Actor Kevin Costner sadly addressed his failed marriage to Christine Baumgartner, claiming there are no winners after a judge awarded her far less in child support than she wanted.
(Video Credit: Access Hollywood)
Costner spoke with Fox News Digital concerning his divorce and how it has unraveled his world.
“You know, when you have a life that long with somebody, there is no winner… and it’s this big, crazy thing called life and how it unravels so quickly,” he commented. “One minute you feel like you’re on top of the world, and then you realize how, you know, how vulnerable you are.”
“She’s an incredible mom,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We will figure it out and we’ll share. We just got to kind of convalesce right now.”
Judge Thomas Anderle ruled in favor of Costner, directing that his monthly child support payments would not be increased after two days of testimony. They will remain at $63,209 per month. Baumgartner wanted the amount raised to $161,592. It had temporarily been set at $129,755.
(Video Credit: Entertainment Tonight)
“Christine’s relentless ‘jihad’ against Kevin’s character adds a level of animosity to this proceeding,” Costner’s attorneys wrote in legal documents obtained by Fox News. His legal team called her actions “wholly unnecessary, and meant to distract from the intellectual exercise at hand.”
The actor testified in court that his world has “been shook up” by the divorce. “So, there’s a few things I have to do with this seismic change.”
“There’s a few responsibilities I can’t run away from,” he noted according to Fox News. “Mostly what I have to do is figure out how to spend more time with the children and help walk them through this… spend a little time with myself.”
“Costner explained to the court why the couple created a prenup in the first place, saying he didn’t want to be ‘destructed’ as he had with his previous marriage. ‘The last thing I wanted was to not be able to come home to my home with my children. We did a prenup,'” Fox News reported.
“My biggest concern now is that the court orders me to pay child support so much so that … I run out of cash,” he contended.
UPDATE: Kevin Costner’s ex Christine Baumgartner calls $129,000 monthly child support “insufficient”
She says Kevin needs to pay more child support “so that the children can go on comparable vacations when they are with her. This is true even if the child support payments also… pic.twitter.com/RghHI6ExTr
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 31, 2023
Par for the course during the hearing, Costner was grilled over his finances. The actor evidently has someone who manages his money for him and seems largely unaware concerning just how much he makes and spends.
The “Yellowstone” actor admitted to being fed “dumbed-down” versions of his accounting by his finance team. “We realized there’s a lot of things I don’t know,” he told the court.
During testimony, he recounted the day his wife “left” him while recalling documents received from his accountant about his financial status. The couple parted ways on April 11, according to the divorce petition.
“At the point I signed this, I remember thinking the number seemed very large, but I trust them and I signed it,” he told his ex-wife’s attorney concerning his finances.
What a gold digger.
— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) August 31, 2023
During the court battle, Costner recalled personal touches on their $145 million Carpenteria home. He also spoke of the rental property that Baumgartner has moved into since she was ordered to vacate the Costner family home. The actor said it is “comparable” but “not equal” to the Beach Club Compound they once shared together.
Costner was asked if he’d trade homes with Baumgartner, responding, “It’s tricky.” The actor noted that he wouldn’t want to swap residences because his three children were raised at the Beach Club Compound.
He recalled first dating Baumgartner, calling them “epic dates.” She was “really upfront” about wanting to have children and he liked that she was “really bold.”
On the other side, Baumgartner was asked about her plans for employment and an alleged “boyfriend.” She claims he has been a friend of the family for about “seven to eight years.”
Kevin Costner says Christine Baumgartner has a new boyfriend and has engaged in a “relentless jihad” against him.
— Theresa Longo Fans (@BarkJack_) August 31, 2023
The former handbag designer got emotional when talking about the estimated $100 million beachfront home she used to live in with the actor and their children. Her attorney told the court luxury is in the children’s “DNA at this point,” which is why she needs more money to fund a similar lifestyle.
Costner countered that argument by pointing out that two of their children go to public school and the other drives a 15-year-old truck, claiming their lifestyle was not extravagant, according to Entertainment Tonight.
He also made a comment during the hearing that Baumgartner left him.
At one point during Friday’s hearing, Costner joked when his ex-wife’s attorney accused him of earning more money during the first seasons of “Yellowstone” than previously stated, “Oh good, we’ll have to have a treasure hunt to find it.”
If you need almost $10k/day to look after the kids then you’re not doing it right. And by the sounds of it’s joint custody anyway, geez.
— Terry (@ozzietezz) September 2, 2023
“Were you laughing? I wasn’t. This is a horrible place to be but this is where we’re at,” he told Access Hollywood. “It feels so bad, we’re talking about somebody I love on the other side.”
When asked if he “still has love” for Christine, Costner replied “Of course” and said he believes “everybody” hopes things are resolved quickly.
The couple were married for 18 years. They divorced citing “irreconcilable differences.”
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