Why Kevin Costner Reduced Christine Baumgartner’s Credit Card Limit

Kevin Costner claims he was “required” to reduce estranged wife Christine Baumgartner‘s credit card limit amid their ongoing divorce.

Costner, 68, explained his position in documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, July 5, asserting that he “agreed to maintain the status quo with respect to our children” as their legal proceedings continue. (He and Baumgartner, 49, share sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13.)

“Christine says I have not maintained the status quo because I cancelled one of her credit cards and because I put (a large) limit on the use of the credit card she uses,” Costner wrote in his declaration.

Costner noted that he has “continued to pay all of the children’s expenses” since Baumgartner filed for divorce in May after nearly 19 years of marriage. The model, meanwhile, has not indicated that their kids’ needs “have been impacted in any way by limiting her credit card spending,” per the docs.

Baumgartner is restricted to spending “the very substantial amount of $30,000 a month,” a decision Costner made after learning that his ex “began charging large sums” on credit cards in order to fund her divorce attorneys and accountants. “She gave me no advance warning each time she did so,” he claimed.

Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock for SAG Awards

Costner subsequently “offered to advance the additional sum of $65,000” toward her legal fees in June. He claimed Baumgartner did not accept — and continued to charge another $45,000 “without notice” to secure new representation.

“It was then that I made the decision that there needed to be some reasonable limitation on the use of the credit cards,” he wrote.

The change in Baumgartner’s credit card limit was outlined in a letter from his attorney, Laura Wasser, dated June 16. The correspondence claimed that Costner was “left with no choice but to cancel” the card. (He initially set a spending cap of $15,000 per month, which he believed would be enough “to cover any emergencies for the children.”)

Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner Broadimage/Shutterstock

Costner previously claimed in court docs that Baumgartner had spent “a total of $95,000” since April. He further alleged in a separate filing that Baumgartner planned to allocate much of the $248,000 she requested in monthly child support payments for her own expenses, including a private trainer and plastic surgery. (The actor alleged that his ex spent $188,500 per month on surgeries.)

Despite Baumgartner’s demands, Costner claimed last month that he can’t afford her lofty child support request now that he is no longer “under contract” for his show Yellowstone. “I will earn substantially less in 2023 than I did in 2022,” he argued in a June 28 filing.

Costner, who has portrayed John Dutton on the family drama since its 2018 premiere, added that he has yet to receive any compensation from the show so far this year. Paramount announced in May that Yellowstone’s fifth season will be its last, but the second half of the season has been significantly delayed amid alleged tension between Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan.

As his back and forth with Baumgartner continues, Costner earned a small victory when a judge ruled against her request to remain in their shared home until August. Baumgartner was ordered to move out by July 31 after previously alleging that she didn’t have enough money to find a new residence.

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“I am not at all comfortable sharing my home with Christine or with her being on my property going forward. … Nor do I believe it is in our children’s best interests for me and Christine to occupy the same house or property, given the allegations she has made and positions she has taken and the unfortunate tension this has caused,” Costner wrote in court docs ahead of the judge’s decision.

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