Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, was seen leaving Los Angeles via LAX with two of their three children on Thursday while the celebrity couple battled their divorce.
As reported by TMZ, the 49-year-old handbag designer was seen being dropped off at the airport and entering the terminal with coffee and luggage in hand.
The former couple have three children together: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. (Costner also has four adult children from previous relationships.)
The trip is not expected to last long, the paper said, as Baumgartner is expected back in court in Santa Barbara on Wednesday for a hearing on the prenuptial agreement as part of the split.
Costner has claimed that part of the $248,000 a month alimony demanded from his estranged wife is to help pay for her own plastic surgery expenses.
Dispute: Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, was seen leaving Los Angeles via LAX airport with two of their three children on Thursday while the celebrity couple was fighting over their divorce. (pictured April 2022)
Baumgartner, who reportedly “surprised” Costner, 68, when she presented him with the divorce papers, described the amount demanded as “less than the amount needed to support the kids in their usual lifestyles,” the People reported Magazine earlier this month.
Costner’s forensic accountant now claims in new court documents obtained by TMZ that the expenses listed under the $248,000 include more than $100,000 on cosmetic surgery for Baumgartner.
That total also includes thousands of dollars on boutique purchases, huge ATM withdrawals and other expenses “unrelated to child support,” said Costner’s forensic accountant.
Christine’s listed expenses include credit card bills, as well as her own legal fees and home loan.
Costner’s accountant says these are “one-time expenses unrelated to child support.”
The documents say Costner paid for all expenses for the children and will continue to do so. The amount he is currently paying is reasonable – $51,940 per month.
Documents earlier this month show that Costner earned just over $19.5 million in 2022, while the family’s expenses for the same year were reported at $6.6 million. The family’s net worth is estimated at $7.5 million, according to the People report.
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The trip isn’t expected to last long, as Baumgartner is expected back in court in Santa Barbara on Wednesday for a prenuptial hearing as part of the split. She was photographed in the California seaside town earlier this month
Family: The former couple have three children together: Cayden 16, Hayes 14 and Grace 13 (pictured in 2015) Costner also has four adult children from previous relationships.
Claim: Costner’s forensic report now claims in new court documents obtained by TMZ that expenses listed under the $248,000 include more than $100,000 on cosmetic surgery for Baumgartner (pictured February 2022).
Baumgartner recently signaled her willingness to leave the villa they previously shared, but only as long as she has guarantees that her soon-to-be ex won’t leave her penniless.
She has agreed to leave the $145 million mansion on the condition that Costner, 68, agrees to pay any child support and fees a judge orders at an upcoming hearing, as per the by Court records obtained by RadarOnline.
In the filing, Baumgartner agrees to vacate the premises on August 31 of this year so long as Costner “complies with any assistance and fee orders the court issues on July 12,” the date of the next hearing in their divorce case.
This agreement would give her 50 days to find a new place to live and move in, while the prenuptial agreement reportedly stipulated that she would leave the original home within 30 days of filing for divorce.
She wrote that she was reluctant to leave home without a plan and funding, if only for the sake of her children, who she doesn’t want to move multiple times.
Baumgartner claimed, “Kevin wants me to rent.” [a] place without [a] Financial plan available. However, [I] We have to think of our three children. Committing to renting this is against your best interest [I] may not be able to afford, especially since this would ultimately lead to several moves.
“My goal was and is to ensure as much stability as possible for our children, which includes providing the right resources and plans.” [I] can determine [a] “We must provide them with a stable home rather than meeting temporary and inconsistent housing arrangements,” she continued.
In addition to being the main breadwinner, Costner was the only person making money recently, and Baumgartner states in her filing that she has no income.
On the calendar: Baumgartner said she will depart on Aug. 31 so long as Costner, 68, “complies with any assistance and fee orders the court may issue July 12,” the date of her next hearing; still from Yellowstone
Moving money: Costner has already put $1 million into Baumgartner’s bank account to find a new home, but she’s not touching it to challenge the validity of their marriage contracts; seen in March 2022
The Yellowstone star was willing to help his estranged wife move as per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum considering their lifestyle.
Costner reportedly paid her $1 million to find a new home, but given California’s high real estate prices — especially when trying to stay close to Costner — she might have had trouble finding something that matched it was the luxury they and their children are used to.
According to RadarOnline, Costner deposited $1 million into Baumgartner’s bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and he said he gave her $200,000 as part of their prenuptial agreement early in their marriage
However, Baumgartner won’t touch the money, saying it would rob her of her ability to contest the validity of her marriage contract.
She also said the couple didn’t have any issues on the days Costner lived in the home, and she says the mansion’s size and separate living quarters mean they can live together without interaction.
According to the insider, Costner’s legal team previously stated in court filings that “Kevin acted in good faith and did everything within his power to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
He is represented by celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser, who reportedly served as the inspiration for Laura Dern’s lawyer character in Noah Baumbach’s critically acclaimed film Marriage Story, which earned Dern an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
It was previously reported that Baumgartner is seeking $248,000 a month in child support payments. She and Costner share three children: sons Cayden, 15; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13.
However, Costner has stated in other filings that he believes he should only be paying around $38,000 a month.
Earlier this week, The Sun reported that Costner was “taken by surprise” when his wife served him the divorce papers, thinking he would be the first to file for divorce.
The Waterworld actor “sat down with his family and let them know that he and her mother were getting a divorce and that his attorney would be preparing the paperwork,” a source told the publication.
“He wanted everything to be peaceful for the sake of his children and told Christine he didn’t want a dirty divorce because he’d already been through one,” they continued.
But the very next morning, boom, Christine secretly attacks him and hands him her own divorce papers.
“Kevin was so shocked,” the source added. “Christine has made him look awful ever since and continues to do so.”
However, Baumgartner previously shared a different, less flattering version of how her children found out about her impending divorce.
In a court filing obtained by People earlier this month, she claimed Costner told the three children about the divorce via a Zoom chat while he was filming on location in Las Vegas.
The handbag designer added that she was not present during the Zoom call, noting that she wasn’t sure why the kids needed to be told this way since Costner would be returning home in a few days.
“I’m still confused about his motivation for doing this over a very short Zoom session, especially given that he was planning on being home five days later,” she wrote.
Significant Difference: Baumgartner is asking for $248,000 a month in child support, but Costner says he should only be paying $38,000 a month
She added that she was concerned the children might find out about the breakup from an outside source, sharing research that suggested a united front with both parents was the best way to tell children about the divorce.
However, Baumgartner claimed that Costner insisted on sharing the information before her and on her own.
“He ignored my suggestion to do what I felt was right based on my research and my relationship with the kids.” Instead, he insisted he had the right to tell them “first” that we were getting a divorce , and telling them privately “without my presence,” she claimed.
It’s unclear if the alleged Zoom session could have been the same event described by the source, or if there may have been two dates Costner spoke to the kids about his split from Baumgartner.