Kevin Costner's court appearance shows 'sign of respect,' celebrity divorce attorney says
Kevin Costner appeared in-person during a divorce court hearing despite being approved for testimony via Zoom. Celebrity divorce attorney Christopher Melcher called the move a ‘sign of respect’ to the court.
EXCLUSIVE: SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Kevin Costner took the stand Friday in his ongoing divorce battle with estranged wife Christine Baumgartner.
The actor's drama with "Yellowstone" was thrown into the spotlight as Baumgartner's lawyer dug into how much Costner brought home from the hit Western show that has run for five seasons. John Rydell asked if Costner was "offered" to "do season six." It was "complicated," according to the actor.
"We did negotiate," he explained. "There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away."
Costner seemingly had issues with the timing of filming "Yellowstone" as he wanted to focus on his latest project, "Horizon." The first movie in the four-part saga is currently in postproduction, a "critical" time of putting things together. "I'm here," Costner emphasized.
KEVIN COSTNER SHOWING UP AT DIVORCE COURT LOOKS GOOD FOR ‘YELLOWSTONE’ ACTOR: LEGAL EXPERT
Kevin Costner arrives at Santa Barbara, California, court for the second day. The "Yellowstone" star took the stand roughly an hour after the start of the hearing. (Backgrid)
"Somewhere along the line they wanted to change things," he said of the "Yellowstone" filming process. "They wanted to do 5A and 5B… affected ‘Horizon.’ I was going to do my movie ‘Horizon’ and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice."
Costner explained that he had been offered $24 million to do season five, six and seven of "Yellowstone," before scheduling broke down and the show was canceled.
Kevin Costner starred as John Dutton on "Yellowstone" for five seasons. (Paramount Network)
Baumgartner's legal team began Costner's time on the stand by questioning the actor specifically about his finances and his total expenses for himself and the couple's three children. The "Hidden Figures" star seemed to be mostly unaware of how much money he makes and spends while on the stand.
"At the point I signed this, I remember thinking the number seemed very large, but I trust them and I signed it," he told his estranged wife's lawyer about the income and expenses his attorneys submitted to the court.
He was also questioned if the expenses included Baumgartner, to which Costner responded, "Is this after the day she left me?"
Both Costner and Baumgartner showed up for Friday's hearing. The actor appeared wearing a navy blue suit and black sunglasses, while Baumgartner wore a white top and black dress pants.
Thursday's court hearing saw Baumgartner break down in tears while Costner's legal team threw insults in surprise court documents filed that same morning. The "Yellowstone" actor's legal team accused Baumgartner of a "relentless ‘jihad’" against Costner's character in the documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Christine Baumgartner arrives at Santa Barbara, California, court with her legal team including John Rydell for the second day. (Backgrid)
"Christine's relentless ‘jihad’ against Kevin's character adds a level of animosity to this proceeding that is wholly unnecessary, and meant to distract from the intellectual exercise at hand," the docs stated.
Baumgartner formally requested a judge set a new monthly child support payment of $161,592 on Thursday amid the ongoing divorce proceedings. The new number is $31,837 more than the original set amount of $129,755.
Costner's legal team also accused Baumgartner of receiving $20,000 from a "boyfriend" in the new court documents. However, Baumgartner revealed she had received the $20,000 from Joshua Connor in court Thursday.
WATCH: KEVIN COSTNER LEAVES THE SANTA BARBARA COURTHOUSE AFTER DIVORCE HEARING
On the stand, Baumgartner said Connor is a longtime friend of "seven or eight years." When Baumgartner's attorney John Rydell asked, "Is he your boyfriend?" Baumgartner replied, "No."
She recalled traveling to Hawaii in March with Connor, his daughter and a group of friends. Costner didn’t go because "he wanted to do a speech with a hunting club." The Costners paid for the vacation home where the families stayed.
In July, Baumgartner traveled back to Hawaii with a group of friends and their children, including Connor and his daughter, who is "best friends" with Grace Costner, 13. Baumgartner said Connor "paid for the house."
When Rydell asked about claims Connor "gave Christine money," she said, "I can’t remember if it was before or after (the March or July trips to Hawaii)." She continued, "He gave me $20,000." Of the $20,000, the purse designer said, "I gave $10,000 to my mother." She then became emotional on the stand. "She was concerned about her house," Baumgartner noted.
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Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner are battling over child support payments. (Getty Images)
Christine filed for divorce from the "Fields of Dreams" star in May after 18 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences."
In her request for the updated child support, her lawyers argued that Costner is "a man of extraordinary wealth."
"Unlike many family law litigants, Kevin can pay guideline child support, as well as make a further contribution to Christine's fees, without it making any meaningful difference in his life," docs stated.
Costner's legal team fired back days later and accused Baumgartner of "game playing." They also requested a court order that Baumgartner pay $14,237.50 in his attorneys' fees for having to file the motion to compel her new request.
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner married in Aspen in 2004. The former couple have three children together. (WireImage House)
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