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Kevin Costner got into a heated exchange with a tech titan who cozied up to him and his wife while renting the now-estranged couple’s guesthouse, according to a new report.
Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner last month after 18 years of marriage, and the “Yellowstone” star has since tried to have her vacate their shared home in California.
But prior to their breakup, Costner and Baumgartner reportedly had drama with their houseguest Daniel Starr.
The actor, 68, tried to boot Starr out of his $60,000-plus-a-month beachfront guesthouse, which led to a volatile exchange and a legal dispute, the US Sun reported Monday.
Starr, who reportedly signed a yearlong lease in June 2022, maintains that he did nothing wrong and refused to leave, causing Costner to send several emails and legal letters.
“Daniel was really happy living in the house. It’s right on the beach, and he has a 4-year-old son who he wanted to feel settled,” a source told the website.
“After he moved in, he became close friends with Chris and Kevin. They’d hang out together with their kids. But Kevin was always away filming, so Chris must have been lonely.”
The source claimed Baumgartner, 49, and Starr, 42, “hung out a lot” and that she would go over to his guesthouse “almost daily.”
“But there was a fallout, and Kevin got wind of it,” the insider further alleged. “There was a row between him and Daniel, and things escalated from there.”
The source described the tenant, who founded the video game streaming service GameMine, as a “respectful guy” but said Baumgartner “didn’t like [his] attitude towards their friendship,” so she allegedly “texted him and said she wanted him out.”
Starr, who was just six months into his tenancy, was reportedly “really upset” and tried to calm the situation by getting his lawyer involved.
“Daniel thought really highly of Kevin and thought he was an excellent father to his kids. But Kevin hit the roof and sided with his wife,” the insider claimed. “Ultimately, he wasn’t willing to hear Daniel out.”
Starr ended up cutting his lease short by three months and moved out in March, according to the outlet.
The new development follows reports that Costner told a judge that Baumgartner is refusing to leave their $145 million Santa Barbara home despite their long-standing prenup, which requires her to vacate in 30 days. (The model filed for divorce on May 1.)
However, Baumgartner claimed Costner can’t legally kick her out.
Her attorney, John Rydell, argued that Costner’s recent request “seeks to kick Christine and their three children out of the house that the children have lived in for their entire lives,” according to court documents obtained by Insider.
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“Although the legal basis for Kevin’s request to kick his wife and children out of their home is all but nonexistent, this is still a matter of critical importance for Christine,” Rydell added.
Costner also accused Baumgartner of secretly spending nearly $100,000 of his money in an effort to cause him “irreparable harm.”
Baumgartner is reportedly seeking joint custody of their kids, Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13, but not spousal support.
According to documents, Costner has already given the handbag designer more than $1.2 million, per their prenuptial agreement, and even offered to give her a $10,000 advance toward her moving costs as well as $30,000 per month for a rental house “as part of his child support obligations.”
Sources told Page Six that Costner was “stunned” by Baumgartner’s decision to end their marriage and that he still loves her and the children.
A longtime friend, meanwhile, confirmed that “there was no issues of cheating at all” despite rumors swirling about an affair.
The pair began dating in 1998 and married six years later at the actor’s 160-acre ranch just outside Aspen, Colo. — which he is now renting for a cool $36,000 per night.
