While Kevin Costner was putting the finishing touches on “Horizon: An American Saga,” he was also grieving the end of a nearly two-decade relationship with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner.
Costner, 69, spent the better part of 2023 locked in a divorce battle with Baumgartner, 50, after she petitioned to end their 18-year marriage in May 2023, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. By February 2024, their divorce was finalized and Costner was once again a single man.
Despite the end of their union, the “Field of Dreams” actor told Fox News Digital what qualities he’s looking for when it comes to pursuing another romantic interest in his life.
Kevin Costner has a few prerequisites when it comes to finding a new partner. (Getty Images)
“I had two unique relationships,” Costner confessed before revealing what kind of partner he’d like.
“A person who wants to be loved, and they want to be, you know … feel like they’re at their very best. And that love helps that and doesn’t hinder it.”
“A person who wants to be loved, and they want to be, you know … feel like they’re at their very best. And that love helps that and doesn’t hinder it.”
Costner’s first marriage was with ex-wife Cindy Silva. The former couple met while attending California State University, Fullerton, and married in 1978.
Cindy and Kevin were married for 16 years and had three children together before their divorce was finalized in 1994. Silva was reportedly awarded $80 million in the divorce settlement, according to Forbes, one of the most expensive celebrity divorces of all time.
Kevin Costner and ex-wife Cindy Silva divorced in 1994. (Ron Galella Collection)
“My faith was shaken,” Costner recalled of his divorce in a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “No one wants their marriage to end, and it did. You are going to see the people you love most, your children, only half as much. That’s a huge loss.”
Before meeting Christine, Costner had one son with former partner Bridget Rooney.
Costner and Baumgartner announced their engagement in June 2003 after they began dating in 1998. They were married on Costner’s 165-acre ranch near Aspen, Colorado, and now share co-parenting responsibilities for their three children: sons Hayes, 15, and Cayden, 17, and daughter Grace, 14.
Toward the end of the year, the “Bull Durham” star sparked dating rumors with singer Jewel after the pair were spotted together on the British Virgin Islands.
Kevin Costner and ex Christine married in Aspen in 2004. The former couple have three children together. (WireImage House)
Kevin Costner and Jewel sparked dating rumors toward the beginning of the year. (Getty Images)
During an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” this month, Costner gave more insight into their relationship and admitted that they truly had “never gone out.”
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The radio host said he had “heard rumors,” which prompted Kevin to say, “”No, Jewel and I are friends. We’ve never gone out, ever. She’s special, and … I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have. She’s special to me. She’s beautiful enough to go out with.”
“How does that s— start? Kevin, how does that work,” Stern asked.
“We were down at [Richard] Branson’s island. She has a foundation, which I didn’t know, and she was part of the foundation. And Richard Branson has been asking me for years to come down to Necker Island, and so I finally did,” Costner said. “I’m divorced all of a sudden. I’m a single father, and he’s asked me for, you know, 10 years to come down there. I said, ‘I guess I’ll go down.'”
Jewel shared a group photo, including Kevin Costner, on her Instagram to celebrate the fundraising event. (Jewel/Instagram)
He added, “I got on a plane with nine people. Jewel was one of them. Emma Watson was one of them. She was somebody I just had some tremendous conversations with along with Emma. The rumor was, I went down on a private plane with her and I went back on a private plane with her.”
“I was on with nine people and, and I don’t want the press to ruin this for us, because … I’ve had conversations with her, text-wise, and she’s so smart, and she’s been through a lot herself, and so we have a friendship. We don’t have a romance, and we’ve not dated.”
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Costner will have more time on his hands now that “Yellowstone” is officially off his personal horizon. When asked why he finally made the decision to leave the popular series, Costner’s answer was simple.
“Because there’s just too many questions about it. So the time to step away was now,” he told Fox News Digital.
Last week, the Oscar-winner announced he was finished with the program for good after months of speculation about his role on the Taylor Sheridan show.
“Hi, everyone. I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on ‘Horizon’ and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about ‘Yellowstone,’ that beloved series that I love, and I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue season 5 or into the future,” he said on Instagram.
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“It was something that really changed me. I loved it and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship that we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
‘YELLOWSTONE’ WILL CONTINUE WITHOUT KEVIN COSTNER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FINAL EPISODE
The real love in his life as of late, though, has been his passion project, “Horizon: An American Saga.” In addition to starring in the feature film, Costner also directed “Horizon,” based on a script he co-wrote with John Baird. The ensemble cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Abbey Lee, Jena Malone, Giovanni Ribisi and Costner’s 15-year-old son, Hayes, to name a few.
Costner admitted working on set with Hayes, who was cast as Nathaniel Kittredge, was special in many ways.
“That he did it, that he was good in it, that he listened, that he was worried, that he cared … I’m just so happy that he has that now the rest of his life,” Costner told Fox News Digital. “I haven’t pushed my children into this, and this might be his only dabble in it, but he’s memorable. And for me to have him, I’ll never forget it.”
WATCH: KEVIN COSTNER TALKS ABOUT WORKING WITH HIS SON ON ‘HORIZON’
Costner’s western saga debuts in theaters on June 28. The second part of the epic will be released just 49 days later, on Aug. 16. Tickets are on sale now.
Through his deal with FOX Nation, Costner is set to release a new project in 2025 for the platform and previously hosted “Yellowstone: One Fifty,” a series that explores the origins of the national park.
