Did Kevin Costner's Messy Divorce Influence His Yellowstone Exit?

Amid reports that Kevin Costner’s departure from “Yellowstone” was prompted by his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, it was reported in May 2023 that there was no connection between the two events. “[The split] has nothing to do with ‘Yellowstone,'” a source close to the situation told People, adding, “The two situations are unrelated.” That said, it was reported that Baumgartner was growing increasingly frustrated over Costner’s busy work schedule prior to their split. “Christine wants them to spend family time at their Santa Barbara home,” an insider told the outlet. “His absence has been very hard for her.” They added that Costner kept busy with his upcoming film, “Horizon: An American Saga,” in recent months, and Baumgartner wasn’t too happy about it. “[She] doesn’t want him to throw himself into another project,” claimed the source.

With all the excitement surrounding “Horizon” and the success of “Yellowstone,” a separate source who spoke with the outlet claimed there were times when Costner’s career had taken precedence over his family life. “Kevin hasn’t been home very much for quite some time due to filming, the popularity of ‘Yellowstone,’ and the time necessary for his other projects,” before adding that the actor may have gotten too carried away with it all. “He has been in demand,” the source stated. “All of this success and excitement over [his] new project probably took his attention away from his family more than he realized.”