Actor Kevin Costner is known for portraying strong lovers in many of his films. In many of Costner’s films, he always seems to heroically win the woman in the end, such as his films Dances With Wolves and The Bodyguard. However, off the screen, it seems Costner is struggling emotionally following his recent divorce. In February, Costner’s divorce from fashion designer Christine Baumgartner was finalized. Baumgartner initially filed for divorce in May 2023 after the couple had been married for the last 19 years. Together, the celebrity couple shared three children.
In a recent interview with CBS Mornings, Costner opened up about how he had felt after the finalization of his divorce, which was a lengthy court battle since last May. Costner told the outlet that the feeling was “crushing”. Costner further explained that he was hurt badly but realized he has to keep going forward, for his children’s sake. Baumgartner cited that her reasoning for filing for divorce was due to “irreconcilable differences”. The divorce settled in September of 2023 before finalizing in February of the following year. California laws require six months after filing before a divorce can be settled. In an interview with Fox News before Costner’s divorce reached a settlement agreement, the estranged actor stated that there were no winners in the battle of divorce.
When asked about the plan for co-parenting him and Baumgartner’s children, Costner stated that he was certain the ex-couple would “figure it out”. Cotner revealed in his interview that the divorce began messy, with Baumgartner requesting Costner pay child support as well as requesting a look over on the validity of their prenuptial agreement. Initially, Baumgartner requested $248,000 a month in child support from Costner. In July 2023, a judge set the temporary monthly sum to $129,755. Later in the case, it was ruled that Costner would only be requested to pay $63,209 per month in child support.
