Kevin Costner divorce: who is Yellowstone star's ex-wife Christine, children and why he's leaving show

Actor Kevin Costner has claimed that his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner is refusing to move out of the home they once shared, weeks after they separated. The Yellowstone star also says that he has given her $1 million to find her a new home.

Christine married Costner in 2004, but on 1 May the relationship was declared officially over as she filed for divorce. According to documents seen by American news organisation TMZ, the prenuptial agreement the pair had signed at the time of their marriage stated that Christine had 30 days to leave the couple’s home if she asked for a divorce. That 30 day deadline has now passed, and the documents reveal that Costner has apparently asked the court to step in and ask his ex-wife to leave the property.

The documents also state that he'd be willing to contribute $30K a month to Christine so that she can rent a house as part of his child support obligations, along with another $10K for her moving costs. The actor, who is directing and starring in an upcoming American civil war saga called Horizon, claims he has already paid out the $1.2 million he was required to do so under his pre-nup with Christine, but she isn’t upholding her end of the agreement. He alleges he believes this is to persuade him to give into 'various financial demands' she is making.

It may be a bit of a tricky time for Costner as this all comes at a time when it’s been rumoured that film and TV star is not continuing with his role in Yellowstone. So, just who is his former wife, who are his children and why may he be leaving Yellowstone? Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Kevin Costner’s ex-wife?

Christine Baumgartner is a 49-year-old handbag designer. She makes bags under the label Cat Bag Couture, which are available to buy online and in boutiques in Aspen, Colorado. Christine originally started her business with her friend Tamara Muro, back in the early 2000’s but Muro later had to leave the business for family obligations. Baumgartner then began running the business with some employees. The most popular type of bag created by the brand is a laptop bag.

Speaking to The Denver Post in 2005, she said: "I didn’t start because I loved handbags; I started because I was missing something. I use a computer quite a bit and travel a lot. I looked for a computer bag, and they functioned, but I didn’t find anything that was right for me. I've always loved fashion and style, and if you can mix it with function, it's perfect."

She met Costner in the mid 90s while he was still married to his first wife, actress Cindy Silva, whom he was married to between 1978 and 1994. The couple met again in 1998 and began dating. They married in September 2004.

Who are Kevin Costner’s children?

The Dances with Wolves star, aged 68, has seven children; Annie, Joe, Lily, Liam, Cayden, Hayes and Grace.

He shares Annie, aged 39, Joe, age 35, and Lily, age 36 with Silva. 27-year-old Liam was born after a relationship he had with actress Bridget Rooney. He had three children with  Baumgartner; sons Cayden and Hayes, born 2007 and 2009 respectively, and daughter Grace, born 2010.

Is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?

Kevin Costner plays the lead character of John Dutton in the drama series Yellowstone. He has played the role for all five seasons of the show, but it is rumoured that he may now depart the show. Sources told Hollywood entertainment publication Deadline that Costner only wishes to spend a week filming the remaining episodes of season five as he is working on Horizon. The show is currently on a break after the season five mid season finale aired earlier this year.

Given that his character is the main patriarch of the show, this is said to be causing some issues for co-creator of the show Taylor Sheridan. Paramount Network, the network on which the show airs, has allegedly declined Costner’s most recent proposed filming schedule, according to Deadline. Instead show creators have made the decision to move on to another show and are supposedly planning a potential franchise extension to continue the Dutton story. It’s reported that the programme may star Matthew McConaughey. 

Discussions are said to be ongoing between Costner and the show creators. Sources told Puck News that Costner "won’t commit to returning until he finds out, and is comfortable with, how his John Dutton character is written out of the franchise." Multiple people told the site that he does not want his character to be killed off.

A Paramount Network spokesman told Deadline back in February: “Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”