Kevin Costner’s divorce from former handbag designer Christine Baumgartner has been anything but smooth sailing. The actor was reportedly blindsided when his wife of 18 years filed for divorce back in May, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Speculation as to why Baumgartner was ready to call it quits ranged from rumors of his Yellowstone shooting schedule being too demanding to whispers of infidelity. And now another rumor has entered the messy divorce saga, one that Baumgartner is reportedly ready to stomp out as quickly as possible.
There have been reports that the two have been on much more amicable terms since finalizing their divorce in September, which isn’t a necessarily a bad thing to hear. Plenty of celebrities have remained friends following a divorce. But Baumgartner reportedly isn’t a fan of that, or the rumor that the two have reignited their romance and are now in a friends with benefits situation.
“Christine said there is not a blip of truth about she and Kevin toying with the idea of being friends with benefits. First off, they barely speak to each other and secondly, she’s moved on,” a source close to Baumgartner told Daily Mail. While the source acknowledged that spending the upcoming holiday season alone is daunting for Baumgartner, the rumors that the two are friends, let alone lovers, are false.
Costner has remained tight-lipped on the subject. He has previously denied any extramarital affairs during his marriage to Baumgartner, even as outlets point out that it was cheating allegations that ultimately led to his divorce from his first wife, Cindy Silva.
“There is still a lot of hurt on both sides and she’s still disappointed that Kevin and his legal team painted such a horrible and untruthful picture of her,” the source added. The reports that Baumgartner was trying to maintain some sort of friendship in hopes of siphoning some cash from the actor also reportedly left a bad taste in Baumgartner’s mouth. Back in September, tabloids reported that she was using their newfound (and apparently made up) friendship “to her advantage — getting him to drop his guard in the hopes he’ll give her more money” following her divorce settlement from the actor, who is worth a reported $400 million.
Given all of the drama surrounding their messy divorce, it isn’t all too surprising that Baumgartner is ready to put all of these rumors to bed — without her ex-husband in there — for good.