Prices realised

The Most Expensive Affair in History

Twenty affairs of public life, 1963 to 2026, and the prices they fetched.

Top lotLot 1 of 20

Jensen Huang

An affair, admitted 8 November 2026

$192.1bn

Sold, below the low estimate

Estimate: $199bn to $270bn
Paid by: Nvidia shareholders
In sterling: £143.8bn

Provenance

Mr Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, admitted the affair in an email to staff on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the board opened an investigation. The shares closed at $186.64 on Friday 6 November and at $178.67 on Monday 9 November, down 4.27%. Across 24.1 billion shares, that is $192.1bn.

Condition

Sold below the low estimate. Before the market opened, published estimates ran from $199bn (Yahoo Finance) to $270bn (Ynet, on Frankfurt trading).

Equivalent to

The GDP of Morocco, $184.0bn: 1.04 times
NHS England: 244 days
Every Premier League club valued by Forbes: 5.2 times over
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 1.37 billion hours

Lot 1 realised almost exactly twice the other nineteen lots combined.

Lot 1: $192.1bn
Lots 2 to 20: $97.0bn
Paid by shareholders, 7 lots: $219.1bn
Paid personally, 11 lots: $69.9bn
Paid by others, 2 lots: $19.0m
Sale total: $289.0bn

Results in full

Prices in 2026 US dollars, sterling beneath. Select a lot for its catalogue note.

Jensen Huang

An affair, admitted 8 November 2026

Nvidia market value, one session. Paid by Nvidia shareholders.

Estimate $199bn to $270bn

$192.1bn£143.8bn

More than the GDP of Morocco

Provenance

Condition

Sold below the low estimate. Before the market opened, published estimates ran from $199bn (Yahoo Finance) to $270bn (Ynet, on Frankfurt trading).

Equivalent to

The GDP of Morocco, $184.0bn: 1.04 times
NHS England: 244 days
Every Premier League club valued by Forbes: 5.2 times over
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 1.37 billion hours

Literature

Jeff Bezos

Divorce from MacKenzie Scott, 2019

19.7 million Amazon shares. Paid by Mr Bezos.

Estimate $47.4bn to $50.5bn

$50.5bn£37.8bn

64 days of NHS England

Provenance

The couple announced their divorce on 9 January 2019. Hours later the National Enquirer reported Mr Bezos’s relationship with Lauren Sanchez. Ms Scott kept about 19.7 million Amazon shares, valued at $38.3bn when a judge formalised the settlement on 5 July 2019.

Condition

A division of marital property, not a penalty. The shares were worth nearer $36bn when the terms were announced that April.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 64 days
The GDP of Cambodia, $50.7bn: 99.6%
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 360 million hours

Literature

Brian Krzanich

A past relationship with an employee, 2018

Intel market value, one session. Paid by Intel shareholders.

Estimate $7.5bn to $7.9bn

$7.9bn£5.9bn

Manchester United, with change

Provenance

Intel said on 21 June 2018 that Mr Krzanich had resigned as chief executive, after an internal inquiry found a past consensual relationship with an employee that breached its policy for managers. The shares fell that day.

Condition

Intel raised its profit guidance in the same announcement, so the fall cannot be attributed cleanly.

Equivalent to

Manchester United, valued by Forbes at $7.2bn: 1.10 times
NHS England: 10 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 57 million hours

Literature

Tiger Woods

Transgressions, 2009

His sponsors’ market value. Paid by his sponsors’ shareholders.

Estimate $7.9bn to $18.8bn

$7.9bn£5.9bn

The GDP of Barbados

Provenance

Mr Woods crashed his car outside his Florida home on 27 November 2009. His affairs became public and he admitted “transgressions”. Economists at UC Davis estimated that shareholders in his sponsors lost between $5bn and $12bn in the weeks that followed.

Condition

An academic estimate, not a traded price. The hammer price is the lower bound.

Equivalent to

The GDP of Barbados, $7.9bn: 99%
NHS England: 10 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 56 million hours

Literature

Bill Gates

Divorce from Melinda French Gates, 2021

Stock transferred, per SEC filings. Paid by Mr Gates.

