Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock for SAG Awards
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner Are ‘Lashing Out’ Amid Nasty Divorce: ‘Lot of Anger’
That’s some serious plastic! After Christine Baumgartner racked up more than $100,000 in legal and accounting fees, Kevin Costner canceled one of his estranged wife’s credit cards and put a $30,000 limit on another.
“Christine began charging large sums on the credit cards payable to her divorce attorneys and forensic accountants. She gave me no advance warning,” Kevin, 68, said in a June 30 court declaration, noting his future income is unsure now that Yellowstone is ending following five seasons on Paramount+. “I made the decision that there needed to be some reasonable limitation on the use of the credit cards.”
Her side of the story? Christine, 49, and her legal team claim this is a violation of their agreement to maintain a standard of living as the couple work out the details of their uncoupling. “They’re lashing out at each other,” an insider exclusively tells Life & Style of the latest round of Kevin and Christine’s bitter game of he-said-she- said. “There is a lot of anger and pain, and unfortunately that is motivating their decisions.”
Indeed, the pair can’t even come to terms on what they’re disagreeing about. In the most recent divorce papers, Kevin claimed he’d never said he would maintain the standard of living for Christine, only that of their kids — Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13.
“I have continued to pay for all of the children’s expenses since Christine filed for divorce,” he said. “Christine does not claim that the children’s expenses have not been paid.”
Moving forward, she’s seeking $248,000 a month in child support, when he’s offered $38,000. Kevin alleges the math doesn’t add up, with Christine allocating expenses such as a private trainer and $188,500 a month in plastic surgery to the kids. The pair have also fought over when she will leave the family’s $145 million Santa Barbara compound. He purchased it in 1988, and their prenup states Christine must vacate within 30 days of filing for divorce.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock (12868874uf)
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner
Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA – 27 Mar 2022
Kevin’s legal advisers accuse Christine of grasping “at straws with one baseless argument after another” about why she should stay. While her team responded the allegations were “simply not true” and said she would be out by the end of August — if they could reach a child custody settlement (both parties are seeking joint custody) — on July 5, a judge ordered the handbag designer to move out by July 31. A hearing about the rest of their prenup is expected in November.
“If Christine does not get what she wants,” warns a second source, “the divorce could get even more contentious.”
