Mike Tyson and Robin Givens divorced after 9 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $10M. Settlement details, timeline and prenup facts.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
One of the most turbulent celebrity marriages and divorces of the 1980s.
Mike Tyson, the heavyweight boxing champion who in 1986 became the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, and Robin Givens, the actress who starred in the television series Head of the Class, met in 1987 and married on 7 February 1988 in a secret ceremony in Chicago. Givens was a Harvard-educated star, and Tyson was a young champion who had come from a hard background in Brooklyn. The marriage was short and turbulent, and was followed with great interest by the press.
Tyson's fortune came from boxing, where his knockout power made him a dominant champion in the late 1980s. His fights earned tens of millions of dollars, and he was managed by Bill Cayton and Jim Jacobs, as well as by the promoter Don King. In 1988 he fought Michael Spinks for a purse of about $20 million. Givens's wealth came from her television work, and the couple's finances were heavily scrutinized.
The couple married in February 1988, and in September 1988 Givens, her mother Ruth Roper and Tyson's manager were involved in a long dispute about his finances. In a famous interview with Barbara Walters in September 1988, Givens described Tyson as a violent man, while Tyson sat beside her. She filed for divorce in October 1988, and the marriage was formally ended in February 1989, after less than a year. Tyson later married Monica Turner and Lakiha Spicer.
The settlement was reported at about $10 million, although some accounts say the sum was lower, and the amount remains uncertain. Givens reportedly did not receive the full amount she had asked for. The case also involved disputes about whether Tyson's money had been put in joint accounts, and about the role of Givens's mother. The divorce followed a period of legal wrangling.
Tyson's earnings were large for a young athlete, and Givens claimed a share. The marriage was short, which limited the claim, but New York law allowed her to seek a portion of the assets accumulated during the marriage. The public nature of the dispute and Tyson's wish to end the case encouraged a settlement.
Tyson's career continued until 1990, when he lost the heavyweight title to Buster Douglas in Tokyo. He later spent time in prison following a rape conviction in 1992, and he returned to boxing in 1995. His finances were hit by poor management and, in 2003, he declared bankruptcy. Givens continued her acting career, appearing in television and film.
The Tyson and Givens case is one of the shortest marriages on this list, lasting less than a year. It is a very different story from the long marriages of Jordan or Brooks. It is often discussed as an early example of the media's attention on a celebrity divorce and its effect on a public figure's image.
The Barbara Walters interview with the couple became one of the most-watched interviews of its time. Tyson has described the marriage in his memoir and in his stage show. Givens has said that she regards the marriage as a difficult period of her life. The $10 million figure is a media estimate.
Robin Givens's reported settlement was about $10 million.
They married in 1988 and divorced in 1988, a marriage of roughly 0 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Reported assets include: Cash, New Jersey mansion, boxing earnings.
Tyson's earnings were large for a young athlete, and Givens claimed a share. The marriage was short, which limited the claim, but New York law allowed her to seek a portion of the assets accumulated during the marriage.