Kevin Costner 'had strong suspicions' about his ex-wife's new romance
Kevin Costner suspected there were sparks between his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner And Josh Connor before making their romance public.
“Kevin had strong suspicions that something was going on between Christine and Josh,” an insider exclusively reveals in the new issue of We weekly. 'Their close [bond] was a real elephant in the room.”
Multiple media outlets reported earlier this month that Baumgartner, 49, has moved on with Connor following her divorce from Costner, 69. Connor, a financier, was the former couple's neighbor before their divorce last year.
Baumgartner was spotted with Connor last summer before finalizing her divorce from Costner, but the insider says Us that Baumgartner insists the couple's relationship only became romantic “relatively recently.”
Kevin Costner, Christine Baumgartner.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.Costner, meanwhile, has been linked to Jewel since last month, so “Christine doesn't think Kevin has anything to complain about,” the source says Us. “Josh has been Christine's rock and steady throughout the divorce ordeal. If Kevin has a problem with that, that's his business.”
Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner in May 2023 after nearly 19 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. Court documents obtained by Us at the time listed the couple's date of separation as one month earlier.
Combining the good with the bad. Kevin Costner has received critical acclaim as an actor and as a director, but he's also faced his fair share of personal hardships. During a July 1995 interview with the Seattle Times, the Postman star opened up about his 1994 divorce from Cindy Silva after 16 years of marriage. Bee […]
As the duo fought in court over assets and child support, Costner questioned whether Baumgartner was faithful after she requested documents related to his finances.
“Defendant has no responsive documents for 'extramarital romantic relationships' in which he was involved because he has had none,” read court documents obtained by Us in August 2023. Costner's lawyers also noted that the actor is “not sure if [Christine] had an 'extramarital romantic relationship' before the divorce and, if so, whether she spent any of his money or charged fees in furtherance of her affair(s) on the credit cards he paid for.”
That same month, Baumgartner testified in court that she and Connor were just friends after being photographed during a trip in Hawaii. She confirmed in the same deposition that Connor loaned her $20,000, half of which she gave to her mother, per TMZ. She noted at the time that she returned the remaining $10,000 to Connor.
Costner and Baumgartner finalized their split in September 2023. An insider said Us at a time when things had cooled between the couple following their messy legal battle.
“They are now on speaking terms. Things are getting better,” the source explained, adding that the exes “didn’t want things to get ugly for the sake of the kids.”
The former couple share sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13. Costner also shares Annie, 39, Lily, 37, and Joe, 35, with ex-wife Cindy Silva and son Liam, 28, with ex Bridget Rooney.
For more on where Costner and Baumgartner are now, watch the video above and grab the new issue of We weeklyis now on the stand.