Taking the good with the bad. Kevin Costner has garnered critical acclaim as both an actor and a director, but he’s faced his fair share of personal hardships.
During a July 1995 interview with the Seattle Times, the Postman star opened up about his 1994 divorce from Cindy Silva after 16 years of marriage. At the time, his film Waterworld — which he coproduced and starred in — had just hit theaters and failed to recoup its massive budget.
“This has been the hardest year of my life. I am no longer with Cindy, my partner since childhood,” Costner told the outlet at the time. “And I was working on this very tough picture. A series of events conspired to happen at the same time. I know it hurt some people that I had failed in my marriage. And the marriage was my own failure.”
The California native and Silva exchanged vows in 1978 and welcomed three children during their marriage: daughters Annie and Lily, born in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and son Joe, born in 1988. Costner reflected on the perils of divorce during a May 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“My faith was shaken,” he admitted. “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.”
After the split, the Field of Dreams actor moved on with Bridget Rooney. Although their relationship was brief, they welcomed a son, Liam, in 1996. Costner got married to Christine Baumgartner in 2004. The twosome went on to welcome three kids together: daughter Grace, born in 2010, and sons Cayden and Hayes, born in 2007 and 2014, respectively.
Baumgartner was by the Dragonfly star’s side for several of his career achievements, including his 2012 Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Hatfields & McCoys) and his 2023 Golden Globe win for Best Actor — Television Series Drama (Yellowstone).
After nearly 19 years of marriage, however, the former model filed for divorce in May 2023, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Costner’s rep hinted in a statement to TMZ at the time that the director wasn’t happy with his estranged wife’s decision.
“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,” the statement read. “We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”
The Thirteen Days actor previously admitted that his fears of being a divorced father again almost kept him from marrying Baumgartner.
“Finally, there came a moment where maybe this doesn’t go forward,” he recalled to Extra in July 2020. “Because I thought to myself, I could be divorced again, but what I couldn’t be is divorced again with children. That crushed me. I had to kind of face life and go, ‘Are you gonna miss life, are you gonna miss love because you’re afraid?’ And the answer finally came back, ‘I’m not gonna lose her because I’m gonna be afraid.’”
Keep scrolling for a look at Costner’s ups and downs over the years:
1991
Costner won the Oscar for Best Director for his film Dances With Wolves, which he also starred in. He thanked Silva and their three children while accepting the prize. The Western earned the Best Picture distinction as well.
1994
The Message in a Bottle actor and Silva split after 16 years of marriage. During a May 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he recalled being “shaken” by the divorce and lamented the “huge loss” of having less time with his children after the split.
1995
The most expensive film ever made at the time of its release, Waterworld — which Costner coproduced and starred in — failed to recoup its budget at the box office. The post-apocalyptic action movie received mixed reviews from critics.
2012
After Whitney Houston died at age 48, Costner revealed that he had he tried to help his Bodyguard costar with her addiction struggles.
“There are some people that really love Whitney, and a couple times during the last seven, eight years, (they) asked me, would I write her a letter?” he recalled during an April 2012 interview with Anderson Cooper. “When someone says, will you write a letter to someone who you know is having trouble … I did. … I don’t know if those letters were ever read.”
Costner gave a heartwarming eulogy at the Grammy winner’s funeral.
“The Whitney I knew, despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered, ‘Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?’ It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end,” he said. “So off you go, Whitney, off you go . . . escorted by an army of angels to your Heavenly Father. And when you sing before Him, don’t you worry — you’ll be good enough.”
2012
The producer won an Emmy for his work in the History channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.
2023
Costner won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor — Television Series Drama for his role as John Dutton in the Paramount Network series Yellowstone.
He was unable to attend the ceremony in person due to freeway flooding near his home. Moments before the awards show began, Costner shared via Instagram that Baumgartner had bought him “some gold and yellow and black and silver balloons” to commemorate the occasion as they watched from home.
2023
Baumgartner filed for divorce in May after nearly 19 years of marriage. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, she listed the estranged duo’s date of separation as April 11.
They reached a divorce settlement in September after a messy four-month legal battle.
2024
After his divorce, Costner found himself making headlines for his rumored dating life. In response to reports that the actor was romantically involved with Jewel, Costner set the record straight.
“Jewel and I are friends — we’ve never gone out,” Costner shared during a June episode of The Howard Stern Show, noting that he’s worried the speculation might cost the pair their close bond. “She’s special, and I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have.”
2024
Costner confirmed he was officially done with Yellowstone after five seasons.
“I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all of the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love and I know you love,” Costner said in a video shared via X in June. “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue season 5B or into the future. It was something that really changed me. I loved it. And I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”