Kevin Costner and his wife are getting divorced; and thanks to their prenuptial agreement, things are already getting messy.
Christine Baumgartner, the Yellowstone actor's wife of 18 years, filed for divorce on May 2, 2023, citing irreconcilable differences, a month after they separated.
Costner, 68, now reportedly claims Baumgartner, 49, is refusing to leave the home he owns, but that they lived in together.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the actor said that per their prenup, Baumgartner had 30 days to leave the house after filing for divorce.
The deadline has passed, and she is still at the property.
In further court records obtained by The Post, it says that "securing his right to access his separate property residences in the event of a divorce was an important priority" for Costner.
"Kevin was married once before and, upon separation, he found himself without a home base and unable to live in his own home," the filing says. "He never wanted that to happen again."
Costner also accuses his wife of attempting to make "unreasonable financial demands as a condition to moving out," despite already paying her US$1 million and offering to help with a new residence.
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In a statement last month, Costner's rep said, "It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action."
Sources claimed the actor didn't want a divorce and would change the situation if he could, however, knew his wife was unhappy.
"His absence has been very hard for her," a source close to the couple told People.
"Christine doesn't want him to throw himself into another project. He has been obsessed with filming Horizon since last year. She wasn't happy about it."
The couple have three teenage children together – two sons, Cayden and Hayes, and a daughter, Grace.
Costner also has four children from previous relationships.
For most of his career, the American actor was married to Cindy Silva, who he met at college. The couple wed in an intimate ceremony in 1975, after dating for two years.
"She was beautiful, she was sweet, she was smarter than me," Costner told People in 1989, reflecting on the early days of their relationship. "She represented everything about women that I like."
During their 16-year marriage, the couple had three children together – Annie, Lily, and Joe, now all in their 30s.
However, while Costner was working on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1990, rumours of infidelity began circulating.
The couple later announced their divorce in 1994, sharing they had "amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs."
The pair's separation later made it to Forbes' list of the most expensive celebrity divorces at US$80 million.
Shortly after their separation, Costner had a short-lived relationship with businesswoman Bridget Rooney.
While Rooney later gave birth to the couple's son, Liam, the actor was unconvinced that he was Liam's father. Costner later grew closer to his son following a paternity test.
Following his relationship with Rooney, Costner dated political activist Birgit Cunningham and was linked to supermodel Elle Macpherson, before meeting Christine Baumgartner, a model-turned-designer.
Costner and Baumgartner initially dated for two years, before separating as Costner didn't want any more children.
"She said, 'I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,'" the actor told Parade. "And I did."
"Fear kept me from marrying Christine," Costner later added, speaking to Closer Weekly.
"[She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father," he added.
"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."
After getting back together, Costner and Baumgartner married at the actor's Aspen ranch in 2004, and had children in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Speaking to Parade, Costner shared what made their marriage work.
"Maybe it’s the ability to say you’re sorry. I know that sounds so simple. If you’re willing to tell somebody that you love them, are you also willing to say you’re sorry? You need to, even when you think you’re in the right," he said.
Most recently, Costner has starred in the popular Stan series, Yellowstone. After five seasons as John Dutton, Paramount the actor would be leaving the series at the end of part two of season five.
He's currently filming a new movie, Horizon, which he will both direct and star in.
However, Costner, who has seven children in total, has long maintained that his kids are his highest priority in life.
"All the years, all the tears saying goodbye at airports as I headed off to do yet another movie. Their brave faces trying to comprehend the time that I would be away and when I would come home. Hugs that never wanted to end," Costner said when accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards in 2015.
"My children have always been bigger than the movies. They've always been more important. It's because of them that I've been able to do what I love."
Feature image: Getty.
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