Even though Kevin Costner was seen chatting it up and smiling at the Golden Globe Awards with fellow Hollywood legend and member of Yellowstone’s Dutton family, Harrison Ford, things may potentially once again be slightly testy for the Oscar winner in his personal life. A new report about his ex Christine Baumgartner claims she not only jumped back into the dating pool with the quickness after the divorce was settled, but that she’s apparently been in a romantic relationship with a new guy for months now.
Who Is Christine Baumgartner Allegedly Dating?
In the aftermath of past rumors and some tabloid photography going public, People reports that Baumgartner is now coupled up with friend and former neighbor Josh Connor, whom she was specifically questioned about during her and Costner’s divorce hearings. It’s not entirely clear when the two may have decided to go all official with it, with an alleged close friend of hers revealing the handbag designer was “initially just a friend” with the financier. But the sparks apparently started flying at some point during the post-divorce timeframe.
The pair are said to be getting along quite well, partially because he’s been in her shoes, metaphorically speaking. According to the outlet’s source:
[She] likes hanging out with him. He is a divorced dad and understands what she’s been going through. They both love the ocean and beach life. It’s something that makes Christine happy.
The source stressed that they are having a “lot of fun together,” and some of that fun has been captured by photographers over time. Most recently, Christine Baumgartner was seen in front of Josh Connor’s home in Montecito, California, as she dropped him off, and he allegedly had a suitcase in tow.
Months before that, the two were seen together in vacation-esque settings, such as a trip to Hawaii in July, per TMZ. There, they were joined by her and Costner’s three kids: Cayden, Hayes and Grace.
Why Did Josh Connor’s Name Come Up In The Divorce Hearings?
That Hawaiian trip was one of the topics that came up during the contestable divorce proceedings between the Yellowstone star and his current ex, with her lawyer sharing that Connor lent Baumgartner $20,000 while she was in “distress” regarding her personal life. She then testified that he was the one who paid for the trip to Hawaii, making sure to point out that he did it for her kids as much as for her.
While on the stand, Christine Baumgartner was asked about the sleeping arrangements during that trip, and while she said at the time that she did sleep with another friend in the same room as her, she flat out denied that Connor was her boyfriend at that time. Perhaps things changed in the meantime, or perhaps there were romantic notions all along. (To note, he wasn’t the only friend that she was allegedly romantic with at the time, though those rumors were also denied.)
As things currently stand, it doesn’t appear as if Costner himself has started any post-divorce dating, though he was seen to be hanging out with singer Jewel at the tail end of 2023. Other than that, he appears to still be hard at work in the lead-up to his upcoming Horizon: A Western Saga premiering in theaters, while fans await the final Yellowstone Season 5 episodes, which may not even involve Costner’s John Dutton whenever they arrive in November 2024