Estimate $7.1bn to $23.4bn

$7.8bn£5.9bn

The GDP of the Maldives

Provenance

The couple announced their divorce on 3 May 2021 and it was finalised that August on undisclosed terms. Later in May the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft’s board had investigated an earlier relationship between Mr Gates and an engineer. Filings show $6.3bn of stock moving to Ms French Gates.

Condition

The link between affair and divorce is not established. The upper estimate adds the $12.5bn she received on leaving the Gates Foundation in 2024.

Equivalent to

The GDP of the Maldives, $7.8bn: 1.00 times
NHS England: 10 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 56 million hours

Literature

Steve Easterbrook

A consensual relationship with an employee, 2019

McDonald’s market value, one session. Paid by McDonald’s shareholders.

Estimate $4.5bn to $5.3bn

$5.2bn£3.9bn

The GDP of Eswatini

Provenance

McDonald’s said on 3 November 2019 that its board had removed Mr Easterbrook as chief executive over a consensual relationship with an employee. The shares fell the next day. In 2021 he returned more than $105m in equity and cash to the company.

Condition

The $105m he returned is not included in the hammer price.

Equivalent to

The GDP of Eswatini, $5.2bn: 1.00 times
NHS England: 6.6 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 37 million hours

Literature

Alec Wildenstein

Divorce from Jocelyn Wildenstein, 1999

Reported settlement. Paid by Mr Wildenstein.

Estimate $5.1bn to $7.7bn

$5.1bn£3.8bn

Six days of NHS England

Provenance

The art dealer and his wife divorced in New York in 1999, after she said she had found him in bed with another woman at their Manhattan home. She was reported to have received $2.5bn, with further annual payments.

Condition

Reported figures; the terms were never published. The hammer price is the lump sum only.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 6.4 days
Chelsea, valued by Forbes at $4.2bn: 1.20 times
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 36 million hours

Literature

Bernard Looney

Past relationships with colleagues, not fully disclosed, 2023

BP market value, one session. Paid by BP shareholders.

Estimate $3.4bn to $3.5bn

$3.5bn£2.6bn

The GDP of Bhutan

Provenance

Mr Looney resigned as chief executive of BP in September 2023, after admitting he had not fully disclosed past relationships with colleagues. The shares fell the next day while the FTSE 100 was flat. BP later said £32.4m of his pay had been forfeited.

Condition

The £32.4m he forfeited is not included in the hammer price.

Equivalent to

The GDP of Bhutan, $3.5bn: 99%
NHS England: 4.4 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 25 million hours

Literature

Rupert Murdoch

Divorce from Anna Murdoch, 1999

Reported settlement. Paid by Mr Murdoch.

Estimate $3.4bn

$3.4bn£2.6bn

More than Tottenham Hotspur

Provenance

Rupert and Anna Murdoch separated in 1998 and divorced in 1999. The Irish Times attributes the split to his affair with Wendi Deng, whom he married a few weeks after the divorce. Anna Murdoch reportedly received $1.7bn.

Condition

A reported figure. The settlement was not published.

Equivalent to

Tottenham Hotspur, valued by Forbes at $3.0bn: 1.15 times
NHS England: 4.4 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 25 million hours

Literature

Darren Huston

A relationship with an employee, 2016

Priceline market value, one session. Paid by Priceline shareholders.

Estimate $2.5bn

$2.5bn£1.9bn

Three days of NHS England

Provenance

Priceline Group said on 28 April 2016 that Mr Huston had resigned as chief executive, after a board investigation into a personal relationship with an employee. The company reported no earnings that day.

Condition

About $15m of his unvested awards was also forfeited. It is not included here.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 3.2 days
Aston Villa, valued by Forbes at $1.4bn: 1.80 times
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 18 million hours

Literature

Harold Hamm

Divorce from Sue Ann Hamm, 2014

Court award. Paid by Mr Hamm.

