Highlights
- Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner's 18-year marriage ended in an acrimonious separation, with Baumgartner filing for divorce due to irreconcilable differences and feeling neglected by Costner's busy schedule.
- The couple's past relationship problems included conflicts over Costner's demanding work on the show "Yellowstone" and Baumgartner's close friendship with a tech entrepreneur who rented Costner's guest house.
- Before they got married, Baumgartner gave Costner an ultimatum about having children, which led to a temporary split in their relationship, but Costner ultimately changed his mind and they reconciled.
With three adorable children and a married life replete with luxuries, Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner’s 18-year union appeared unbreakable. Everyone, including Costner, was, therefore, caught completely off guard when Baumgartner filed for divorce in May 2023, citing irreconcilable differences.
However, it appears that the duo’s marriage had been under strain for quite some time, with Baumgartner reportedly disgruntled over Costner’s busy schedule, which often kept him away from the family.
Interestingly, the tumultuous separation isn’t the first time their relationship has been on the rocks. Astonishingly, a mere breath before their lavish 2004 wedding, the couple was already on the brink of parting ways.
Inside Kevin Costner And Christine Baumgartner's Separation
After nearly two decades of marriage, Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner, now find themselves entangled in a months-long and acrimonious separation. The split, which first became public knowledge in May 2023, has seen the twosome butt head over everything from child support to kitchen utensils.
A particularly intense dispute revolved around Baumgartner's initial reluctance to vacate Costner's $145 million Santa Barbara estate. “Christine feels he should be the one to go,” a source revealed to US Weekly in June 2023. “She’s so angry with Kevin for what she feels led to the end of their marriage — him putting work ahead of the family.”
Although the matter has since been resolved, with Baumgartner reportedly moving out of the residence in late July amid an intense battle over household items, there’s still the matter of child support. According to US Weekly, Baumgartner sought nearly $250,000 in child support to sustain their children's accustomed lifestyle, a sum that Costner vehemently contested.
While a tentative resolution emerged weeks ago, with the courts compelling Costner to pay half of the requested amount, there’s still plenty of muck beneath the surface. The twosome is reportedly still clashing over finances, with Costner accusing Baumgartner of charging nearly $100,000 to his credit card without authorization.
Kevin Costner And Christine Baumgartner’s Previous Relationship Problems
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s 18-year marriage might’ve looked picture-perfect, but, as it turns out, there’d been trouble brewing under the surface for quite some time. Their biggest issue? Costner's demanding work schedule at the helm of the popular neo-Western drama, Yellowstone.
“Kevin’s team even asked about the possibility of moving the show to California, so he could film certain scenes,” a source revealed to US Weekly. “It’s been a discussion through the years, but it never worked out. Kevin has been making a lot of effort to make it work for his family.”
Recent reports also suggest that Baumgartner might’ve had a wandering eye. According to The Sun, Baumgartner grew close to Daniel Starr, a tech entrepreneur who'd been renting Costner's $50,000 guest house, while Costner was busy with filming.
“Daniel was really happy living in the house. It’s right on the beach, and he has a four-year-old son who he wanted to feel settled,” an insider revealed to The Sun. “After he moved in he became close friends with Chris and Kevin. They’d hang out together with their kids. But Kevin was always away filming, so Chris must have been lonely,” the source continued. “Chris and Daniel hung out a lot. She would come into his house almost daily.”
Although the duo were never romantic, as confirmed by Daniel himself to TMZ, they reportedly had a falling out in June, sparked by Baumgartner’s discontent over “Daniel’s attitude towards their friendship.” According to The Sun, Costner ultimately got wind of the feud, which led to a nasty confrontation between the couple and Daniel.
“There was a fallout and Kevin got wind of it. There was a row between him and Daniel and things escalated from there,” the insider revealed to The Sun. “Daniel thought really highly of Kevin and thought he was an excellent father to his kids. But Kevin hit the roof and sided with his wife. Ultimately, he wasn’t willing to hear Daniel out.”
Kevin Costner And Christine Baumgartner Almost Never Got Married
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner's ongoing court battle is actually not the first time they’ve been at odds. Speaking to Extra in 2020, Costner admitted that Baumgartner issued him with an ultimatum long before they started dating.
"If you're going to be with me, you need to know that kids are at the end of the road for me with you, if that's going to happen," he recalled Baumgartner saying. "And it was unusual that somebody puts the news out right there the first day.”
Having already welcomed three kids with ex-wife Cindy Silva, Costner was reluctant to take yet another plunge into fatherhood. “I feel really good about the kind of dad I was the first time around,” he admitted to Closer Weekly in 2018. “I was there for all the little moments, like when my kids forgot to sing in their school play because they were too busy waving at me,” he continued. “I never wanted to go through it again. I was like the classic single guy — who do I love this week, who next week?”
With Baumgartner intent on having kids, the twosome reached a crossroads in their relationship, leading to a split in 2002. Thankfully, the separation didn’t last long, as the Field of Dreams star quickly came to his senses.
“For years, fear kept me from marrying Christine,” he explained to Closer Weekly. “[She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father. I woke up and thought, ‘Am I going to lose a beautiful woman who is willing to be with me to my very last breath because I am afraid to say yes to a child?’ That’s all it took. Sometimes you learn the thing you’re most afraid of will save your life.”
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