Kevin Costner’s Wife: All About Their Split, Her New Romance & More
The ‘Yellowstone’ star’s ex-wife has reportedly moved on and found a new romance following their split. Find out more about Christine and Kevin Costner’s past relationships here.
Kevin Costner, 68, is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. His roles in films and TV shows like The Bodyguard, Message in a Bottle, Dragonfly, Hidden Figures, and most recently, Yellowstone, have earned him widespread acclaim, though he recently revealed that he would not return for the second half of the fifth season.
Throughout his career, Kevin has been married twice and had a series of other high-profile relationships. He was most recently married to Christine Baumgartner. Kevin is also a father-of-seven and has been involved in multiple headline-grabbing relationships, including his and Christine’s split. The handbag designer filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences,” after 18 years of marriage on May 1, 2023.
Four months after Christine filed for divorce, the couple reached a settlement, according to a report from TMZ on Sep. 19, 2023. While details of the split weren’t made public, the outlet said that the judge decided to enforce the terms of their prenup, although the handbag designer will get more money than the document said. If Christine challenges the terms of the prenup, she’ll need to pay Kevin $1 million and his attorney fees.
Here’s everything you need to know about Kevin’s most recent marriage and the women he dated before tying the knot.
Christine Baumgartner
Kevin and Christine had an on-again, off-again relationship for several years in the early 2000s. He was happily dating the model/handbag-designer until they broke up in 2002 amid reports they disagreed about having more kids. “She said, ‘I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,’” he told Parade years later. “And I did. Maybe it’s the ability to say you’re sorry.” They got back together and tied the knot on September 25, 2004 in a private ceremony at his expansive ranch in Aspen, Colorado.
The couple went on to welcome three adorable kids, and Kevin has opened up about the challenges of having “two sets of children” who are 26 years apart. “As [my] children interact together, there’s always this little bit of, ‘Do you care for us now as much as you do them?’ That’s just a natural thing that happens, and you have to talk about how big love is,” he told Mom.com in 2015. “The ability to be able to love somebody else doesn’t mean there’s less love for you. Love seems to be always able to hang on to as many people as needs to be in that circle.”
He and Christine welcomed their first child, Cayden Costner, in May 2007. He’s appeared alongside his younger siblings, Hayes and Grace Costner, at various events with his parents. Little Hayes was born to in Feb. 2009, while Kevin’s youngest child Grace was born in June 2010.
Christine was by Kevin’s side during his Yellowstone success. They walked the red carpet together at the 2022 SAG Awards, where Kevin and his co-stars were nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The couple also attended 2022 Academy Awards and posed for photos on the carpet together. Kevin posted a photo of himself and Christine at the Oscars to Instagram. “How beautiful is my date? Thank you to @theacademy for having us tonight,” the actor wrote.
Then, in May 2023, Christine filed for divorce after 18 years of marriage. His rep told Hollywood Life at the time, “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. We ask that his, Christine’s and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”
Before reaching their settlement, Christine and Kevin had a legal battle about the terms of their divorce. Early in the proceedings, Christine requested almost $250,000 per month in child support for their three kids. She claimed that the money requested was less than needed to support the family. She revealed the family’s lavish spending habits in court documents obtained by DailyMail.
She claimed that the family spent about $830,000 on gifts, almost $22,000 on spa visits, and tens of thousands more on other expenses. In another filing, Kevin alleged that Christine spent $100,000 on cosmetic surgery and pointed towards thousands of dollars spent on other expenses, including ATM withdrawals, lawyer fees, and more, per Page Six. He’s claimed that $51,940 per month is enough. It was eventually decided that he would $129,000 per month, but his lawyer filed paperwork for his payments to be $63,000.
In July 2023, Christine was ordered to vacate Kevin’s mansion by the end of the month, per a clause in the former couple’s prenuptial agreement. She had previously sought to extend the date to August, citing insufficient funds and time constraints. Kevin had reportedly previously complained in court documents that Christine was refusing to move out, despite the terms of their prenup that dictated she move out within 30 days, in the event of a divorce filing.
