Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner seemed so happy, until they weren’t. After nearly two decades of marriage that started with the actors’ fantasy wedding and ended in a bitter divorce, there were clear signs that Costner and Baumgartner’s relationship was doomed. But now that their feud has resolved, their drama is behind them … or is it?
After reportedly dating for a year, Baumgartner became engaged to financier Josh Connor at the end of January 2025. According to reports, Connor, who finalized his own divorce in January 2023 and has three kids, lived near the Costner family in Santa Barbara County. There’s no confirmation about how close they all were — was it just a friendly neighbor thing, where you wave to each other from the comfort of your luxury cars; were the children friends; or were Connor and Costner the kind of pals that hit 18 holes of golf together? We would speculate that any friendship that existed between the two men is likely a thing of the past, as Costner reportedly hasn’t taken the engagement news particularly well.
Who reportedly told Costner that his ex-wife was engaged? Was it Baumgartner herself? The two seem to be on speaking terms even after their bitter divorce was finalized in February 2024. No. Per the Daily Mail, the news came via their children. (They share two teenage sons, Cayden and Hayes, and teenage daughter Grace.) An insider told the outlet, “Kevin said he felt sucker-punched when his kids told him about the marriage proposal.”
Costner brought up cheating concerns during the divorce proceedings
Speaking on Kevin Costner’s reported reaction to Christine Baumgartner’s relationship update, the Daily Mail source added, “He said he would have preferred to have heard it straight from Christine, but either way, it still feels like betrayal even after all this time.” However, Costner himself hasn’t made a public statement about Baumgartner and her beau.
This isn’t the first time the Oscar winner felt stung by Baumgartner. Back in January 2024, a year before the engagement, a source told Us Weekly that Costner had suspected more than a friendship between Baumgartner and Josh Connor. The issue was previously addressed during summer 2023 divorce proceedings, as Costner’s side asserted that he’d been faithful through their relationship, but they questioned whether she had. Us Weekly reported that in August 2023, Baumgartner testified that her relationship with Conner was platonic — which raised eyebrows, as the two had been on a tropical vacation in Hawaii prior to the statement.
While Baumgartner and Connor plan their nuptials, is septuagenarian Costner looking to settle down as well? There have been rumored links to Sharon Stone and Jewel, and even speculation about Costner and Jennifer Lopez, but none of them appear to be the real deal.
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝒇𝙞𝒍𝙢𝒔𝙥𝒐𝙞𝒍𝙚𝒓𝙨.𝙞𝒏𝙛𝒐” 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬.
