Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly set to marry this weekend in a star-studded ceremony at Madison Square Garden, with a celebrity guest list expected to include some of the biggest names from music, sport and Hollywood. While fans are eagerly awaiting the big day, many are also wondering whether the superstar couple have signed a prenuptial agreement.
Experts Predict a Prenup Is Almost Certain
Taylor and Travis have never publicly confirmed whether they have a prenup, and if they do, it's likely to remain private. However, several leading family lawyers believe it's highly likely given the couple's extraordinary wealth. According to Forbes, Taylor is worth an estimated £1.6 billion, making her the first musician to become a billionaire primarily through her songs and performances. Her fortune reportedly includes around £590 million from royalties and touring, a music catalogue worth £445 million and approximately £80 million in real estate. Meanwhile, Travis is estimated to be worth around £67 million thanks to his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, endorsement deals and his Amazon podcast agreement.
Speaking to The Washington Post, New York divorce lawyer Nancy Chemtob said she would be surprised if the couple married without a prenup. "It would be nonsensical for them not to have a prenuptial agreement," she said. Although Travis has built an impressive fortune of his own, Nancy pointed out there is still a significant gap between the pair's wealth. "Her wealth is tremendous and his wealth is substantial, and that's what the irony is," she explained.
Without a Prenup, Assets Could Be Shared
Without a prenup, money and assets built up during a marriage could potentially be shared if a couple divorced, depending on where the divorce takes place. Therefore, celebrity lawyer James Sexton believes Taylor and Travis would most likely choose what he calls a "yours, mine and ours" agreement. Under that type of arrangement, anything each person owns individually would stay theirs, while assets they buy together would be shared. Gifts between the couple would belong to the person receiving them, while wedding gifts would usually belong to both of them.
If the couple were ever to divorce, each would keep their own assets and future earnings, while jointly owned property, such as a home or car, would be divided equally. Inheritances, personal injury awards and increases in value of assets owned before the marriage would generally remain separate. James Sexton explained that prenups are less about expecting a marriage to fail and more about avoiding long, expensive legal battles if it does. He said some celebrity clients who divorced without a prenup found it still "takes eight lawyers six months to figure out what this person has and how to divide it in half." He added: "If you have enough money, you can hire experts to say almost anything."
Prenups Protect Privacy and Reduce Costs
By deciding who owns what in advance, James said couples can save huge legal costs, protect their privacy and avoid "a tremendous amount of headache." He also claimed some celebrity clients publicly deny signing prenups even when they have; "It's just not true, I have it in my safe," he said. Experts also point out that prenups can't cover everything. They cannot decide issues such as child custody or child support, and they cannot determine ownership of children or pets.
Lawyer Randall Kessler said some celebrity prenups include so-called "bad boy clauses", which ensure the agreement still stands if one partner cheats. Others even include financial penalties worth millions of dollars for infidelity. Meanwhile, New York lawyer Michael Stutman said clients have requested clauses covering everything from cheating to cosmetic surgery, sobriety and even expectations around sex during marriage. "The shopping list goes on and on and on. After doing this for a while, there isn't anything surprising," he said.
