Kevin Costner’s former tenant Daniel Starr shut down rumors that he was romantically involved with the actor’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner — and wished the pair well amid their divorce.
“They’re going through a divorce. They have kids, I feel really badly,” Starr told TMZ on Wednesday, June 21. “I hope that they can peacefully resolve that.”
Starr raised eyebrows earlier this month when rumors circulated that he and Baumgartner, 49, had an inappropriate relationship while the real estate developer was renting a home on the estranged couple’s property in Santa Barbara, California. (The Sun reported on Monday, June 19, that the handbag designer allegedly hung out with Starr on a nearly-daily basis after he moved in next door.)
When confronted about the alleged hookup on Wednesday, Starr claimed the rumors were “absolutely not” true. He insisted he was “just a guy who paid [his] rent.”
The former tenant, who moved out in March despite having rental agreement through June, alleged that he simply “had to move on” and chose to leave early.
Starr then called Costner, 68, “a really good guy” and was adamant that he had “no problem with him whatsoever.” When pushed further, Starr once again claimed that he and Baumgartner were “absolutely not” involved in a romantic relationship.
“I just was a tenant. I had a tenant-landlord relationship [with the former couple]. Nothing else,” he alleged, noting that he tries to “be friendly to everybody” but doesn’t “have a relationship” with Costner at the moment.
Starr concluded: “I just want peace for everyone.”
News of Baumgartner’s alleged affair came one month after Us Weekly confirmed on May 2 that she filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star after nearly 19 years of marriage.
In her filing, the former model revealed that she and Costner separated on April 11 and stated that the estranged spouses are seeking joint physical and legal custody of their three kids: sons Cayden, 16, and Logan, 14, and daughter Grace, 12.
The Dances With Wolves actor — who also shares daughters Annie, 39, and Lily, 36, and son Joe, 35, with ex-wife Cindy Silva and son Liam, 27, with ex Bridget Rooney —responded to Baumgartner’s divorce filing with a statement of his own.
“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,” read the May statement issued by his rep, indicating that the split was not Costner’s choice. “We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”
In the weeks that have followed, the divorce has become messy with Costner alleging that his estranged wife refuses to vacate their shared home.
“For Kevin, it’s pretty cut-and-dried,” an insider exclusively told Us on Wednesday. “Christine wanted this split, so she should abide by the terms of their prenup [stating that she] had 30 days to move out after filing for divorce.”
Baumgartner, meanwhile, claimed that Costner had no “legal” right to kick her out of their house or off the property. “This RFO (request for order) seeks to kick Christine and their three children out of the house that the children have lived in for their entire lives,” her lawyer, John Rydell, wrote in court documents obtained by Insider on Friday, June 16. Costner, for his part, denied he was “kicking” his children out of their home in court docs obtained by Us on Thursday, June 22. “I am only requesting that Christine vacate my separate property home and find alternate living arrangements,” he alleged.
The California native has since claimed that Costner is using “public attacks” designed to “pressure me to move out without a temporary child support agreement in place.” In court documents obtained by Us on Wednesday, Baumgartner alleged that she cannot leave the California abode because she lacks “sufficient funding to secure housing,” claiming that she has “no personal income.”
Baumgartner is requesting $248,000 a month in support, according to court docs obtained by Us on Thursday, June 22. She claimed in the paperwork that the Oscar winner makes an estimated $1,537,000 a month from his various jobs as an actor and director, which adds up to nearly $20 million annual salary.
