Listening to the lyrics of singer Katy Perry’s hits like “California Gurls” or “The One That Got Away” will probably not educate you in all that much. But Pittsburgh readers who look past the tabloid headlines and think about her pending divorce from British comedian Russell Brand could actually learn a thing or two.
Brand and Perry were married in October 2010. About 14 months after they wed, Perry separated from Brand and Brand filed for divorce.
What is worth noting here is that reportedly, the two did not sign a prenuptial agreement before they wed. At the time, they may have felt they did not need to, since star-wise, they were at about the same level and so probably had roughly similar assets.
But that all changed quickly. Perry’s album “Teenage Dream” spawned five number one hits and led to a lucrative tour, while Brand’s last movie, “Arthur,” flopped. It seems Perry’s star has been on a meteoric rise while Brand’s is in danger of blinking out.
Perry is reported to have earned around $45 million since marrying Brand, while he is said to have taken in somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 to $8 million. If the laws of California, where the two live, apply to their marriage (there is some question about that, since the two married in India), then Brand could be entitled to half of what Perry earned during the year or so they were married.
The take-home lesson here is that even if a prenuptial agreement does not seem worth it at the time you marry, it could prove to be a very wise move in short order. No one thinks about divorce at the time they are getting married, of course, but life does not always go as planned/
Source: E! Online, “Did Katy Perry and Russell Brand Have a Prenup? And Who Will Walk Away Richer?” Leslie Gornstein, Jan. 3, 2012