The process of ending the marriage between Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner — after she reportedly stunned him by filing for divorce after 18 years — continues to be an ugly one, with money seeming to play a huge role in the couple’s division of assets. After squabbling over Baumgartner’s refusal to leave their home until “financial demands” were met, and the revelation of the family’s extravagant spending habits, the Yellowstone star is now saying his estranged wife spends nearly $200,000 a month on plastic surgery.
In court documents obtained by US Weekly, Kevin Costner reportedly states that the $51,940 he is currently paying in monthly child support to Christine Baumgartner should be sufficient to cover the needs of the three children they share: sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13. He further alleged that the $248,000 monthly payments she requested would be mostly used on herself. The filing reads:
Christine allocates 60 percent of expenses such as private trainer, unallocated credit card expenses, and her plastic surgery to the minor children without any explanation or basis. ... [She has] plastic surgery expenses of $188,500/month.
The documents, obtained June 28, also specify that the children do not use the services of private trainers, only Christine Baumgartner does.
Kevin Costner’s court filing goes on to state that in addition to the nearly $52,000 in child support he’s already paying, the Oscar winner is covering 100% of the kids’ health insurance, extracurricular expenses, Grace’s private school tuition and Cayden’s car payments.
This latest legal filing comes after Christine Baumgartner reportedly refused to leave the Carpinteria, California, mansion that they shared — an apparent stipulation of their 2004 prenuptial agreement. Kevin Costner’s ex reportedly said she will vacate the home on August 31, which exceeds the 30-day limit stated in the prenup.
She apparently said in her court filings that Kevin Costner was trying to push her to vacate the mansion quickly without a financial plan in place. While the actor has reportedly provided $1 million in spousal support and agreed to pay rental fees/mortgage, insurance and other costs, Christine Baumgartner claims that using any of the support money would negate her right to contest the validity of the prenup — a move she apparently plans to make.
Kevin Costner’s divorce comes amid some drama in his professional life as well, with the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth and final season yet to film. The series announced it will be ending amid rumors of friction between the actor and Taylor Sheridan, as the creator continues to work on other Yellowstone spinoffs, prequels and an upcoming sequel featuring Matthew McConaughey.
The Dances with Wolves filmmaker, meanwhile, has his own new project in the works, and he seemingly “can’t wait” to shift his focus to, the four-part western film series Horizon. Yellowstone fans just hope to get some kind of satisfying conclusion to Taylor Sheridan’s flagship series before that happens. The new and final episodes were reported to be coming our way in November, but as the WGA writer’s strike continues — as well as Kevin Costner’s silence regarding the Paramount Network saga — nothing seems guaranteed at this point.
A divorce hearing for Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner is scheduled for July 12, so there may be some clarity coming on that front, and keep your eye on the 2023 TV schedule for all of the upcoming premiere dates. All episodes of Yellowstone are now available on streaming, so you can get caught up or relive all of the Dutton drama while we wait for its conclusion.
