"That's the number one reason for a divorce"— Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary comments on the "financial stress" in marriages

Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary uploaded a video on Instagram on May 15, 2025, where he shared his opinions on the importance of money in marriages.

The clip was taken from his recent TV interview with Fox News, where Kevin shared that he used to think "infidelity" was the leading cause of most marriages ending. However, after talking to one of his lawyers, he realized that "money" was the root of the trouble.

"I wrote this book years ago called Men, Women, and Money, and I made the assumption the number one reason for divorce was infidelity. No, It's money... That's the number one reason for a divorce," he wrote in the caption of the post.

The Shark Tank star noted that most partners go into marriage without discussing their financial status or signing a prenup. Because of this, he believes "financial stress" arises in their relationship, and it eventually destroys their marriage.

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Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary comments on prenups and the "financial stress" involved in marriages

In the interview clip uploaded by Kevin O’Leary, one of the interviewers pointed out that he talked a lot about money in relationships. Digging into the topic, the interviewer then asked the Shark Tank star why the matter was so important and why he was focusing on it so much.

In response, Kevin explained that his focus on the subject stems from lessons he learned throughout his career.

He recalled that when he wrote Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women & Money: 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them in 2012, he initially believed that infidelity was the leading cause of most divorces. However, he later discovered, through conversations with his lawyer, that financial issues were actually the primary reason behind most marital breakdowns.

"I've learned... I made the assumption that the number one reason for divorce [was infidelity]. Because most marriages, 50% of them are divorce after 7 years, I said, 'why?' So I went to a divorce lawyer and I said, 'It's infidelity, right?' He said, 'No. It's money'," he shared.

The Shark Tank star noted that in most of the marriages that end in divorce, the couples enter without disclosing their financial situation, including their debts, the fact that they're bankrupt, or that they outspent their other sources. He believes this hiding of the assets causes "financial stress" among the couple, which leads to divorce.

Kevin admitted that people are "euphoric" and lost at the beginning of the relationship. He pointed out how the partners make many promises during the initial stage and say that they won't have any issues with money or that they don't need to worry about their respective family members.

However, the Shark Tank investor noted that it wasn't such a good practice and urged them to sign a prenup to get a full picture of the financial condition of the person they are about to marry.

"So, you know, it's so euphoric at the beginning of the relationship. 'I love you. I would never ask you about your money. I don't need to know anything about your family.' Yes, you do. You have to go get a prenup that forces you to disclose your liability so that you're going into the marriage understanding what you're marrying," he said.

The Shark Tank star continued:

"This is very important and now I treat money as the child that's born first. When you get married, right at the table, you're feeding that child called money. You better get used to it."

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes air every Friday on ABC.