With an illustrious film career spanning over four decades, Kevin Costner has played his fair share of brooding, macho types with stiff upper lips and secrets to harbour. But – by all accounts – the actor is nothing like his enduring alter-egos. In fact, he’s famously sentimental, and has said he loves nothing better than pouring his emotions into his music, as lead singer of the country-rock band Kevin Costner & Modern West. 

So, it’s no surprise that – after what has been a tumultuous time for the actor – he’s now getting back to brass tacks and channelling all the hurt and pain of his recent divorce into making new music. According to insiders, the 69 year old, who finally finalised his bitter and long-running divorce battle with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner in February, has been feeling more prolific than ever in the wake of their split, and, with a great deal of bad blood and angst still bubbling between them, he’s ready to express himself publicly. But rather than engage in a war of words in interviews, he’s putting it all down on the song sheet and letting his guitar do the talking. 

‘Kevin is always making music and has got quite a following,’ says an insider close to the Yellowstone star, who – since founding his namesake band in 2007 – has released five albums and even embarked on a world tour. ‘Out of everything he does, it’s his biggest passion. At the end of a long hard day, he usually sits down with his guitar to relax and, if he gets inspiration for a song, he’ll start working on it right there. Songwriting is one of his favourite ways to expressing his feelings, so of course he’s going to write about his divorce and the hell Christine put him through. No one would be surprised if he writes 10 songs about it – he’s got a lot of pain to process.’

Even by Hollywood standards, it’s fair to say that Kevin and Christine, 50, had one of the most acrimonious splits in recent times. After initially meeting in 2000, they got married four years later and had three children together – sons Cayden, 17, and Hayes, 15, and daughter, Grace, 14 (Kevin is also father to four more children from previous relationships). But their marriage took a nosedive in 2023, prompting Christine to file for divorce in May that year, citing irreconcilable differences – something with apparently shocked and ‘deeply saddened’ Kevin at the time.

But it was the ensuing legal battle where things really got ugly – after Kevin’s legal team had to file paperwork saying that his estranged ex was refusing to leave their Santa Barbara property, despite their prenup ordering her to do so. She eventually moved out and rented a $40k rental home nearby, while receiving a temporary monthly payment of $129k from the actor, in addition to her $1.5m divorce settlement. However, the handbag designer challenged her monthly allowance in court, chastising the actor for preventing her and their children from living in the style to which they were accustomed (including forcing their sons to now have to share a bathroom).

Eventually, they faced off in court – with Kevin telling press beforehand, ‘This is a horrible place to be…it feels so bad.’ He subsequently told the judge that Christine’s ‘inflated’ demands were crippling him, and forcing him to take on work projects he didn’t want to do. In the end, he was order to pay the lower fee of just $63k to Christine, prompting her to lash out again and continue to fight back.

Bitter back-and-forths ensued, but it wasn’t until February that the former couple reached a resolution – which involved Kevin coming to a private deal with his ex, described by the both of them as ‘amicable and mutually agreed’. They’ve since made visible steps to move on from their car-crash split, but – behind the scenes – insiders say that Kevin in particular still feels bruised by the whole debacle, especially after seeing Christine move on so readily with his former friend, financier Josh Connor. Despite rumours that he was romancing singer Jewel earlier this year, the actor has rubbished the claims – instead focusing on his career and philanthropic efforts. To that end, he’s been busy continuing work on his four-part film series Horizon: An American Saga, which he’s co-writing, producing and starring in. But it’s his music where he’s apparently processing all the emotional baggage of the past year-and-a-half – which inevitably means that Christine’s in the firing line if his songs ever come to light.

‘Kevin’s got a ton of built-up angst to release,’ says our source. ‘This is his chance to do so and let off some steam. He takes his songwriting very seriously, and he’s got a lot of things to get off his chest. Christine threw him under the bus, hooked up with his former friend, and tried to take him to the cleaners. A guy doesn’t forget stuff like that. He still feels like he’s been kicked in the gut and, while he’s not the kind of guy to kiss and tell, putting it to words and music is about as close to a tell-all as he’s going to give.’

Taking to the stage last month with at his annual charity event One805 Live event – which he holds on his sprawling Santa Barbara property to raise money for emergency responders – Kevin thanked his showbiz guests, including Cameron Diaz, Rob Lowe and Prince Harry, for their support. But it was when he and his band started performing for the A-list crowd that he truly looked like he was in his element. He may be known predominately for his Oscar-winning film roles, but the actor has said himself that it’s his music that connects him most authentically to the outside world. Now, in news that can’t be music to Christine’s ears, it’s safe to say we can expect some raw and emotional outpourings.

‘I always thought that music could build a stronger, more personal moment for me,’ he previously said. ‘It would create the opportunity for a genuine exchange much greater than the movie, TV interview or magazine. It would be real, full of mistakes and without apology.’