Jeff Gordon Says That Reported $15 Million Divorce Settlement with First Wife Is False
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Jeff Gordon has married twice in his life. He is now living his best life with his second wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, and their two kids.
Things with his first wife Brooke Sealy were, however, not that pretty. Their marriage lasted eight years.
Gordon and Sealy went through a court battle for a divorce settlement. And while there were rumors that the divorce settlement cost him $15 million, the truth seems to be far from that.
Jeff Gordon and First Wife Brooke Sealy’s Marriage
Gordon met his first wife while he was at work. The NASCAR driver first laid eyes on Sealy, a Miss Winston Cup model, in 1993, after a race in the Daytona 500.
Things moved quickly for the driver and his ex wife, but they kept their relationship a secret for a while. That was because of an unwritten rule barring drivers from dating the Winston models.
He proposed in 1994, and they got married that same year. The former couple made Huntersville, North Carolina, their home for four years.
Jeff Gordon and then finance Brooke Sealey posing with the Brickyard 400 trophy in 1994 just 6 months after the two got engaged at the Daytona 500. “I was so nervous I went to the bathroom five times,” Jeff said. “I was trying to get the ring just right. It was in my pocket.” pic.twitter.com/Muw5Ekvy4I — 80's & 90's NASCAR Archive (@8090sNascar) December 22, 2020
In 1998, they moved to Highland Beach in Florida and lived there until their divorce.
The cause of their relationship’s downfall? Gordon’s alleged infidelity.
Following these reports, Gordon’s now ex wife filed for divorce from him in March 2002. She cited “marital misconduct” as her reason.
Sealy asked for a few things in the divorce — their Florida Mansion, which held a value of $10.2 million at the time, alimony, two cars, and permission to use their boats and airplane.
Further, she also demanded he pay the salaries of their housekeepers and other household employees.
Jeff Gordon’s Divorce Cost Him More than $15 Million
Gordon counter-sued Sealy, saying that he risked his life earning the money he did and shouldn’t have to split the assets 50-50.
But the Florida law at the time stated that the assets earned during marriage had to be split equally between the spouses.
The court apparently decided in her favor, and she took $15 million from the divorce. Or so it was thought.
TFW you find a *fourth* 1990s Jeff Gordon infomercial/documentary on YouTube.
This one depicts Brooke Gordon’s “home movies” (dramatizations) during the 1995 season.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/rl565x3nsS — Daniel McFadin (@danielmcfadin) March 20, 2021
But, in his biography, Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive & Destiny, Gordon revealed details that proved these reports wrong, in a way.
The NASCAR veteran discussed his divorce with his first wife in much detail.
In the book, he revealed that the divorce, which had been reported to have cost him around $15 million until then, was not even close to the actual amount.
He wrote that the settlement was in real “way more than double that.”
This means that Gordon, who had a reported net worth of around $48.8 at the time, paid more than $30 million in estimate to his ex wife.
Jeff Gordon’s Life after Divorce with First Wife
It was in 2002 that Gordon met his current wife, Belgian model Vandebosch. But they didn’t get together immediately.
Gordon and Vandebosch started dating only in 2004. Two years later, in May 2006, they announced their engagement.
Then came their wedding on November 7 that same year.
Jeff Gordon with his second wife Ingrid Vandebosch and two kids, Ella and Leo. (Photo: Jeff Gordon/Instagram)
The couple has two children together. Their first kid, daughter Ella Sofia, was born on June 20, 2007.
Their son Leo Benjamin followed next. He arrived on August 9, 2010.
Both his kids seem to be following in their father’s footsteps. They are already racing go-karts.