Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

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Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner's Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Second chances! Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner may have met in the '90s, but it took the couple years before their connection blossomed into something more. The actor was previously married to Cindy Silva from 1978 to 1994. Over the course of his first marriage, Costner and Silva welcomed daughter Lily (born in August 1986), daughter Annie (born in April 1984) and son Joe (born in January 1988). The California native later got candid about how the approach to his love life changed after his divorce, telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, “My faith was shaken. No one wants their marriage to end, and it did. You are going to see the people you love most, your children, only half as much. That’s a huge loss.” Following the split, the Dances with Wolves actor dated Bridget Rooney from 1995 to 1998. Rooney gave birth to the pair's son, Liam, in November 1996. In 1999, Costner and Baumgartner crossed paths again before they officially started dating. After four years together, the couple briefly called it quits. “Fear kept me from marrying Christine. [She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father," Costner told Closer Weekly in June 2018, noting that he was able to get past his worries. “I woke up and thought, ‘Am I going to lose a beautiful woman who is willing to be with me to my very last breath because I am afraid to say yes to a child? That’s all it took. Sometimes you learn the thing you’re most afraid of will save your life.” Costner and Baumgartner tied the knot in 2014 and went on to have three children together. The filmmaker admitted that his family has made him appreciate his life more. “Movies are magic, and they’ve always been magic to me. You get to play heroes in the movies, but there’s a moment in time where you’re just a father and you get to go home," he shared with Closer at the time. "I have played two roles in my life, one I get paid to do, which is the movies, and the other one is being a father, for which I’ll be rewarded my whole life.” The Golden Globe winner previously revealed what he considers to be the secret to a successful relationship, telling Parade in May 2012, “I know that sounds so simple. If you’re willing to tell somebody that you love them, are you also willing to say you’re sorry? You need to, even when you think you’re in the right." In May 2023, Us Weekly confirmed that Baumgartner filed for divorce from the actor after 18 years of marriage. Per TMZ, she cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split. Costner filed his response the following day. Scroll down to relive Costner and Baumgartner's romance:

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1990s

The twosome originally met at a golf course when Costner was rehearsing for his role in Tin Cup. He was married to Silva at the time.

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1999

The Academy Award winner reunited with Baumgartner in a restaurant after his divorce and relationship with Rooney. They started dating shortly after crossing paths again in 1999.

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2003

Costner and Baumgartner briefly pulled the plug on their relationship due to a difference of opinion when it came to having kids.

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2004

After giving their romance another chance, The Bodyguard actor and the model tied the knot in Aspen, Colorado.

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2007

Costner and Baumgartner welcomed their son Cayden in May 2007.

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2009

Baumgartner gave birth to their second son, Hayes, in February 2009.

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2010

The pair welcomed their daughter, Grace, in 2010.

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2012

During an interview with Parade, Costner reflected on his brief split from his now-wife, recalling, "She said, 'I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me.' And I did."

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2020

For the couple, the coronavirus pandemic allowed them to build an even stronger bond.

"Our partnership has really come into focus about what we do for each other and how we deal with our family," Costner told People in June 2020. “Our house is like a river: You’ve just got to get into the flow of it. And whatever you thought it was going to be, maybe it still can, but it’s going to have to work with what the day brings."

The Draft Day star also opened up about getting to watch his kids grow up, adding, “I can feel them working me. I can tell when they come to me about something that they’ve been already told ‘no’ by their mother.”

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2022

Baumgartner supported her husband's nomination for his role in Yellowstone at the SAG Awards.

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2022

"How beautiful is my date?" Costner tweeted alongside a red carpet shot at the 94th annual Academy Awards in March 2022. "Thank you to @TheAcademy for having us tonight.

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January 2023

What was supposed to be a night of celebration at the 2023 Golden Globes — Costner was nominated for a best actor statue for his role as John Dutton in Yellowstone — turned out to be a quiet night in for Costner and Baumgartner after the devastating California rain flooded the freeway.

“Nobody’s sadder than us that we can’t be there at the Golden Globes,” a somber Costner said via Instagram minutes before the awards show began. “Chris had a beautiful dress, I was looking forward to walking down the red carpet with her.”

The actor — who noted he and Baumgartner "had to pull the kids out of school" due to the flooding — added “how bad Chris wanted to support me," so she finessed a last-minute party at home. 

“She went out and bought me some gold and yellow and black and silver balloons, and so we’re gonna [watch] the television and see what happens,” Costner shared.

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May 2023

Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner in Santa Barbara after nearly 19 years of marriage, per documents obtained by Us Weekly. TMZ reported that the actor's wife cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.

After the divorce was made public, an insider exclusively told Us that Yellowstone's production delay was "one of the reasons" for the couple's breakup. “Christine wasn’t happy with Yellowstone's schedule delays because it caused him to miss so much time with his family,” the source said, adding that Costner "had to be convinced" to sign on for the show because of the time commitment. "Kevin’s team even asked about the possibility of moving the show to California so he could film certain scenes. It’s been a discussion through the years, but it never worked out. Kevin has been making a lot of effort to make it work for his family.”

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May 2023

A source exclusively told Us that Costner hadn't given up on his marriage.

“Everyone thought Kevin and his wife were super happy so it’s all surprising,” the insider shared. “He truly loves her and is trying to get her back. He’s been blindsided by this.”