Kris Humphries Divorce Settlement: Prenup, Annulment, and the Ring

Kris Humphries’s divorce settlement with Kim Kardashian, finalized in 2013, left him with no money from her, responsibility for his own attorney’s fees, and one significant asset: the engagement ring he had given her, which he later auctioned for $749,000.¹²

What Humphries Actually Received

On April 19, 2013, Kardashian’s attorney presented a written settlement agreement in Los Angeles Superior Court, and both sides confirmed a deal.³⁴⁵

In practical terms, Humphries received no money from Kardashian and was required to cover his own legal costs.¹ He also gave up the annulment he had sought for more than a year; the court granted a divorce instead.⁵ Because the case settled on the eve of trial, no court ever ruled on the merits of his fraud claim.⁴

The one asset he did secure was the engagement ring. On a 2025 episode of The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian said returning the ring was a condition Humphries imposed: “In order to divorce him, he said I had to give him the ring.”⁶

Why the Prenup Left Him Empty-Handed

Kardashian and Humphries signed a prenuptial agreement before their August 20, 2011 wedding.⁷⁸ The agreement stipulated that all property and income earned during the marriage would remain the separate property of whoever earned it, overriding California’s default community property rules.⁹ Sources close to Kardashian described it as “iron-clad,” and family law experts said it was structured to shield her estimated $35 million fortune and the broader Kardashian family business interests.

That agreement blocked Humphries’s financial demands. He reportedly asked for $7 million to settle and avoid a public trial, and Kardashian’s camp rejected it, with insiders telling reporters that “Kris and his lawyer have been told to pound sand.”¹⁰ Humphries claimed he was owed roughly $1 million from the wedding special and $250,000 to $300,000 from Kardashian show appearances, alleging he had “never seen a penny” of those earnings.¹¹ Kardashian’s side countered that he had received a cut of those proceeds and that the prenup left him with no claim to her income.¹²

The Annulment Bid That Went Nowhere

Kardashian filed for divorce on October 31, 2011, 72 days into the marriage. On December 1, 2011, Humphries responded by requesting an annulment on grounds of fraud, with an alternative request for legal separation.⁸ He argued the marriage should be voided entirely because Kardashian had allegedly married him only for fame, money, and to boost her reality television show.⁴ Under California law, a marriage can be voided if consent was obtained by fraud, but a short marriage alone is not grounds for annulment.¹³

The strategy had a practical motive. An annulment would have declared the marriage never legally existed, potentially voiding the prenup along with it. That prenup contained a confidentiality clause barring both parties from publicly discussing the marriage, and Humphries reportedly believed getting free of it could open the door to lucrative media opportunities.¹⁴ It never worked. The court did not grant an annulment because his attorneys could not prove Kardashian had committed fraud in agreeing to marry him, and Humphries abandoned the bid at settlement.⁴

What Happened to the Ring

Kim Kardashian later stated on The Kardashians that she had paid for the majority of the 18-carat emerald-cut diamond ring from jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, and that Humphries “contributed a fifth” of the cost.¹

Originally valued at around $2 million, the ring sold at a Christie’s auction for $749,000, well above its presale estimate of $300,000 to $500,000.² The base hammer price was $620,000, with the Christie’s buyer’s premium bringing the total to $749,000.¹⁵ A representative for Humphries confirmed the ring was his property from the marriage dissolution, and Humphries said he planned to donate the proceeds to charity.

Where the Settlement Left Him

In a 2019 essay for The Players’ Tribune titled “I Never Wanted to Be That Guy,” Humphries wrote publicly about the aftermath. He insisted the relationship had been genuine: “Our actual relationship was 100% real,” while acknowledging that aspects of the surrounding reality TV world were “not entirely real.”¹⁶ He described spending about a year in a “dark place” after the split, with significant anxiety and the feeling that “the whole world hates you.”¹⁷

Humphries retired from the NBA in 2017 after a 13-season career in which he earned roughly $66 million. He has since built a restaurant franchise portfolio with his family, including Five Guys, Crisp and Green, and Dave’s Hot Chicken locations in the Midwest, with plans to open 18 Dave’s Hot Chicken stores in Minnesota.¹⁸

1
E! Online. Why Kim Kardashian Returned Kris Humphries’ Engagement Ring She Paid For
2
The Hollywood Reporter. Kris Humphries Auctions Kim Kardashian’s Engagement Ring
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ABC News. Settlement Reached in Kim Kardashian’s Divorce Case
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SJ Family Law. Kim Kardashian Finally Divorced, Her Case Presents Several Family Law Issues
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OHB&B Law. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries Finally Divorced
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People. Kim Kardashian Paid for Majority of Kris Humphries Engagement Ring, Gave It Back in Divorce
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The Hollywood Reporter. Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries Sign Prenuptial Agreement
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BB Attorney. Humphries Kardashian Divorce Finalized
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FindLaw. Kim Kardashian’s Prenup Leaves Kris Humphries Empty-Handed
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The Week. Kris Humphries Seeks $7 Million From Kim Kardashian
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Page Six. Kris Humphries Demands $7 Million From Kim Kardashian
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UPI. Kardashian’s Ex Seeks $7 Million
13
California Courts Self-Help. Annulment in California
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Page Six. Kris Humphries Gets New Lawyer to Represent Him in Divorce From Kim Kardashian
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Springfield State Journal-Register. Kim Kardashian’s Engagement Ring Sold at Auction
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E! Online. Inside Kris Humphries’ Private World Years After Kim Kardashian Divorce
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Today. Kim Kardashian’s Ex Kris Humphries Says He Was in a Dark Place
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TalkSport. Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian Marriage Divorce NBA Chicken