Kevin Costner felt ‘sucker-punched’ after learning of ex-wife Christine Baumgartner’s engagement to the man he had considered a friend Josh Connor, DailyMail.com has learned.
Handsome financier Connor, 49, popped the question during an intimate dinner earlier this week, less than one year after Baumgartner and Costner’s messy divorce was finalized.
And while friends of the couple were reportedly not surprised by the proposal, the news came as a shocking ‘betrayal’ to Costner who only found out from his children, insiders revealed.
‘Kevin said he felt sucker-punched when his kids told him about the marriage proposal,’ a close source told DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘He said he would have preferred to have heard it straight from Christine, but either way, it still feels like betrayal even after all this time.
‘He just celebrated his birthday, thank God they waited at least a week to make the announcement,’ the friend added.
Costner, who turned 70 on January 18, has been seen out and about in recent weeks, partying in Aspen, Colorado and mingling with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Jeff Bezos, and other A-list stars.
Earlier this week he unveiled his new television project, Yellowstone to Yosemite, on Fox News-owned streaming service FoxNation, following his shock departure from Yellowstone last year.
The show, set to premiere on February 8, will follow the actor on President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir’s Yosemite expedition in 1903.
‘Kevin will do what he always does and that’s focus on his kids and his work,’ the source added.
‘He’s premiering Horizon 2 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, his docuseries is coming out soon and he’s got his music and of course his best friend Bobby.
‘Thank god for that dog, he’s been there with Kevin through it all, bringing him and the kids so much joy.
‘Kevin was bragging about Bobby being on the cover of Dogue Magazine and how he’s a celebrity in his own right.’
‘As far as dating, Kevin said it’s just not a priority right now. He said he’s not opposed to it and if it happens it happens.’
Costner has publicly gushed over his beloved one-year-old English Boxhead Lab, whom he adopted in December 2023.
The pup had supported him on the set several times and is often featured on his social media.
Costner, 70, and Baumgartner, 50, split in May 2023 following a 19-year marriage and three children – with Baumgartner sparking up a romance with Connor, 49, that year.
The couple got engaged on January 26 during an intimate dinner in Santa Barbara, according to People.
A source said: ‘It was about to rain, so almost no one else was on the beach when Josh got down on one knee.’
The couple’s loved ones were ‘not surprised’ by the proposal, with the source adding: ‘They spent Christmas together last month, where it all began. They are both over the moon and excited for their future together.’
The proposal comes 11 months after Costner and Baumgartner settled their acrimonious divorce battle following much legal wrangling over child and spousal support.
Costner and Baumgartner both sought joint custody of their three children and Baumgartner is receiving $63,209 a month in child support from her ex, a much lower amount than the $165,000 she had requested.
In an emotional court hearing in August, Christine had argued that their children had grown accustomed to a life of luxury, claiming that their ‘affluent lifestyle’ was ‘in their DNA.’
Baumgartner previously wanted to overturn her prenuptial agreement so she could receive alimony.
Under the prenup she is entitled to a lump sum of $1.5million and a year’s worth of mortgage payments on a new home worth up to $1million.
However the judge rejected these protests and enforced the prenup.
Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner in May 2023 citing irreconcilable differences.
She was ordered to vacate Costner’s $145million Carpinteria compound two months later.
The former couple welcomed three children during the course of their marriage: Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 14.
Baumgartner was first spotted with her and Costner’s former neighbor Connor in July 2023 in Hawaii. He is also divorced and a father of three children.
Their romance was confirmed in January 2024.
However, it has since been reported that Costner had suspected that ‘something was going on between Christine and Josh,’ a source informed Us Weekly.