This Is How Much Kevin Costner’s Divorce Is Costing Him
The estranged couple's divorce costs are well into the multi-millions since Christine Baumgartner first filed in May
Amid his long, public divorce from estranged wife Christine Baumgartner, details about Kevin Costner and his family’s personal lives have come to light — especially financial details.
In court documents obtained by The Messenger over the course of the divorce proceedings since Baumgartner first filed in May, attorneys for both Costner and Baumgartner have revealed the Yellowstone star’s income, the worth of their properties and other assets, with some of their big-ticket items being presented as evidence during their child support battle.
It’s no surprise that Costner is — as Baumgartner’s attorneys call him in court documents — “a man of extraordinary wealth.” According to the documents, Costner earned about $11 million for Season 4 of Yellowstone ($1.2 million per episode) and $10 million for Season 5’s eight episodes ($1.25 million per episode), giving him a spot on the list of highest paid TV stars, just under what James Gandolfini made for The Sopranos.
Additionally, Costner announced that he is working on a four-film series titled Horizon. The first two of these films have already been shot, and Costner was paid $12 million for each (although he voluntarily deferred his payments). A forensic account found his total cash flow from 2021 and 2022 to be $19,248,467 per year.
Because of Costner’s wealth and Baumgartner’s bids for child support being in the six-figure range, the pair’s divorce has been an extraordinarily expensive one, even comparatively to other celebrity divorces.
Here’s what the divorce has cost so far.
Legal Fees
A family law firm for Baumgartner based in Santa Barbara — where the couple’s home is located — stated that Costner is being billed an additional $8,020 in legal fees. She is also expected to incur $2,000 more with this firm.
Susan Wiesner, Baumgartner’s lawyer out of Los Angeles, stated in a court document that she had incurred $84,470 and had paid her outstanding balance through July 31. However, she also estimated that Baumgartner will incur at least $200,000 more to get “the case through the bifurcated trial in November/December.”
Wiesner also filed a document on Aug. 21 petitioning for a “monetary sanction” against Costner for $8,985, claiming that she was “unnecessarily” forced to incur legal fees requested by preparing an Order to Compel for Costner. Baumgartner also requested an additional sanction of $8,020 against Costner, following his filing of Request for Admission documents.
A June 16 filing also stated that Costner had paid his attorneys at least $644,310 through the end of July.
According to court documents filed on July 10, Costner’s Los Angeles-based attorney Laura Wasser requested more than $99,000 in attorney’s fees and costs from Baumgartner, noting that she has “unfettered access” to approximately $1.5 million.
For these reasons, Baumgartner’s attorneys argue, Costner’s requests for monetary sanctions should be denied and the Court should order monetary sanctions against Costner in the amount of $8,020 representing the attorneys’ fees Baumgartner has incurred in having to respond to this motion.
Forensic Accountants
A report from Baumgartner’s forensic accountant stated that she had paid a $10,000 retainer and still owed a balance of $7,912.50 as of June 14.
Additionally, the accountant estimated that Baumgartner would incur an additional sum somewhere in the range of $100,000 to $150,000, according to the report.
Child Support
A judge has already ruled that Costner and Baumgartner will split the children’s private school tuition, health care expenses and extracurricular activities.
Baumgartner initially requested $248,000 a month in child support, but Costner has now been temporarily ordered to pay $129,755 per month.
Prenuptial and Alimony Agreements
Outside of continuous discussions surrounding child support, much of the debate around the couple’s divorce has revolved around their premarital agreement. At one point, Baumgartner argued that she may not have understood their 2004 agreement, which prompted the actor to reportedly accuse her of deliberately delaying the divorce.
“Christine asserts she cannot admit or deny that she understood the Premarital Agreement because she (and apparently all of her attorneys) do not understand the word ‘understood,'” per reporting from Us Weekly. “This is gamesmanship of the worst sort.”
Despite this discussion surrounding Baumgartner’s understanding of the document, rumors circulated that Costner had already paid her $1 million, as per the terms of the prenup, and court documents confirmed this. Reportedly, she is entitled to $1.4 million.
