Kevin Costner, estranged wife divorce court battle continues - Los Angeles Times
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Kevin Costner and estranged wife Christine Baumgartner continue to trade jabs in court

Christine Baumgartner, left, wears a black and white dress and Kevin Costner wears a black tuxedo and black sunglasses
Christine Baumgartner recently claimed that Kevin Costner told their children about their divorce on a 10-minute Zoom call.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)
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Kevin Costner‘s estranged wife is airing it all out.

In a recent court filing, Christine Baumgartner claimed the “Dances With Wolves” actor told their children about their recent divorce in a Zoom call, for which Baumgartner wasn’t present.

“After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present,” Baumgartner said in the document filed June 16 in Santa Barbara County, according to Insider. “I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session, especially since he was planning on being home five days later.”

‘Yellowstone’ star Kevin Costner and his wife, handbag designer Christine Baumgartner, are ending their 18-year marriage.

May 2, 2023

She also alleged that despite the fact that the couple had been preparing to tell their children together, he desired to be the one to break the news to them.

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The former model and handbag designer Baumgartner filed to dissolve their 18-year marriage in May, citing irreconcilable differences.

In another filing obtained by NBC News, Baumgartner noted that Costner makes $1.5 million a month and asked that the “Yellowstone” star provide $248,000 a month in child support for their three children — Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13 — to help cover the cost of their private school education and healthcare, among other expenses.

“I realize that our lifestyle is extraordinary. I appreciate how very blessed we are to live this way,” she wrote. “It’s important to not only to provide a warm and comfortable home for our children but to also teach them family values and gratitude.”

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Paramount announced Friday that its neo-Western blockbuster will conclude when Season 5 returns in November, followed by an untitled ‘Yellowstone’ sequel.

May 5, 2023

Baumgartner also mentioned that she has been a stay-at-home mom since the birth of her first son and currently has no income.

Last week, Insider reported that Costner had filed court documents claiming that while he had agreed to pay $200,000 toward his ex-partner’s moving fees and insurance for the next year, Baumgartner refused to leave their shared home.

“Kevin has acted in good faith and has done everything in his power to make the transition as seamless as possible,” Costner’s document said. “But Christine refuses to vacate his separate property residence as she agreed she would do in 2004 as a condition of marriage.”

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Attorneys for both Costner and Baumgartner didn’t immediately response to The Times’ request for comment.

Adding to the divorce situation, Costner is in the middle of departing from the hit TV series “Yellowstone.”

In February, rumors began spreading that the “JFK” actor would leave the series; in May, Paramount announced that “Yellowstone” will conclude with the second half of its fifth season. It is currently scheduled to premiere in November, but that date is tentative due to the writers’ strike.

‘Yellowstone’ creator Taylor Sheridan said Kevin Costner’s abrupt exit from the series ‘truncates the closure of his character.’ ‘I’m disappointed,’ Sheridan said.

June 22, 2023

Creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan discussed Costner’s departure in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday. After more than five years of working with Costner to craft ranch patriarch John Dutton, Sheridan said the Emmy Award-winning actor’s abrupt exit disrupted his plans for the program. Costner is reportedly focusing on a four-film series, “Horizon: An American Saga.”

“I’m disappointed,” Sheridan said in the interview. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

Sheridan also said he and Costner resolved their issues without the help of legal reps or publicists.

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“He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it,” Sheridan continued. “His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”

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