voice, song lyrics about past relationships that caused our hearts to ache (even though we were single, practically the whole time) and the way she managed to smash the charts by delivering some of the best heartbreaking songs of the decade. That is why the announcement of her divorce from her husband Simon Konecki in 2019 was shocking and saddening to many, who never imagined the 'Hello' singer would go through the heartbreak she described in her songs, all over again.
Adele is one of many celebrities, who generally likes to keep a low profile. The singer released her third album '25' in 2015 delivering melancholic hits as 'When We Were Young' and 'Send My Love (To Your New Lover)'. Since she announced her separation last year though, the photos of her that surfaced since have alarmed fans, where she appears to have lost quite a bit of weight. She was seen leaving a recording studio where work on her new album, which is reported to be out this September, is in progress and the reaction to her new appearance sparked widespread social media debate about fat-shaming in the music industry.
Adele's request to keep the details of her divorce private was granted by a Los Angeles court, on April 6. The British singer and her ex-husband had tied the knot in 2016 after dating for five years and also share their seven-year-old son, Angelo. So while the facts surrounding her divorce have been kept hush, rumors almost instantly started spreading about how the singer owes her ex $140 million, out of her reportedly $190 million net-worth. She and Konecki supposedly didn't sign a prenup when they got married, which is why she may have to pay a large settlement. But then again, it is just a rumor. None of these details have been confirmed as being true.
However, what most people on social media are misinterpreting is that the $140 million settlement is the sum that they will be splitting among themselves and not what Konecki will be solely entitled to. Since these divorce speculation started swirling around, photographs of Adele from the time she'd just announced a separation surfaced, in which she's seen dressed top to bottom in a black ensemble, head cover by the hood of her sweats and evidently having an argument over the phone. Many reactions to the photographs which once circulated around social media as memes, simply implied 'No wonder she seemed so stressed, she owes her husband $140 million as a divorce settlement'.
Adele resides in Los Angeles, which explains why she approached a court there and not back home in the UK to apply for a divorce. According to California law, however, assets acquired during a marriage have to be split equally. But every divorce is different, complicated and based on its own set of circumstances. According to an article by Cosmpolitan in 2019, Adele's net worth skyrocketed from $69 million to $182 million. From her successful world tour for '25' in 2016/2017, NME reported that she took home $55 million.
We can't exactly pinpoint how Adele and Konecki are dealing with their divorce either, especially since they share a son as well. But what we can address is how social media is reacting to the news of the settlement.
Some men, in general, responded to the news in agreement that Adele should hand over $140 million to Konecki. While others, seemingly confused, label this as equality (especially for a divorce settlement) and something that women and feminists should just deal with.
"When men suffer this everybody will keep quiet. Now Adele has to pay $140 million to her ex-husband and feminists want to talk. Yes, dear feminists, this is what real equality looks like. It's not all rainbow and unicorns. DEAL WITH IT", said one user on Twitter.
Furthermore, many are comparing Adele's divorce to that of Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos from his wife Mackenzie Bezos in 2019. A Twitter user said, "So it's cool for Jeff Bezos to give his ex 30 billion and all other men, but for Adele to give 140m it's an atrocity and not cool? So now that the tables have turned y'all mad. I see. Get that bag king...."
Their separation made headlines and Bezos' ex-wife was given 19.7 million shares of Amazon com, valued at $38.3 billion. This may indeed be a massive amount paid as a settlement to a former spouse, but it is also crucial to note that in spite of this, Bezos still retains a 12% stake in his company which is worth a whopping $114.8 billion, and also has his other assets. Bezos, is literally the richest man in the world, with a net worth of $133 million, so the $38.3 billion settlement didn't exactly leave a dent in his bank account. But that isn't exactly the case with Adele.
Another factor to take into consideration with Bezos' divorce is that Jeff and Mackenzie had been married for over 25 years and the latter also played an integral role in Amazon's development in the early years of its establishment. She was the company's first employee and also helped Bezos with its initial business plan.
Some responses on Twitter seem to be driven by resentment, with the intention of 'getting back' at women. The common sentiment among the menfolk is that they want Adele to pay her husband the hefty sum because generally and historically men are expected to share their wealth with their ex-spouses.
"I thought women were advocating for equality in everything. So what's the fuss about the money the court asked Adele to pay to her husband?", another Twitter user questions.
However, it is common in divorce proceedings for women to receive settlement money from their ex-husbands because they are financially weaker, especially if you consider the inequality in the pay that women are already struggling through.