Kevin Costner got what he asked for.
On Friday, Yellowstone the actor, 68, was ordered to pay his estranged wife Christine $63,209 a month in child support, granting Kevin the amount he proposed after a two-day court hearing in Santa Barbara.
In July, Kevin was temporarily ordered to pay $129,755 a month to the mother of his three children — Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. Earlier this week, Christine, 49, filed to raise that amount to $175,057 — an increase of more of 46,000 dollars. She reduced that figure to $161,592 during a court hearing on Thursday, after the latest assessment by a forensic accountant.
“My biggest concern is that the court is ordering me to pay child support that is above and beyond the needs of my children and the needs of Christina,” Kevin said in court Friday when he testified.
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On Thursday, Christine’s lawyer John Rydell said the lifestyle Christine and Kevin’s three children were used to was “in their DNA at this point”.
At the forum, Christine explained how the reduction in financial status would affect their children. She said in part that their children are “very connected to the ocean — it’s their home,” and noted that the surf garage is 50 steps away from their “toes in the water.”
Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine avoids looking at the actor as he stands at a child support hearing
“It’s so much more than this – it’s an experience,” Christine told the court as she looked at the evidence photos. “We created quite a community,” she added, repeatedly referring to the Santa Barbara complex she left as “ours.” The home, the court heard, includes a volleyball court, a garden, an infinity pool and two guest houses.
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In July, a source told PEOPLE that Christine had moved out of the family home on the $145 million Santa Barbara estate she shared with Kevin, per the terms of their prenuptial agreement. She initially stayed in a smaller house on the property, then moved to a nearby rental house for $40,000 a month, it was confirmed in court on Thursday.
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Paramount Network / courtesy of the Everett Collection; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
“Christine is trying to keep everything as normal as possible,” a source told PEOPLE in July. Christine filed for divorce from the Oscar winner in May. The couple was married for 18 years.
At the time of their split, the actor’s rep said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have come to light that have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in the divorce.”
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