Kevin Costner has alleged that his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, won’t move out of their home, amid their divorce. TMZ reports that Costner’s legal team filed documents stating that, per the terms of their prenuptial agreement, Baumgartner should have moved out within 30 days when she filed for divorce in May 1. However, the actor feels that she is using the situation to force him to give in to Baumgartner’s “various financial demands,” even though he claims to have already given her more than $1 million to find a new place to live, and has even offered more.
Baumgartner, 49, filed for divorce from Costner, 68, last month, citing irreconcilable differences and listing the date of separation as April 11. She also requested joint custody of their three teenage children: Cayden, Hayes, and Grace. In his legal response, Costner also cited irreconcilable differences, as well as asked for joint custody of their kids. PEOPLE previously noted that Costner’s filing mentioned a prenup, which is apparently referenced due to potential issues of spousal support, properties, and legal fees. This comes decades after an $80 million divorce from his first wife Cindy Silva, whom he was with from 1978 until 1994. Costner and Baumgartner had been together for 18 years, marrying in 2004.
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Per a source who spoke with PEOPLE, the cause of the split had a lot to do with Costner’s work schedule, which has been very demanding and put a strain on the couple’s relationship. The insider added that the actor “knew” his wife was “unhappy.” Despite this fact, the divorce filing was said to be an unexpected “unpleasant surprise.”
“Christine wants them to spend family time at their Santa Barbara home. During filming, Kevin is not around very much. His absence has been very hard for her,” the source said, later adding that one of Costner’s newest projects was a major catalyst in their division. “Christine doesn’t want him to throw himself into another project. He has been obsessed with filming Horizon since last year. She wasn’t happy about it.” Horizon is a movie that Costner has been developing. Some reports have indicated that the passion project led to Costner pulling away more from his hit Paramount Network series Yellowstone, which has now been canceled.
PEOPLE goes on to quote a separate source as saying that “at times” Costner’s “career has taken precedence over his home life.” The second insider added, “Kevin hasn’t been home very much for quite some time due to filming, the popularity of Yellowstone, and the time necessary for his other projects. He has been in demand.” They finally said, “All of this success and excitement over the new project probably took his attention away from his family more than he realized. Since it didn’t look like that would change and likely could get worse, it caused tension at home.”
