Now in its fifth season, Kevin Costner’s TV drama Yellowstone draws a loyal audience, garnering 15 million viewers during its season premiere and snagging the title of most-watched cable show of 2022.
The show follows a high-powered ranching family fighting to protect their home, no matter what it takes. While Costner, 68, isn’t exactly going up against violent land developers on his day-to-day, he does have some experience handling the ups and downs of being a dad. From his first marriage to his college sweetheart to his impending divorce from his current wife, here’s everything to know about Costner’s relationships and journey to fatherhood.
Kevin Costner and His First Wife Cindy Silva
The Field of Dreams star met his first wife, Cindy Silva, while the pair were attending California State University at Fullerton. She reportedly resembled Snow White, and even played the princess at Disneyland during her summer breaks.
“She was beautiful, she was sweet, she was smarter than me,” Costner told People in 1989. “She represented everything about women that I like.”
They married in 1978, and had three kids together, Annie, 38, Lily, 36, and Joe, 34, over the course of their sixteen-year marriage. Both Costner and Silva were said to have made significant efforts toward keeping the relationship afloat—Silva, 66, even worked alongside her husband on the set of Dances With Wolves.
But rumors of his infidelity started circulating shortly after they filmed the Oscar-acclaimed movie, specifically while he was working on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1990. They announced their divorce in 1994, releasing a statement that said they had “amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement h as been reached.” E! News claims the separation was particularly pricy for Costner, as Silva is said to have received around $80 million.
Kevin Costner and Bridget Rooney
A brief post-divorce affair with Bridget Rooney, described by Parade as a Pittsburgh Steelers heiress, led to Costner’s fourth child, son Liam, now 27. Though he allegedly acknowledged Liam only after Rooney insisted on a paternity test, Costner later set up a trust fun in Liam’s name and saw the boy “occasionally but not on a regular basis,” a source told People. Rooney married billionaire William Koch, brother to David and Charles Koch, in 2005.
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner
Costner and former model-turned-handbag designer Baumgartner, 49, first crossed paths 10 years before they actually exchanged numbers. They dated for over two years before briefly breaking up in 2002. Friends of Costner’s said it “got too complicated,” as the actor didn’t want more children—a fact he later admitted himself.
“She said, ‘I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,’” he told Parade 2012. “And I did.”
Following their reconciliation, the two were engaged in 2003 and wed at his palatial ranch outside Aspen in 2004. They’ve since welcomed three children together, Cayden, 15, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 12.
In May 2023, Christine filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
Kevin Costner’s Kids
Costner’s seven children have become the true loves of his life, as he is cited often bragging about their accomplishments and even admitting his biggest concern revolves around raising them.
“My fundamental fear is that my new baby, someone else will raise him, meaning that my life will end prematurely,” he told People after the birth of Cayden in 2007. “I won’t get to coach him in what I think it is to be a man. I’d like to be the person that tell him about life.”
He told Good Housekeeping in 2007 that he’s “always been really close to my girls,” but he still remains adamant that he doesn’t pick favorites among the group.
“All of my kids are showered with love,” he said.