Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, reportedly addressed rumors about her husbands’ sudden departure from the hit TV series “Yellowstone” in a court filing, according to the Daily Mail.
The 68-year-old actor’s wife reportedly claimed the Paramount show had nothing to do with the couple’s divorce proceedings after nearly 20 years of marriage, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.
“I have avoided being public about the reasons for our divorce,” Baumgartner wrote. “I have done this to protect our family’s privacy. I did not pressure Kevin to leave the ‘Yellowstone’ show.”
“Kevin’s public attacks on me are harmful for our family,” she added. “I believe they are meant to pressure me to move out without a temporary child support agreement in place.”
Kevin Costner’s estranged wife wants nearly $250K a month in child support: docs https://t.co/H1GTJzr0c5 pic.twitter.com/uSACUtMOkM
— Page Six (@PageSix) June 21, 2023
Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that Costner was leaving the show at the height of its popularity. At the time, some speculated that Baumgartner had pressured him to do so before their split. She filed for divorce on May 1.
The creator of the hit western show, Taylor Sheridan, recently opened up about Costner’s exit and admitted he’s “disappointed.”
“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter. “His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting.”
“He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it,” Sheridan added. “His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
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“I’m disappointed,” Sheridan continued. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”
In February, reports surfaced that Costner’s character, John Dutton, could be leaving the series due to scheduling conflicts — and Paramount said little at the time to dispel those rumors.
In May, sources close to the production told Entertainment Tonight that Costner is not returning to the show after the fifth season. Filming on the remaining episodes of season 5 has yet to get underway.