(The Things) - Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s divorce is continuing to get heated, as the actor says he can’t afford his estranged wife’s child support demands after his exit from Yellowstone.
Earlier this month, Kevin filed a motion with the court claiming that Christine is defying their prenup by refusing to move out.
Conversely, Christine claims that she’s not able to afford to relocate as well as provide their children with the lifestyle they’re used to until they agree on child support. The model and handbag designer says she currently has no source of income.
Christine has named a figure for what she hopes to get in child support – and it’s more than six times what Kevin has said he’s willing to put forth. She’s asking for $248,000 per month.
Kevin has an estimated net worth of $250 million, while Christine’s is reportedly $7 million, which pales in comparison. Given the disparity in their wealth, her request may not seem unreasonable.
However, Kevin claims he won’t make nearly as much this year as he did in previous ones since he’s leaving his stint on Yellowstone. “I will earn substantially less in 2023 than I did in 2022. This is because I am no longer under contract for Yellowstone, the principal source of my income last year,” he stated in court documents.
“The fixed amount ‘pay or play’ and episodic compensation I received has ceased. Now, any compensation I earn from Yellowstone will derive only from my back-end contractual participation rights, which amounts are not fixed,” he continued.
Conversely, Kevin is offering to pay $38,000 a month in child support for their three kids.
Kevin Says Christine Has A Spending Problem And Wants Money For Herself
It’s not only that Kevin says he can’t afford such a high child support bill. He says Christine doesn’t need it to support their kids adequately. Rather, he claims she wants a large portion of the money for herself.
In more court documents, Kevin claims that his wife has a spending problem, and that she plans to use part of the child support money on herself, specifically for cosmetic procedures.
"Providing the minor children with more than bare necessities does not require providing ludicrous extravagance designed to primarily benefit the supported parent,” Kevin argued in the court response.
"Christine allocates 60% of expenses such as private trainer, unallocated credit-card expenses, and her plastic surgery to the minor children without any explanation or basis,” the documents continued. “The children do not use the services of private trainers, only Christine does.”
"The plastic surgery expenses of $188,500/month belong to Christine – not the children,” it added.
Christine filed for divorce in early June, though sources say Kevin didn’t want to split. The pair have been married since 2004 and share three children - Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13.
The pair signed a pre-nup before their wedding, which entitles Christine to $1.4 million in the case of divorce. Kevin says he’s already pad her the money. He also says he’s willing to help her financially relocated. Still, Christine hasn’t moved out of their shared home, despite it being considered a pre-martial asset, since Kevin bought it over a decade before they tied the knot.
Although Christine says she’s not going anywhere until they settle child support, it doesn’t look like Kevin is going to budge given what he’s said about her demands.
By Alexandra Sakellariou
July 1, 2023
