Kevin Costner Defended His "Womanizing" Reputation As "Real Appreciation For Women"

Summary

• Kevin Costner's marriage history includes infidelity rumors, notably during his first marriage to Cindy Silva.
• Despite allegations of cheating, Costner maintains he was faithful in his marriage to Christine Baumgartner.
• Costner's divorce from Christine Baumgartner was not as costly as his previous divorce with Cindy Silva.

In February 2024, Kevin Costner's pricey divorce from his second wife, Christine Baumgartner was finalized, nearly 20 years after their unconventional ranch wedding. Fans didn't know which side to take, especially when rumors spread that Baumgartner had cheated on Costner during their marriage. Luckily, it wasn't as expensive as the actor's previous divorce with Cindy Silva that left him homeless.

What's interesting is that the Yellowstone star – who quietly replaced Clint Eastwood as king of Hollywood Western films – was reportedly unfaithful during his first marriage as well. Back then, Costner had a reputation for being "a total hound." He didn't exactly deny the label but explained that he simply had "a real appreciation for women." Here's a closer look at Costner's "womanizing" history.

A Married Kevin Costner Denied "Womanizing" But Admitted To Having "A Real Appreciation Of Women"

Following their divorce in 1994, People reported that Silva gave Costner an ultimatum about his "sexy roles." The latter allegedly confided about it to his friend, John McIness. "Cindy doesn't like these sexy roles, and she's given me an ultimatum," the actor shared. "I've either got to quit doing them or quit the movie business."

It was days before the 1987 screening of his then-new film, No Way Out. On the day of the event, McIness recalled that "as one of those scenes came up, [the Costners] were holding hands. [Silva] sat quietly. But afterward, Kevin showed me his hand and said she squeezed it so hard all the blood ran out of it."

Kevin Costner married his college sweetheart, Cindy Silva, in 1978. They have three children: Annie, Lily, and Joe.

At that time, insiders said that Costner's infidelity was "well-known" throughout his first marriage. In 1989, after being called "a total hound," The Bodyguard alum told People that he probably came across as that because of his "real appreciation for women" and being a "true rogue, who likes all women."

Two years before that, he alluded to facing extramarital "temptations" amid his stardom. "I have a big thirst. A big taste for things…. I hate the fact that I've lived by somebody else's rules and I've somehow missed out on something," he said back then.

"The temptations are pretty strong—and there's a hungry world out there waiting for you to fall."

He added: "So you can't even dabble without paying a huge price. I try to conduct my life with a certain amount of dignity and discretion—but marriage is a hard, hard gig." In 1990, Costner denied the rumors of his infidelity. However, he confessed: "I worry about the effect of fame on my family and losing what I've got…"

Kevin Costner's First Marriage Allegedly Ended Due To His Affair With A Co-Star

In 1994, People reported that Costner allegedly had an affair with his Waterworld co-star, dancer Michelle Amaral – whose husband also squashed the rumors at that time. Years before that, the Silverado star was also linked to Sheri Stewart, a receptionist at his go-to nightclub while he was filming in London. Costner didn't confirm any of the speculations.

As it turned out, he and Silva had been working on their divorce, months before it was announced. "You could see their relationship wasn't working out," shared a Waterworld production staff who had hung out with the couple a month before the split was publicized. "They didn’t act like a family: she was doing her thing, he was doing his."

"They didn't act close to one another, but they still talked. There wasn't any mudslinging."

Costner was known to be a huge "flirt" on the set of his films despite being married. One time, a woman agreed to have lunch with him with other people after meeting him at a press junket. She then revealed that Costner had arranged for her to get a ride with him alone, going to the restaurant.

"We're in the limo in broad daylight, for no more than five minutes, when he turns to me and starts unbuttoning my jacket. I totally lost it," she recounted. "What he could have been thinking is beyond me…. But he wasn't embarrassed at all. It's almost like he thought, 'Hey, I'm getting to be a big star, let's see what I can do.'"

Here's a brief timeline of Costner and Silva's 16-year marriage:

Kevin Costner Was Faithful To His Second Wife Who Might Have Cheated On Him

In August 2023, three months after Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner, the latter said he couldn't confirm if his estranged wife had cheated on him. He also stated that he was faithful throughout their marriage. The rumors came after the handbag designer requested the Bull Durham star's financial records, including "expenses paid by [him], or any person at [his] request or on [his] behalf, relating to any extramarital romantic relationships."

Costner's legal team said it was "propounded only for purposes of harassment, is overbroad as to time period and subject matter, burdensome, oppressive and impermissibly compound." They said the actor "has no responsive documents for 'extramarital romantic relationships' in which he engaged because he engaged in none." They then questioned Baumgartner's fidelity.

"[Costner] does not for a fact know if [Baumgartner] engaged in any 'extramarital romantic relationships' before separation and, if so, whether she spent any of his money or charged any expenses in furtherance of her affair(s) on credit cards he paid."

In June 2023, rumors broke that Baumgartner had an affair with Costner's former tenant, Daniel Starr – who once lived on his Santa Barbara property. Starr said it was "absolutely not" true that he had "hooked up" with the former Mrs. Costner. "I just had a tenant landlord relationship [with them], nothing else," he told TMZ back then. "There was nothing there. They have kids and are going through a divorce."

Kevin Costner was ordered to pay Christine Baumgartner $63,209 a month in child support, which was $ 184,791 less than she initially asked.