It’s no secret that Kevin Costner is rich, but his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner believes he is much wealthier than he has previously acknowledged as she seeks to force him to turn over information about his finances amid their contentious divorce and court fights over child support and a 2004 prenuptial agreement.
According to new court filings obtained by TMZ, Baumgartner said Costner’s net worth is close to $400 million. That’s more than the $250 million cited in recent news reports and much, much more than the $102 million in assets the 68-year-old actor and director claimed to have when they were negotiating their prenuptial agreement ahead of their 2004 wedding.
In the court filings, Baumgartner, 49, questions whether Costner disclosed his full net worth when she signed the prenuptial agreement, TMZ reported. Apparently, she and her legal team find it hard to believe that he was able to quadruple his net worth over the past two decades. They also allege he is sitting on around $24 million in cash.
The latest public disclosures about all the money that has supported the Costner family’s lavish lifestyle comes ahead of a court hearing next week on child support and a trial in November to determine the validity of the couple’s prenuptial agreement.
According to Us Weekly, Baumgartner has accused of Costner of “stonewalling” by refusing to share information related to his business affairs ahead of the hearing next week. Her legal team claims that Costner is “withholding” information about the actor’s anticipated income from future film and TV projects, including his film series “Horizon.”
TMZ reported it’s possible that Costner was able to quadruple his net worth in the past decade. After some career hits and misses in the 2000s, things started to pick up for the actor and director in the 2010s when he starred in the hit History Channel miniseries, “Hatfields & McCoys.” He then co-starred in the Academy Award-nominated film “Hidden Figures,” played Jessica Chastain’s father in “Molly’s Game” and starred in and produced the popular TV series, “Yellowstone.”
In June, Baumgartner asked Costner for $248,000 a month to help support their three children — Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13 — in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. In his response, Costner countered that he could not afford to pay that amount because he “will earn substantially less in 2023” following his departure from “Yellowstone.”
One month later, the court temporarily awarded Baumgartner $129,755 per month in child support. Costner was also ordered to pay $200,000 in attorneys’ fees and $100,000 in forensic costs.
Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner on May 1 after 18 years of marriage, reportedly “blindsiding” the “Dances With Wolves” Oscar winner by seeking to leave the relationship. Since then, the estranged spouses also have fought about his demand that she vacate the family home — a $145 million oceanfront estate near Santa Barbara — in accordance with their prenuptial agreement. The agreement said that Baumgartner had 30 days to leave the family home in the event of divorce; she has since moved out.
But Baumgartner is looking to contest the prenuptial agreement, which limits her to receiving a settlement of $1 million. Legal experts have said $1 million isn’t much money for anyone who is accustomed to enjoying a high-income lifestyle in California. But they’ve also said she’s taking a huge risk in challenging the prenup because it says she could forfeit the $1 million if she unsuccessfully challenges any provisions of the agreement. As Baumgartner continues her legal challenges, she also could use up a sizable portion of the $1 million to pay her lawyers — especially if the court rules that her estranged husband isn’t obligated to cover any of her court costs.
As for Costner, he’s getting tired of the the legal drama surrounding their split, Us Weekly reported.
“Kevin and his lawyers have made a concerted effort to lower the temperature and stop the tide of bad publicity,” a source told Us Weekly. “Kevin feels betrayed by Christine, but he wants to take the high ground. Kevin doesn’t want to waste more time fighting with Christine.”
