Kevin Costner Announces Life-Changing Personal News

Kevin Costner is going through some changes in his family, announcing on Thursday that he has finalized a divorce with his former wife of 19 years.

TMZ reports that details of the divorce between Costner and 49-year-old Christine Baumgartner have been settled, paving the way for an official separation now that more than six months have elapsed since Baumgartner made her initial request.

The greatest point of contention between the “Yellowstone” star and his ex-wife involved a judge’s determination on a prenuptial agreement signed at the start of their marriage. According to legal filings, a California state judge validated the deal, concluding that Baumgartner’s claims she didn’t understand the terms of the agreement were inadequate to invalidate it.

“Christine asserts she cannot admit or deny that she understood the Premarital Agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word ‘understand,’ attorneys for Costner wrote acidly at the time.”

Both sides asked for joint custody of their three children, but monthly expenses was another point of contention. After receiving $63,000 per month in child support, Baumgartner pleaded for $248,000 in monthly income, adding that she needs $100,000 a month for cosmetic surgery alone. Costner counter-offered with $75,000 per month.

The couple both signed the final agreement, as did their lawyers Laura Wasser and Marisa Beuoy. Costner and Baumgartner waived their need for traditional co-parenting classes.

With plenty of other fish in the sea, both have reportedly moved on since the separation began in May of 2023. Costner is now said to be dating singer Jewel while Baumgartner is seeing Josh Connor, a mutual friend of Costner’s.

Online estimations beg Costner’s net worth at somewhere between $250 and $400 million, putting him in the upper echelon of Hollywood’s solo earners. Since launching “Yellowstone” in his directorial debut, Costner has earned $1.3 million per episode and over $50 million during the show’s five seasons.

The show has proved to be ratings gold for CBS. Since debuting with 2.2 million viewers, the show’s audience has grown to 6.6 million during the fifth season’s opening episode in September of 2023. Costner stars as the patriarch of a ranching family near Yellowstone National Park who contend with the Native Americans who surround his property.

Inevitably, the politics of race and rural living have been injected into discussions around the show. Taylor Sheridan, a Texas native who helped Costner develop “Yellowstone,” recently shredded the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the decision as well as 34 other efforts national to prevent Trump from facing off against President Joe Biden.