Kevin Costner’s Estranged Wife Is Demanding $248K A Month In Child Support To Maintain Their 3 Children’s ‘Accustomed Lifestyle’
Is it really that outrageous of a request for a multimillionaire?
Tinseltown / Shutterstock Kevin Costner’s wife, Christine Baumgartner, filed for divorce in May after 18 years of marriage. Court documents have since revealed that Baumgartner has requested $248K monthly in child support for their three children.
Baumgartner is asking for $248K a month to support the ‘accustomed lifestyle’ of her and Costner’s children.
According to People, Baumgartner claimed that the total requested is “less than the amount needed to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle.” She did not request spousal support but did ask that Costner cover 100% of the children's private school tuition, extracurricular activities, and healthcare expenses.
In previously filed court documents, Costner had already agreed to pay $38,000 in child support monthly in addition to covering school, extracurricular, and healthcare expenses.
Costner, whose estimated net worth is around $250 million, reportedly has a gross monthly income of $1,537,000. His 2022 income was reportedly $19,517,064, with family expenses coming out to $6,645,285, not including taxes. Costner’s net income after all expenses and taxes was a reported $7,595,520.
Costner and Baumgartner have filed for joint custody of their three children: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. The pair cited “irreconcilable differences” as their reason for seeking a divorce.
Photo: Shutterstock / Kathy Hutchins
Contentions in the split have not been limited to the dispute over child support.
Baumgartner has apparently refused to leave their shared Santa Barbara home amid the divorce proceedings, despite the pair’s prenup specifying that she would have 30 days to vacate the premises after filing for divorce.
Baumgartner is refusing to leave Costner’s house in California, although he has apparently ‘gone above and beyond’ to financially support her in finding a new home, agreeing to contribute $30,000 monthly towards a rental home for Christine on top of $10,000 to help with moving costs. According to court documents, he has already paid her $1 million. However, Baumgartner said that she could not access these funds “without jeopardizing [her] legal rights” in the case.
According to People, a lawyer representing Baumgartner has claimed that Costner has “no legal basis” to force her out of the home. The attorney claimed that Costner was attempting “to kick Christine and their three children out of the house that the children have lived in for their entire lives.”
"Although the legal basis for Kevin's request to kick his wife and children out of their home is all but nonexistent, this is still a matter of critical importance for Christine," the lawyer said.
A representative for Costner claimed that it was “disingenuous” to bring up the couple’s children. “This has nothing to do with the kids. The kids’ foundation is solid. This is all about Christine. Kevin has gone above and beyond in providing Christine the necessary means to find a suitable place for her to move,” said the source.
Documents filed by Costner state that Baumgartner has refused to move "in an effort to force Costner to agree to 'various financial demands.'" Her lawyers recently wrote the following statement: "Christine understands that at some point in the future, she and the children will have to move out of the family home. She cannot do so at this early stage of the case because she does not have sufficient funding to secure housing that will ensure the children can maintain similar standards of living in the parties' respective homes."
As the primary caretaker of her three children, it seems like Baumgartner is determined to maintain her children's lifestyle in spite of her impending divorce. "Christine does not have the financial resources to continue to provide them with a comparable lifestyle while they are in her care without the amount of support that she is requesting," her lawyers noted.
Jessica Bracken is a writer living in Davis, California. She covers entertainment and news for YourTango.