The man won the massive sum just five months after finalizing his divorce from his ex-wife, Eileen Murray.
Imagine if your ex-partner suddenly struck gold and became a multimillionaire shortly after your divorce. How would you react?
This exact scenario unfolded for Eileen Murray when her ex-husband, Mike Weirsky, won a jaw-dropping $273 million in the lottery, just months after their marriage officially ended.
The couple had been married for 15 years. During that time, Mike struggled to maintain steady employment, leaving Eileen to shoulder most of the financial responsibilities in their household.
Eileen took on the role of the primary breadwinner in their marriage. She provided the financial stability their household needed while Mike faced challenges holding down a job.
For many people in relationships where one partner is financially dependent on the other, alimony often becomes a part of the divorce agreement. Alimony is meant to support the dependent partner for a set period, even after the relationship ends.
As noted by WomensLaw.org: “Your spouse can be ordered to pay you alimony if the judge finds that you were financially dependent on your spouse during the marriage (‘the dependent party’).”
Mike Weirsky and Eileen Murray were married for 15 years Inside Edition/YouTube
In their case, Eileen was ordered to pay alimony to Mike for five years following their divorce. It was a court decision based on the dynamics of their marriage.
But what no one could have anticipated—least of all Eileen—was what happened just five months after their split.
Mike became the winner of a life-changing $273 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot in 2019.
Speaking to Inside Edition about her feelings on the situation, Eileen discussed the irony of still being required to pay him alimony despite his newfound fortune.
“To him, [the alimony] is pocket change at this point,” she explained.
“Think about the amount of money that he has just won. What I’m paying him is a pittance.”
Unsurprisingly, Eileen expressed her frustration at continuing to make payments to her ex-husband, who no longer needed financial support.
“I don’t want anyone to misconstrue that I’m coming after him,” she said, clarifying that she wasn’t trying to claim any part of his lottery winnings.
Clips from Eileen’s interview remain widely shared on social media, reigniting discussions and debates about the fairness of the situation and the obligations tied to alimony.
Eileen insisted that she didn’t want any of her ex’s winnings Inside Edition/YouTube
Some social media users couldn’t help but comment on how Mike seemed to have hit the jackpot twice—once with the lottery and once with the alimony ruling. As one commenter put it: “He won twice!”
Others argued that, considering Eileen’s years of financial support during their marriage, it would have been fair for Mike to share a portion of his winnings with her.
“It would be a nice idea to gift her a little $$ money to make her life a little easier,” another user suggested.
“She did support him throughout the marriage,” added one commenter.
Another agreed: “I’d still give her a few mil for supporting him all those years and move on,”
What are your thoughts? Should Mike have offered Eileen a portion of his winnings out of gratitude, or is it fair for him to keep all the money?
