Kevin Costner’s Second Divorce Settlement Won’t Be As Expensive Compared To His First
Kevin Costner's current divorce is getting messy, but he's clearly learned from his mistakes.
Kevin Costner is currently navigating a highly-publicized divorce from Christine Baumgartner. But while it’s already gotten messy, Kevin likely isn’t going to pay as much as he did during his first divorce from Cindy Silva in 1978. Kevin lost a huge chunk of his wealth after their split.
It appears the actor vowed to never go through that again, as he made sure to sign an iron-clad prenup before walking down the aisle again. But even though there’s a prenup in place, that’s not stopping his estranged wife from defying it. Here’s what we know about the complicated situation.
Kevin Costner’s $80 Million Divorce Was Among The Most Expensive In Hollywood
Kevin’s first marriage was to Cindy Silva, who’s had several brief acting stints throughout the years, including alongside Kevin in his iconic movie Dancing with Wolves in 1990.
The couple met in college and were married for nearly two decades from 1978 to 1994. They welcomed three children during their time together. However, Cindy eventually filed for divorce amid rumors Kevin had an affair, which began one of the messiest divorces in entertainment history.
PEOPLE released a report claiming Kevin had an extramarital relationship with a woman named Michelle Amar, who was working as a hula dancer on the Hawaiian set of his movie Waterworld.
Kevin never confirmed or denied the affair, though Michelle’s husband reportedly claimed the rumors were false.
An insider implied that this wasn’t the first time Kevin had been unfaithful to Cindy. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know about him [and other women],” they told PEOPLE, adding the two were having marital problems for some time.
“You could see their relationship wasn’t working out,” another source who worked on Waterworld claimed. “They didn’t act like a family: she was doing her thing, he was doing his. They didn’t act close to one another, but they still talked. There wasn’t any mudslinging.”
Kevin and Cindy didn’t provide a reason for their split in their public divorce announcement. In fact, they didn’t share the news until they’d already settled the terms of their divorce.
“After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage,” the statement read. “We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached.”
Apparently, Kevin and Cindy didn’t have a prenup in place. So, while their divorce seemed quick by Hollywood standards, it wasn’t an easy one. Cindy walked away with roughly half of her ex’s fortune – $80 million, to be exact.
Kevin Admits He Was Homeless After Divorcing His First Wife
Kevin has been outspoken about how financially crippling his first divorce was. He may be one of the most well-paid actors, but he found himself having to start over once he paid the eight-figure settlement to his ex-wife.
The actor recently opened up about just how bad things got. In court documents for his ongoing divorce, Kevin claims that he was left homeless after his first marriage ended. He explains this is why he signed a prenup before marrying his current wife, Christine.
“I was married before, and upon separation, I found myself without a home base and unable to live in my own home,” he said in the papers, which were filed on June 8th. “I never wanted this to happen again. Because of the nature of my work, I am frequently out of town; it is therefore particularly important to me that when I am home, I have a home to go to.”
“Thus, when Christine and I began discussing marriage in 2003, I made it clear to her that I would not marry again without clarity that my separate property residences would remain mine to live in no matter what happened in our marriage,” he added.
Kevin Made Sure To Sign An Iron-Clad Prenup When He Remarried
Not only did Kevin sign a prenup before marrying Christine in 2004, but he also made sure that she wouldn’t be entitled to much of his fortune in the event that they divorce.
Kevin has recovered financially from his first divorce, as he’s worth an estimated $250 million. While some estimates suggest Christine is worth $7 million – she’s worked as a model and handbag designer – she’s claiming in court documents to not have a current source of income.
Even though Kevin is worth much more than Christine, their prenup only entitles her to $1 million payout, which Kevin says he’s paid.
He’s also required to put down $200,000 towards a house when she buys one, plus pay the first year of insurance and taxes. Until then, he’ll pay up to $30,000 a month in rent.
While a million divorce settlement seems generous, that represents less than 1% of Kevin’s total net worth. After nearly two decades of marriages in which Christine was the primary caregiver for the kids, some people feel she’s entitled to more, and Christine apparently agrees.
For now, Christine is refusing to move out of their shared $145 million mansion, even though the prenup stipulates she must do so within 30 days of filing for divorce. The home is considered a pre-marital asset, since Kevin bought it himself over a decade before they wed.
Christine says they need to work out a child support agreement before she can afford to move out. She’s currently requesting over $350,000 a month in child support for their three kids. Their divorce remains ongoing. But if one thing seems clear, Christine isn’t going to be walking away with nearly as much as Cindy did when she ended her marriage to Kevin.
