A close friend of Kevin Costner's estranged wife slammed the rumors that the former handbag designer is in a relationship with the tech mogul who was renting a home on their $145 million property.
Earlier this week, multiple reports emerged linking Costner's divorce to an alleged relationship between his wife, Christine, 49, and Daniel Starr, 42.
'Christine is anything but some some bored, desperate housewife. As far as Daniel (Starr) is concerned, there was and is nothing romantic between them,' a friend told DailyMail.com exclusively.
'He's a busy person as well, so to paint the picture that these two had some sort of romantic relationship is a joke. It's a small town here, especially within the Padaro Lane community. Everyone knows everyone,' the friend continued.
This comes after Starr denied the relationship in an interview with TMZ. '[I'm] just a guy who paid [his] rent.' Starr added that tries 'to be friendly to everybody.'
Daniel Starr rented a home from Kevin Costner on the Yellowstone actor's $145 million property close to Santa Barbara, California
Costner and Baumgartner, a model and handbag designer, began dating in 1998 before getting married at his Colorado ranch in 2004
A rep for Daniel Starr, 42, told DailyMail.com Monday that the tech mogul (pictured) 'wishes nothing but the best to Mr. Costner in his dispute with his estranged wife'
'I just had a tenant landlord relationship [with them], nothing else. There was nothing there. They have kids and are going through a divorce,' Starr added.
'I just hope that it ends peacefully for them. I hope his divorce resolves and his kids are minimally impacted,' he continued.
In May, the Yellowstone star announced that he was to divorce his wife of 19 years.
'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,' Costner's publicist Arnold Robinson said in a statement.
Costner and Baumgartner, a model and handbag designer, began dating in 1998 before getting married at his Colorado ranch in 2004.
They have two sons, ages 14 and 15, and a 12-year-old daughter together.
It was the second marriage for Costner, 68, the Oscar and Emmy winning star of TV's Yellowstone and films including Dances With Wolves, The Bodyguard and Bull Durham.
Costner also has four adult children from previous relationships. Earlier this week, it emerged that Christine was seeking nearly $250,000 per month in child support.
Tech mogul Starr, pictured here, sold his international mobile billing company Principal Media in 2016 for around $40 million
Costner allegedly confronted Starr after learning that 'Chris and Daniel hung out a lot' while he was on location working on Yellowstone
Starr also denied the that the home he was renting was a 'guest house' rather calling it a 'home' on their property.
A source told The Sun about the chain of events involving Starr, 42, who was renting a home on the property, in a report published Monday.
The Dances With Wolves actor-director confronted Starr after learning that 'Chris and Daniel hung out a lot' while he was on location working on Yellowstone, the source told the outlet.
Starr had been renting out a beachfront guest house for around $64,000 a month, and Baumgartner 'would come into his house almost daily,' the source said.
Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Starr is the founder of several web-based businesses including video game streaming service GameMine.
Besides GameMine, Starr also notably sold his international mobile billing company Principal Media in 2016 for around $40 million.
He has also developed a penchant for buying and selling real estate, having flipped a Santa Barbara mansion he bought for $13.5 million in 2021 for $25 million the following year.
Outside of this transaction, he has developed and sold on properties across Southern California totaling over $150 million since 2013.
This included a Beverly Hills mansion that was purchased by recording artist and brand mogul Rihanna.
The former couple was pictured at the SAG Awards in February of 2022 in Santa Monica, California
It also emerged this week that Costner told his children about the divorce during a 10 minute Zoom call. This came despite Christine's wish that the pair tell the children together.
According to People, Christine alleged in documents Kevin was on location in Las Vegas for a show when he told their children of the split: 'After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present.
'I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session, especially since he was planning on being home five days later.
'He also could have easily come home from Las Vegas to have the conversation in person.'
Christine had wanted to tell their children about the divorce with Kevin.
'The children’s welfare has always been my highest priority, and I was concerned they would find out about the divorce before Kevin and I could tell them. It was important for me that we tell the children in person and together,' she said.
She allegedly shared her fears their children would learn about the split via an 'outside source' and even gave Costner articles detailing 'the importance of talking to the children as a united front.'
Christine thought she and Kevin would be able to deliver the news together, but she claims he ended up informing them on his own without her.
'He disregarded my proposal to do what I felt was right based on research and my relationship with the children. Instead, he insisted that he had the right to tell them that we were getting divorced "first" and tell them privately "without me present."'
A source close to Kevin told People the actor's ex filed for divorce in May while he was filming on location, and explained he 'FaceTimes all the time with the kids when he is away working.'
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