Estimate $1.4bn

$1.4bn£1.1bn

Aston Villa

Provenance

Sue Ann Hamm filed for divorce from the oil billionaire in 2012, and alleged in a later filing that he was having an affair. In November 2014 an Oklahoma judge awarded her $995.5m.

Condition

The court gave the grounds as mutual incompatibility.

Equivalent to

Aston Villa, valued by Forbes at $1.4bn: 1.01 times
NHS England: 1.8 days
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 10 million hours

Literature

Dmitry Rybolovlev

Divorce from Elena Rybolovleva, 2015

Award on appeal. Paid by Mr Rybolovlev.

Estimate $833m to $5.9bn

$833m£623m

One day of NHS England

Provenance

A Geneva court ordered Mr Rybolovlev to pay CHF 4.02bn in May 2014. An appeal court cut the award to CHF 564m in June 2015, and the couple announced a private settlement that October.

Condition

The final settlement is private. The hammer price is the appeal award; the upper estimate is the overturned first ruling.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 1.06 days
Brighton & Hove Albion, valued by Forbes at $910m: 92%
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 5.9 million hours

Literature

Chey Tae-won

Divorce from Roh Soh-yeong, 2026

Property division ordered. Paid by Mr Chey.

Estimate $668m

$668m£500m

Sunderland AFC

Provenance

The chairman of SK Group publicly acknowledged an extramarital relationship in 2015 and filed for divorce in 2017. In July 2026 the Seoul High Court ordered him to pay 944bn won in property division.

Condition

Under appeal to the Supreme Court. Not yet paid.

Equivalent to

Sunderland AFC, valued by Sportico at $675m: 99%
NHS England: 20 hours
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 4.8 million hours

Literature

Tim Worner

An affair with a colleague, 2016

Seven West Media market value, one session. Paid by Seven shareholders.

Estimate $104m

$104m£77.8m

The restoration of Big Ben

Provenance

In December 2016 Mr Worner, chief executive of Seven West Media, apologised for an earlier affair with a former executive assistant at the group. The shares fell about 8% and the board kept him in post.

Condition

Taken from a reported A$100m fall. The exchange rate is to be confirmed.

Equivalent to

The restoration of Big Ben, £79.7m: 98%
NHS England: 3.2 hours
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 740,600 hours

Literature

Silvio Berlusconi

Separation from Veronica Lario, 2014 to 2017

Alimony paid. Paid by Mr Berlusconi.

Estimate $22m to $93m

$93.3m£69.8m

Under three hours of NHS England

Provenance

Veronica Lario sought a separation in 2009, after Mr Berlusconi attended the 18th birthday party of an aspiring model. He denied any improper relationship. Courts set, cut and finally revoked her maintenance. About €60m was paid along the way.

Condition

Italy’s highest court later ordered the alimony repaid, and the two settled in 2020.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 2.8 hours
The Sovereign Grant, £132.1m: 6.3 months
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 664,800 hours

Literature

The Prince of Wales

Divorce from Diana, Princess of Wales, 1996

Reported lump sum. Paid by the Prince.

Estimate $57m

$57.0m£42.7m

Four months of the Sovereign Grant

Provenance

The Prince and Princess of Wales divorced on 28 August 1996. Both had publicly acknowledged infidelity during their separation. The Princess was reported to have received a lump sum of about £17m.

Condition

The terms were never officially disclosed.

Equivalent to

The Sovereign Grant, £132.1m: 3.9 months
NHS England: 1.7 hours
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 406,300 hours

Literature

The Independent (via Yahoo)

Ashley Madison

37 million members, exposed, 2015

Settlements. Paid by Ruby Corp, its owner.

Estimate $17.6m

$17.6m£13.2m

32 minutes of NHS England

Provenance

In July 2015 hackers published the personal details of about 37 million users of the adultery website. Its owner paid $1.6m to settle with US regulators in 2016, and agreed $11.2m to settle class actions in 2017.

Condition

The company denied wrongdoing.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 32 minutes
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 125,400 hours

Literature

John Edwards

An affair, concealed, 2008

Donor money. Paid by two donors.

