Christine Baumgartner, the estranged wife of renowned actor Kevin Costner, has raised concerns about the actor’s approach to informing their three children—Grace, 13, Hayes, 14, and Cayden, 16—about their divorce after 18 years of marriage. PEOPLE obtained a court filing where she revealed that Costner shared the news of their divorce over an online video call.
According to the documents, Yellowstone star Kevin, 68, disclosed the news to their children during a brief Zoom call while he was on location in Las Vegas filming. In the filing, Christine, 49, asserts, “The children’s welfare has always been my highest priority, and I was concerned they would find out about the divorce before Kevin and I could tell them. It was important for me that we tell the children in person and together.”
Christine alleges that, despite her intentions to share the news in person, Kevin opted for a 10-minute Zoom call from his Las Vegas hotel room.
She expressed confusion over the choice, especially since Kevin was planning to return home just five days later. In her court documents, Christine states, “He disregarded my proposal to do what I felt was right based on research and my relationship with the children. Instead, he insisted that he had the right to tell them that we were getting divorced ‘first’ and tell them privately ‘without me present.'”
A source close to the actor notes that Christine initiated the divorce proceedings while Kevin was away for filming. The source added, “He FaceTimes all the time with the kids when he is away working.”
The couple, who tied the knot in September 2004, shares a blended family, including Kevin’s four older children from previous relationships, Annie, Lily, Joe, and Liam. Although Costner and Baumgartner endured a public legal battle over their prenuptial arrangement and child support for their three children, they have reportedly managed to rekindle an amicable relationship post-divorce. However, insiders reveal that friends of Costner are still wary of Baumgartner’s ‘motives’ in light of recent developments.
As per Radar Online, “Christine is seeing the positive side of being friendly with Kevin again since she walked away with much less than she bargained for. They’re being cordial, which is a relief to Kevin. Even after all this bad blood, he still has a sweet spot for her,” a source asserted, expressing relief that the atmosphere between the ex-spouses has improved.
However, concerns arose among friends who speculated that Baumgartner might be leveraging their friendly terms to her advantage. The fear was that she may exploit the newfound friendship to seek additional financial support. Baumgartner’s repeated attempts to secure more money during the divorce proceedings have also reportedly left a bitter taste among their friends.