Dad Kevin Costner Is Ready to ‘Kill’ for Kids – Now His Estranged Wife Asks $248K a Month in Child Support

• The estranged wife of "The Bodyguard" star Kevin Costner has requested $248,000 a month in child support.
• The couple, who shares three kids, has been separated for some time, and Christine Baumgartner is allegedly upset over how her kids learned of their split.
• Court documents stipulate that Costner already paid $1 million as per their premarital agreement.

On April 11, 2023, Hollywood actor Kevin Costner, 68, and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, 49, separated after 19 years of marriage due to irreconcilable differences, as cited by Baumgartner. The ex-couple share three children - Grace, Hayes, and Cayden Costner. As their ongoing contentious divorce takes a rocky turn, in new developments, Baumgartner has requested a monthly payout of $248,000 in child support.

Additionally, the mother of three is demanding that her ex-husband, Costner, take care of all three of their children's private school tuition, extracurricular activities/sports/hobbies, and medical expenses. The one request that the 49-year-old has not filed for is spousal support.

Despite the Contentious Divorce, Kevin Costner Maintains Focused On Being a Doting & Protective Father

Despite filing for a hefty monthly child support amount, Baumgartner still feels that it is not enough to pay for the lives her kids have grown accustomed to while their parents were still together. She alleges that the figure:

"[I]s less than the amount needed to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle."

The court documents stipulate Costner's 2022 income to be over $19 million. Of that, barring taxes, the family's living expenses totaled $6,645,285, with an overall net income of $7,595,520, after costs and taxes.

The expenses listed are inclusive of regular travel to family favorite destinations - Aspen, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, entertaining guests, caterers, and chefs, not to mention the maintenance of an array of large properties. Before the new terms of the filing were announced, Baumgartner had filed for divorce on May 1. A decision which, despite being something he did not want, according to a close family source, did not shock Costner, who allegedly knew Baumgartner was unhappy for a while.

The prenuptial agreement between the ex-couple revealed that once the motion for divorce was filed, a clause mandated that she had 30 days to move out of their shared $145,000,000 home, which she did not oblige. Other agreements in the divorce court documents stipulate Costner agreeing to pay $38,000 a month in child support, in addition to the already 100% cover of any other child-related costs.

Costner had also agreed to pay $30,000 monthly to contribute to Baumgartner's rental residence, assist with $10,000 for moving costs, and allow her to make use of his staff to help her move. All these costs agreed to be paid for by Costner prove that the actor had already paid Baumgartner $1 million as part of their premarital agreement.

Not only is Baumgartner less than pleased with the amount stipulated in the ex-couple's premarital agreement, but other court documents also reveal that she was angered by how their children learned about their divorce. According to her, while Costner was away filming on location in Las Vegas, during one of his regular FaceTime sessions with his kids, he dropped the divorce bomb.

Baumgartner reported being angered because she claimed to have had a plethora of conversations with Costner about the importance of delivering such shocking news carefully and thoughtfully to their kids. Additionally, she alleged that he dropped the news in her absence, which she says was not supposed to happen, as they had agreed to do it together as a united front.

At the end of the six years of courtship, Baumgartner gave Costner an ultimatum to marry her and make her a mother or go their separate ways.

Outside looking in, Baumgartener's assertions about Costner may not paint him in the brightest of lights as a father. However, Costner is an extremely devoted father who makes an avid effort to make sure his kids know he loves them. When he is not busy working on his next film or tv series project, Costner is just like any regular doting dad:

"When I'm not making a movie, I'm... getting the kids to their stuff, or I'm waiting for them to come out of a party. I'm just twiddling my thumbs. People have a wrong idea about how my life works."

Family means everything to the father of seven, and he makes no secret of letting people know the extreme lengths he is willing to go to for his kids. While speaking to Scary Mommy, Costner boldly asserted:

"The reality is I'd kill for my kids. And that's a bold statement. It makes everybody sit up, but that's inside us."

Costner loves his kids unconditionally and loves experiencing all the joys that come with being a parent. In a past interview with Good Housekeeping, the actor spoke about how he spoils his kids and showers them with love in abundance:

"All of my kids are showered with love, which is what's important."

Although he and Baumgartner's relationship ended up not lasting, he knew he did not want to miss his chance with her when the two had just begun dating. A couple of years before getting married, Costner divulged how though he was fearful of becoming a father again, which was a precondition set by Baumgartner for marriage, he saw them being together until his last breath.

The Who behind Christine Baumgartner and She and Kevin Costner's Three Children - Grace, Hayes, and Cayden

Outside of being the soon-to-be official ex-wife of a movie star, Baumgartner is a talented handbag designer, an endeavor of which her ex fully supported her. She designs bags under a label called Cat Bag Couture, available in Aspen boutiques.

She first met Costner on the set of his film "Tin Cup," but he was still married to his previous wife at the time. Before tying the knot in 2004, she and Costner nearly broke up after their first six years together.

At the end of the six years of courtship, Baumgartner gave Costner an ultimatum to marry her and make her a mother or go their separate ways. As is already known, Costner ended up choosing Baumgartner, and in 2007, they welcomed their firstborn son, Cayden. As revealed by his father, at just one-year-old, Cayden had already shown signs of his interest in music while he would sit on his dad's lap and listen to him jam out on his guitars.

In February 2009, Costner's second-born son, Hayes, was born. According to his father, the little boy is an avid sports player and a budding young actor who made a small cameo in Costner's four-part epic "Horizon."

The youngest of the Costner clan is their little girl Grace, who was born in 2010. As disclosed by her loving dad, Grace is a girly girl through and through who enjoys dancing and sewing but also enjoys the occasional ball game with her big brothers:

"She's sewing, and she's dancing, but when she sees the ball bouncing out in the backyard, I can feel her gravitating out with the boys - but everything has to stop when she plays."

The latest developments in Costner's divorce may set the grounds for another round of disputes and contentions, but one thing that will remain the same is both his and Baumgartner's mutual love for their children. Outside of going back and forth over legal filings and agreements, both continue to want what's best for their kids.