Estimate $1.4m

$1.4m£1.1m

Under three minutes of NHS England

Provenance

The former senator had an affair with a campaign videographer around his 2008 presidential run. Prosecutors said about $925,000 from two donors was used to hide her.

Condition

He was acquitted on one count in 2012 and the rest were dropped.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 2.6 minutes
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 10,319 hours

Literature

John Profumo

An affair, denied to the House, 1963

Ministerial salary forgone, one year. Paid by Mr Profumo.

Estimate $154,000 to $237,000

$177,000£133,000

19 seconds of NHS England

Provenance

The Secretary of State for War resigned from the government and from Parliament in June 1963, after admitting he had misled the House of Commons about his affair with Christine Keeler.

Condition

No fine and no settlement. The only hard cost on record is his salary.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 19 seconds
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 1,263 hours

Literature

David Petraeus

An affair with his biographer, 2012

Fine. Paid by Mr Petraeus.

Estimate $142,000

$142,000£106,000

16 seconds of NHS England

Provenance

The director of the CIA resigned in November 2012, acknowledging an affair with his biographer. In 2015 he pleaded guilty to mishandling classified material he had shared with her, and was fined $100,000.

Condition

The fine is the only sum on record.

Equivalent to

NHS England: 16 seconds
At the UK average escort rate of £105 an hour^†: 1,013 hours

Literature

CNBC

^† The UK average escort rate of £105 an hour is from Erobella research. It is given for scale only.

Conditions of sale

The lots. Each lot is an affair of a public figure, admitted, alleged in court or widely reported, for which a sum of money is on the public record.
Hammer price. The single best supported figure for each lot. Where sources disagree, the estimate gives the range.
Share price falls. The change in market value from the last close before the news to the next close, multiplied by the shares in issue. One session only. No adjustment is made for the wider market.
Divorces. Included where an affair is on the record as part of the story. The price is the court award or the reported settlement. A division of marital property is a transfer, not a fine, and each note says so.
Today’s money. Sums in other currencies are converted to dollars at that year’s average exchange rate (Federal Reserve). Everything is then brought to 2026 dollars with the US consumer price index, September 2026.
Sterling. Converted at $1.336 to the pound, the Bank of England rate on 6 November 2026.
Comparisons. NHS England’s budget for 2026 to 2027 is £215.4bn, or £590m a day. Club values are from Forbes, 2026. National output is from the IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
Who paid. A fall in market value is borne by shareholders and may be recovered. A settlement is not. Each lot names its payer, and the table can be filtered by it.
Withdrawn. Cases of sexual assault or harassment are not affairs and form no part of this sale. Lots with no sum on the public record were withdrawn.

Press release

For immediate release · London, 10 November 2026

Jensen Huang’s affair cost Nvidia shareholders $192bn in a day, the most expensive on record

Nvidia lost $192.1bn (£143.8bn) of its market value on Monday 9 November, the first day of trading after chief executive Jensen Huang admitted an affair in an email to staff. That makes it the most expensive affair in history, according to a ranking of 20 by Erobella, the UK’s fastest growing escorting website.

The ranking counts only money on the public record: share price falls, court awards, settlements and fines, all in today’s dollars. Mr Huang’s comes to almost four times the next on the list, Jeff Bezos’s 2019 divorce ($50.5bn), and almost twice the other 19 put together. It is more than the annual output of Morocco, and would fund NHS England for 244 days. At the other end, the affair that ended David Petraeus’s time at the CIA cost him $142,000.

“Affairs are usually priced in private. Now and then one gets priced in public, by a court or a stock market, and those are the ones we could measure. John Profumo’s cost him a year’s salary. This one cost shareholders more than Morocco makes in a year.”

Brenda Jensen, Head of Data & Research at Erobella

Press contact

Dara Weston, PR Manager
dara@erobella.com

About Erobella

Erobella is the UK’s fastest growing escorting website and a progressive brand. Its research includes the Liberal Cities Index, Out on Campus and the Sex Work Statistics series.