Revealed: Kevin Costner was ‘blindsided’ when his estranged wife Christine handed him divorce papers — because HE planned to serve them to her first
- Baumgartner is understood to have served Costner the papers a day after he told their kids
- Sources claimed he hoped to keep things amicable by following their prenup
- His estranged wife alleged Costner told the kids via Zoom without her present
Kevin Costner was reportedly ‘blindsided’ after his wife Christine Baumgartner served him with divorce papers at the start of May.
That’s because he thought the two had agreed to a more amicable divorce procedure, in which he would serve her the papers before following the procedure outlined in their prenuptial agreement, according to sources who spoke to The Sun.
Instead, Christine, 49 — who is requesting $248,000 per month in child support payments — served him papers the day after he informed their children of the split.
The 68-year-old Yellowstone actor ‘sat his family down, told them he and their mum were getting a divorce and his lawyer was getting the paperwork drawn up,’ a source claimed to the publication.
‘He wanted everything to be peaceful for the sake of his kids and told Christine he didn’t want a messy divorce because he’d already been through one,’ they continued.
But ‘first thing the next morning, boom, Christine sneak attacks him and serves him with her own set of divorce papers.
‘Kevin was so shocked,’ the source added. ‘Christine has since made him look terrible, and has continued to do so.’
However, Baumgartner has previously shared a different, less flattering version of how their children learned of their impending divorce.
In a court filing obtained earlier this month by People, she claimed that Costner told the three children about the divorce via a Zoom chat while he was in Las Vegas filming on location.
The handbag designer added that she was not present during the Zoom call, and she noted that she was puzzled about why the children had to be told in that way, as Costner would be returning home in a matter of days.
‘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,’ she wrote.
She added that she feared the children might learn of the split from an outside source, and she shared research with him that she had done that indicated a unified front with both parents was the best way to announce the divorce to the kids.
However, Baumgartner claimed that Costner was adamant about sharing the information before her and on his own.
‘He disregarded my proposal to do what I felt was right based on research and my relationship with the children. Instead, he insisted that he had the right to tell them that we were getting divorced “first” and tell them privately “without me present,”‘ she claimed.
It’s unclear if the alleged Zoom session could be the same event described by the source, or if there may have been two dates at which Costner spoke to the children about his separation from Baumgartner.
Costner and his estranged wife share sons Cayden, 15; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13.
He also has four older children from previous relationships. With his ex-wife Cindy Silva, he shares adult children Annie, 39; Lily, 36; and Joe, 35.
He also has a 26-year-old son named Liam from a short-lived relationship with Bridget Rooney.
The latest development in Costner’s newest divorce comes after People reported that Baumgartner was requesting a whopping $248,000 per month in child support payments from the JFK star.
She is also requesting that the actor pay for their private schooling in its entirety, as well as any healthcare and extracurricular costs that may arise.
Baumgartner’s request may be an eye-popping figure to pay monthly, but she claims the amount is less than the children’s lifestyle currently requires.
According to the documents, Costner earned around $19.5 million in 2022, and his family’s expenses were around $6.6 million for the same period, with their net income after expenses and taxes was said to be around $7.6 million.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed earlier this month that Baumgartner was refusing to leave the couple’s $145 million mansion, despite Costner’s attempts to get her to vacate the premises.
He claimed in a court filing obtained by DailyMail.com that he was essentially ‘homeless’ while his estranged wife refused to leave.
He added that he hoped she would be gone by the time he returned from shooting in just a few days, and he noted that he planned to begin editing his project at home.
The couple’s prenuptial agreement from 2004 requires her to leave the property if they should separate, while giving her access to a $1.2 million fund to find a new house.
However, she would likely choose something near her children in Southern California, and with the currently prices for housing in the area, that amount would likely only allow her to purchase a very small home.
A friend complained that the Dances With Wolves star should be thinking of his family’s welfare more than trying to adhere to document that is nearly two decades old.
‘Kevin should be thinking of the kids instead of himself. She also said Kevin has plenty of other houses he can choose from to make his primary home,’ they claimed.
Costner’s latest troubles come amid difficult negotiations on his hit Western series Yellowstone.
The show’s creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan has been negotiation with the actor to get him to return to film some final episodes to send of his character, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The series will be reportedly ending after the conclusion of the second part of Yellowstone’s season five, though scripts have reportedly not been written yet, and the ongoing WGA writers strike will prevent work being done on them until it is resolved.
