Kevin Costner and Ex-Wife Christine Baumgartner Finalize Bitter Divorce

Kevin Costner and his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner have officially finalized their divorce.

The Yellowstone actor, 69, broke up with the 49-year-old handbag designer after 18 years of marriage when she filed for a split on May 1, 2023, and according to newly-emerged court documents the pair made their separation legal on Friday (Feb. 16).

Papers first obtained by People on Tuesday (Feb. 20) showed lawyers for Christine had filed court documents requesting a court in Santa Barbara, Calif., excuse the former couple from completing a mandated co-parenting course.

Kevin and Christine had already agreed to retain joint custody of their three children – sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 15, plus their 13-year-old daughter Grace – and had settled the other infamously bitter aspects of their split, including child maintenance payments to maintain their luxury lifestyle, in September.

A representative for Kevin said at the time the estranged couple had “come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings."

They added: “It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action.

“We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”

Kevin and Christine appeared in court a series of times in the wake of their split to settle issues including Christine’s living arrangements and moving out of their family compound in Santa Barbara.

The pair first met at a golf course while he rehearsed for his 1996 romantic comedy Tin Cup, and they started dating after they reconnected at a restaurant in 1998. They married in 2004 at Kevin’s160-acre ranch, called The Dunbar, in Aspen, Colo.

Dad-of-seven Kevin was previously married for 16 years to Cindy Silva, now 67, with whom he had three children, before they divorced in 1994.

He had a brief relationship with Bridget Rooney, 61, after the split, with whom he had his 27-year-old son Liam.