Kevin Costner had a hunch there were sparks between his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner and Josh Connor before they went public with their romance.
“Kevin had strong suspicions that something was going on between Christine and Josh,” an insider exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “Their close [bond] was a real elephant in the room.”
Multiple 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 split last year.
Baumgartner was spotted with Connor last summer before she finalized her divorce from Costner, but the insider tells Us that Baumgartner insists the pair’s relationship only turned romantic “relatively recently.”
Costner, meanwhile, has been linked to Jewel since last month, so “Christine doesn’t think Kevin has anything to complain about,” the source tells Us. “Josh has been Christine’s rock throughout the divorce ordeal. If Kevin has a problem with that, that’s on him.”
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 obta ined by Us at the time listed the couple’s date of separation as one month prior.
As the duo battled in court over assets and child support, Costner questioned whether Baumgartner was faithful after she requested documents relating to his finances.
“Respondent has no responsive documents for ‘extramarital romantic relationships’ in which he engaged because he engaged in none,” read court documents obtained by Us in August 2023. Costner’s attorneys also noted that the actor “does not know for a fact if [Christine] engaged in any ‘extramarital romantic relationships’ before separation and, if so, whether she spent any of his money or charged any expenses in furtherance of her affair(s) on credit cards he paid.”
That same month, Baumgartner testified in court that she and Connor were just friends after they were photographed on a trip in Hawaii. She confirmed in the same testimony that Connor had loaned her $20,000, half of which she gave to her mother, per TMZ. She noted at the time that she returned the other $10,000 to Connor.
Costner and Baumgartner finalized their split in September 2023. An insider told Us at the time that things between the pair had cooled off following their messy legal battle.
“They are now on speaking terms. Things are better,” the source explained, adding that the exes “didn’t want it to get ugly for the kids’ sake.”
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 stand now, watch the video above and pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.