By Jessica Wedemeyer
2:05pm PDT, Sep 21, 2023
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Big yikes! On Aug. 31, 2023, TMZ and "Entertainment Tonight" reported that Kevin Costner's increasingly nasty divorce from his second wife, Christine Baumgartner, was getting even nastier…
The "Yellowstone" star reportedly accused his estranged missus of engaging in a "relentless jihad" against him and of bringing a "wholly unnecessary" level of "animosity" to their divorce proceedings. He also said she's made "baseless attacks" on his character.
He made the allegations in legal documents filed before he and his ex faced off over child support payments in a Santa Barbara, California, courtroom during the last week of August.
According to TMZ, the Oscar winner believes his ex has been "bubbling over with animosity" toward him and has accused him of "being a cheapskate" when, in actuality, he's forked over "way more than a million dollars" to her since she filed for divorce in May.
Keep reading to see what the judge ruled, plus discover how much Kevin has to pay in child support payments and more info…
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According to TMZ, Kevin Costner accused his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, of lying about her finances: He says "her boyfriend recently gave her" $20K in cash.
The "Yellowstone" star stopped short of naming his ex's purported new beau, but sources close to the situation told TMZ that the actor is under the impression Christine is dating their friend Josh Connor.
In July, Christine and Josh made headlines when they were caught on camera vacationing together in Hawaii (pictured). At the time, TMZ described Josh as a recently divorced (and apparently wealthy) financier who lives near the former couple in Carpinteria, California.
Multiple TMZ source, however, insisted that although Christine and Josh were very close, there was "absolutely no romantic relationship" between them. "They have been good friends for years," one source said.
Kevin apparently believes they've taken their relationship to the next level.
In court, Christine testified that Josh is not her boyfriend but confirmed that he did, in fact, give her $20K — though she says it's not a gift but rather a loan she intends to repay. She also revealed that Josh paid for their trip to Hawaii and claimed that she gave $10K of his $20K loan to her mother, who's been struggling financially since Kevin stopped giving his ex-mother-in-law a $5K per month allowance.
Keep reading for more…
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According to TMZ, Kevin Costner is claiming that his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, secretly took $105K from him to pay her divorce lawyers.
He also alleges that she's misrepresented how much she needs to continue raising their three children: The "Yellowstone" star says that when his ex — who wants a little more than $175K per month in child support — did the math, she included the bills for her various plastic surgery procedures (a whopping $188.5K per year) as well as fees for her private trainers and other "unallocated credit card expenses" that have nothing to do with the kids.
They "simply differ on what 'reasonable needs' means in the context of child support," Kevin says in legal documents while adding that Christine's child support demands are actually "disguised spousal support."
TMZ reports that the Oscar winner claims Christine, who initially wanted $248K a month in child support, "padded the bill simply because Kevin can afford it, and it has no relationship to their kids' needs."
He says she really only needs $63K a month to live comfortably. (Her lawyer argued in court that where their kids are concerned, luxury is "in their DNA at this point.")
Earlier this summer, a judge ordered Kevin to pay Christine $130K a month in child support.
Keep reading for more…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
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Kevin Costner says his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, is perfectly capable of getting a job, but "she has no plans to seek employment or engage in any income-generating activity."
According to TMZ, the "Yellowstone" star is accusing his ex of fighting for such a large amount of child support so she simply never has to work again.
"Entertainment Tonight," meanwhile, reported that Christine testified she might look into teaching or working with kids as a means of generating her own income.
Keep reading to learn how a judge eventually ruled on Kevin's child support payments…
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On Sept. 1, Kevin Costner scored a major win against estranged wife Christine Baumgartner when a judge ruled in favor of the actor and set his monthly child support payments at $63,209 — less than half what he was paying before.
The ruling came as a blow to Christine, who'd wanted the amount raised to $161,592 after it was temporarily set at $129,755. She'd originally asked for $248K in child support for their three kids.
Though the ruling was in his favor, Kevin told Fox News Digital there was "no winner," stating, "You know, when you have a life that long with somebody, there is no winner… and it's this big, crazy thing called life and how it unravels so quickly. One minute you feel like you're on top of the world, and then you realize how, you know, how vulnerable you are."
Keep reading for more on a judge's previous ruling concerning their marital home…
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In July, Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner resolved another major issue in their divorce when she officially vacated their marital home.
The former couple spent months fighting over the Oscar winner's $145M estate in Santa Barbara, California. Before they tied the knot in 2004, Christine signed a prenup agreeing to vacate the home within 30 days if she and Kevin ever broke up.
But when the time came for her to move out, she refused. It was months before a judge ruled in early July that she had until the end of the month to find somewhere else to live. She then briefly moved into "a smaller house on the property that's been used as a staff quarter."
Said a People magazine source at the time, "Christine is following the legal advice per the prenup and is vacating the family house. … This is a temporary solution. She is still looking for another house. She is staying in the area to not disrupt [their three] kids' lives. They will be back at school in the fall with their friends. Christine is trying to keep everything as normal as possible. Her sole focus is the kids."
In early August, DailyMail.com reported that Christine had moved into a $35K-per-month rental home.
