Kevin Costner’s multimillion dollar estate has become the subject of much speculation after his wife Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce – with questions remaining as to how his assets will be split between the pair.
It was revealed Tuesday that Baumgartner, 49, a fashion designer and 68-year-old Costner’s second wife, had cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ in her divorce filing on Monday, May 1 and requested joint custody of the pair’s three children.
It remains to be seen what Christine will receive as part of the divorce. Both have filed for joint custody of their children and it has also been reported that the Dances With Wolves star has a pre-nuptial agreement.
The jewel in the crown of Costner’s property empire is undoubtedly his sprawling, lavish, 10-acre beachfront compound in celebrity favorite, Carpinteria, California – worth an estimated $145million.
Costner already had a home on the beach in Carpinteria but bought a 17-acre parcel of land complete with a modest two-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch in 2006 for $28.5million – after jogging past one day and seeing a for sale sign.
In 2007, he sold seven acres of the land to a neighbor, but combined his homes to create one seamless estate.
The home is perched on a clifftop and boasts unrivaled ocean views. Costner originally designed a dream home with a pool and guest house but, due to family commitments and spending time at his Aspen home, he never got around to redeveloping the site.
The compound comes with 500 feet of private beach, surrounded by cliffs, and Costner has built an apparent recreational house on the property which is surrounded by outdoor furniture and umbrellas.
The original parcel of land came with a polo practice field which Costner converted to a baseball field, with a longtime pal of the star telling WSJ in 2017: ‘We’ve had some great baseball games there.’
The home also boasts views of the Santa Barbara mountains, several islands and its own horseback riding trail.
In 2017, the star put the stunning property on the market for a cool $60million.The home’s listing was removed without being sold sometime later that year,
In 2022, the house next to Costner’s was listed for $109 million.
The family’s primary residence was in Ventura, California, 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. That’s in addition to the 160-acre estate that Costner owns in Aspen, where the couple married in 2004. Online records show that Costner has a number of other real estate investments, including apartments in Los Angeles.
Costner is said to have a net worth of around $250 million. The actor currently collects a reported $1.5 million per episode of his hit show Yellowstone.
In 2022, the actor became the best paid actor on TV when his salary hit $1.5 million per episode, reports Variety.
During the 1990s, Costner became one of the best paid stars in Hollywood when he received $14 million for his role in Waterworld.
In 1990, Costner was paid $3 million for his part in Dances With Wolves, a year later he earned over $40 million for his role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, thanks to a deal that saw him take a share of the profits.
In 2014, he settled a lawsuit with the movie’s producers for an undisclosed amount claiming he hadn’t been paid the full 15 percent of the movie’s profits.
Costner is the owner of Ocean Therapy Solutions, a company that works with other businesses in environmental clean-up.
The company sold equipment to BP in 2010 in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill for around $52 million.
In January, it emerged that Costner was renting out his 160-acre Aspen estate in Colorado for a whopping $36,000 per night.
‘I could live a lot of places — I choose to live here. It’s the perfect earth pushed right up against the mountain shoved against the ocean — it’s just smashed right in here and it’s our little paradise. The town has never outgrown itself. There’s still a charm to Ventura. When you look at the hills, they’ve really held back development and I hope they continue to do that,’ Costner told Visit Ventura in 2017.
In the same interview, Costner spoke about wanting to build on the land.
Costner and Baumgartner first began dating in 1998, having met around 1996 while Costner was filming his movie Tin Cup. The Bodyguard star said that at the time he first met her, he wasn’t ready to fall in love again.
Both are graduates of California State University – Fullerton. Baumgartner graduated with a degree in business.
They married in 2004 in Aspen, Colorado.
The reason for the long courtship was because Costner was not sure if wanted more kids. The uncertainty even led them to break up for a period prior to their engagement.
‘Fear kept me from marrying Christine. [She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father.’
‘I woke up and thought, ‘Am I going to lose a beautiful woman who is willing to be with me to my very last breath because I am afraid to say yes to a child?’ That’s all it took. Sometimes you learn the thing you’re most afraid of will save your life,’ he told Closer Weekly in 2018.
Costner was ‘completely blindsided’ by Baumgartner’s decision to call it quits, according to TMZ.
Although he’s previously faced allegations of infidelity, a rep for Costner has insisted that the TV star remained faithful to Baumgartner throughout their marriage.
It was also reported Wednesday that Costner will not be returning to his hit Pararmount+ series Yellowstone despite an unfinished fifth season.
Rumored tensions between Costner and showrunner Taylor Sheridan – who a source told DailyMail.com had developed a ‘God complex’ – may have contributed to his abrupt exit.
Baumgartner is said to not be filing for spousal support despite her husband’s $250million net worth.
Costner filed his response on Tuesday, and he is also seeking joint custody of their children – Cayden, 15, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 12.
‘It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action,’ a representative for Costner said in a statement.
‘We ask that his, Christine’s and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time,’ it concluded.
Costner’s response was filed by celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser, who has represented the likes of reality TV star Kim Kardashian and Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie.
‘Spousal support to be payable to petitioner pursuant to the terms of the parties’ Premarital Agreement,’ Wasser said, indicating there is a pre-nuptial agreement between Costner and Baumgartner.
A representative for Costner informed Page Six on Wednesday that any allegations that the actor cheated on his spouse are ‘absolutely not true.’
A source who claims to be close to Costner also told the outlet that ‘there was no issue of cheating at all’ and that he remains ‘very surprised by Christine’s actions.’
They continued: ‘He obviously doesn’t want the divorce and he would take her back. It’s disappointing, he loves her and he loves his children.’
The insider also stated that they ‘have no idea if Kevin even knows what the reasons are’ for the split.
TMZ was the first to report the divorce news.
The Bodyguard star was previously married to Cindy Silva from 1978 to 1994 and they share three children – Annie, 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35.
He also shares a son Liam Costner with Bridget Rooney, who he dated after his split with Silva.
Last year, RadarOnline claimed that Baumgartner was fed up with Costner’s intense shooting schedule and put pressure on him to exit the Paramount+ show after season five.
‘It’s really knocked a hole in their family life,’ a source told the outlet. ‘The show is such a mega-hit, producers want it to go on forever!’
They continued: ‘However, Christine wants her husband to hang up his cowboy hat.’
She allegedly posed an ultimatum to her longtime spouse.
‘She wants a firm commitment this is his last season — or he might have to hit the dusty trail!’
Costner has led the cast as patriarch John Dutton since 2018 and raked in $1.5million per episode.
ET reported Wednesday that Costner made the decision to depart the hit Western show – which broke records with 12.1 million viewers for its season five premiere.
The second half of season five has yet to be finished, and no update has been provided on when the cast and crew are set to return to Montana to continue working on the remainder of the season.
The uncertainty has led to lots of confusion and frustration, the outlet added.
