After Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce from Kevin Costner in May of 2023, an ugly legal battle followed. The couple was married for 18 years before breaking up, and as they worked their separation out, a lot of news came out about how messy it was. Now, TMZ is getting ready to release a documentary about their break up on the 2024 TV schedule, and it has legal experts and those covering the case explain why the expenses of the actor’s ex-wife allegedly played into her losing the divorce.
During this divorce, it was reported that Christine Baumgartner asked Costner for $248 thousand a month in child support. This was supported by a list of expenses that weren’t exactly related to her children. In the video from TMZ’s documentary TMZ Investigates: Kevin Costner's Divorce War, one source (who was not named in the clip) said:
Christine listed her expenses to justify a quarter million dollars in support every month. Well, guess what? One of those items was a $100 thousand for cosmetics surgery. There was also thousands of dollars in boutique shopping, huge ATM withdrawls, her attorney’s fees, even a one-time construction loan, [that’s] hardly child support.
Ultimately, Costner emerged victorious, and his child support obligation is reportedly $63,000 per month. A Yellowstone-related argument helped sway the judge in the actor’s favor, along with the way Baumgartner presented her case not sitting well with him. He also noted that with the Paramount Network Western coming to a close with Season 5, Costner’s income from that show should not be part of the equation.
Then, in the same video, another source (who is not named in the clip) provided some insight into how the judge may have been thinking when they learned about these expenses. He said:
The judge called her out for that, and said that this amount that she was seeking was just a run around the prenup.
One other source (again, unnamed in the clip) gave her two cents about how Baumgartner’s expenses impacted her divorce, saying:
A lot of people wave alimony, but then they request these crazy amounts of child support to kind of subsidize their lifestyle, and say ‘Wait a second, my kid needs two nannies.’ But, in reality, they’re the ones going to get Botox, they’re the ones actually living that grandiose lifestyle, but they put the budget together for the kids and themselves.
Along with these expenses being a point of contention in this divorce, Costner’s lawyer also called Baumgartner’s claims to have the actor pay her legal fees “nothing short of outrageous.” However, this request was dropped before the settlement was made.
Issues surrounding Baumgartner and Costner’s living situation and her moving out of their Santa Barbara home also clouded the separation, among other points of contention.
Overall, this divorce was messy. However, it did come to an end, and now you’ll be able to learn more about it when TMZ Investigates: Kevin Costner's Divorce War premieres on Monday, February 26 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