That same month, Daily Mail reported that court documents showed the former lovebirds were battling over household items such as a dog’s bed and kitchen utensils. Christine had also reportedly been trying to remove a blue-and-white beach umbrella, a juicer and an exercise bike from their home, but Kevin’s lawyer, Jacqueline Misho, claimed that the actor has no problem with his former spouse removing her toiletries, handbags, clothing, jewelry and “some Christmas decorations,” but any other item must be specifically agreed in writing.
Page Six also reported that Christine was asking a judge to deny Kevin’s request to have her pay part of his legal fees in their divorce. In early July 2023, he was ordered to pay $200,000 in attorney’s fees and $100,000 in forensic costs, which he then reportedly asked Christine to pay a third of. Other filings, per Entertainment Tonight, showed that Christine argued that Kevin wouldn’t have incurred such high legal fees if he hadn’t filed additional motions to get her kicked out of their Santa Barbara mansion. After months of battling it out, the pair finally reached their settlement in September 2023.
Most recently, in January 2024, a source close to Christine told PEOPLE that she has moved on from Kevin less than one year after their split. The pal told the outlet on January 16, that Kevin’s ex is dating a man named Josh Connor, who she reportedly has been seeing “since she split from Kevin.” The financier and Christine first began a platonic relationship before their spark ignited. “Josh was initially just a friend,” the source added. They also claimed that the 49-year-old “likes hanging out with him.”
Additionally, Christine’s “friend” dished that Josh “understands” what his leading lady has gone through following her divorce. “He is a divorced dad and understands what she’s been going through,” they said. “They both love the ocean and beach life. It’s something that makes Christine happy.” The same mag also reported that during the divorce proceedings, Christine’s lawyer John Rydell allegedly “denied” a romance between his client and Josh. The attorney claimed they were just pals and “nothing more than that.”
Joan Lunden
Former Good Morning America co-host Joan Lunden had a brief romance with Kevin the mid 90s. She opened up in a 1996 interview with TV Guide, citing the intense media scrutiny as the reason their relationship ended. “I think Kevin and I would have dated longer had it not been for the unbelievable press focus on us,” she said. “All the press made me very self-protective in subsequent dating.” Joan also opened up about their first date, telling the outlet, “He got this yacht and we sailed around New York Harbor and had dinner. It was quite romantic and quite beautiful. When he first walked on the boat and smiled at me as only he can smile and said, ‘Boy, I’ve waited so long to meet you,’ I almost fell over.”
Bridget Rooney
Kevin started dating Bridget Rooney after his divorce from first wife from Cindy in 1994. Just two years later, the new couple welcomed a baby boy named Liam, who was born in November 1996. He is arguably the most private of all his siblings and has stayed out of the spotlight and away from the Hollywood scene. Similarly, his mom has remained largely out of the spotlight despite her social status. She is the Pittsburgh Steelers heiress, and has remained involved in her family’s charitable endeavors. She went on to marry billionaire Bill Koch in 2005.
Cindy Costner
Kevin Costner met Cindy Silva in 1975 when they were both studying at California State University at Fullerton. His wife-to-be worked part-time at Disneyland, and he totally gushed about her in future interviews. “She was beautiful, she was sweet, she was smarter than me,” he said to People in 1989. “She represented everything about women that I like.” After three years of dating, they tied the knot in 1978, the same year he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. While Kevin was attempting to break into Hollywood, he also became a dad.
Annie Costner is Kevin’s oldest child. He welcomed her with Cindy in Apr. 1984. She went on to follow in her dad’s footsteps and pursued directing, producing, and acting having produced a variety of features, including El Cartel Cubano, ESPN 30 for 30: Bump, Spike and The Discarded: A Tale of Two Rios, She also acted in his acclaimed film Dances with Wolves, which Cindy also played a part in.
The couple then welcomed Lily Costner in Aug. 1986, and she too went on to become an actress. Some of the movies she’s starred in include The Baby-Sitters Club, The Postman and Black or White. Joe Costner is Kevin and Cindy’s third and last child together. He was born in Jan. 1988 and like his dad and sisters, went on to become an actor.
Despite their seemingly happy home life, Kevin and Cindy called it quits in 1994. “After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage,” Kevin and Cindy revealed in a statement at the time, People reported. “We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached.” During their divorce proceedings, Kevin was accused of being unfaithful during their marriage, and Cindy is believed to have walked away with a settlement upwards of $50 million.
