As he’s preparing to leave his hit TV show Yellowstone, Kevin Costner’s personal life has also been in a bit of a dramatic place. With his divorce from ex-wife Christine Baumgartner progressing throughout the past couple of months, it looked like we might be heading into a prolonged conflict between the former partners.
That apparently was the wrong assumption, as Costner and Baumgartner have settled their divorce, with the Man of Steel actor seemingly emerging victorious. While TMZ has reported that the pair have settled, the exact terms of the three-page-long document haven’t been revealed. All that we do know is that Baumgartner agreed to the terms presented over the weekend, and the deal is done.
That said, we do know that previous challenges resulted in some victories for the Dances With Wolves star, such as Kevin Costner's child support obligation apparently being set at the $63,000 a month benchmark previously suggested by his legal team. Also, the existing prenup with Christine Baumgartner was enforced, with a caveat that if Christine Baumgartner wanted to challenge it, it would cost "more than $1 million," plus Costner's attorney fees.
This story started with Christine’s filing for divorce this past May, and as things went along, all sorts of wild claims were made by both sides. Even in the recent turns to this case, there were allegations that Chrstine Baumgartner had a boyfriend. To be fair, that felt like part of the matching set, as there were rumors of a Yellowstone pregnancy factoring into the decision to divorce.
Then there were also the claims that Kevin Costner was allegedly warned to quit the show “or else.” That subject seemed to be debunked pretty swiftly as well, as Baumgartner claimed in a recent filing that Costner "could have continued" with Yellowstone, but was leaving out of desire to dedicate himself to his Western epic Horizon.
On the legal side of things, there was the time that Baumgartner wanted Costner to pay her legal fees, a request that was eventually dropped in the process of reaching the current, mysterious settlement. Strangely enough, during the divorce proceedings between the two ex-spouses, Kevin Costner admitted he thinks his Yellowstone departure might result in its own lawsuit.
For now, the settlement of Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s divorce may be a shocker, but it’s admittedly one of a more pleasant variety. All anyone can hope for now is a steady and smooth dissolution of their marriage, and compliance with the agreement that has been reached.
At least it’s one less cliffhanger that Costner has to worry about, and without question this is the one that has had more real world stakes attached to its conclusion. But of course, if there are any other challenges or surprises that crop up, you can be sure that the world will be watching with great anticipation.
