Kevin Costner is moving forward after finalizing his public divorce from Christine Baumgartner. In a new interview with PEOPLE, the Yellowstone actor calls his ex-wife a “good partner [and] good mother” as he adjusts to his new reality as a single man.
“[We] just weren’t able to go the distance,” Kevin, 69, said in an interview published Wednesday, June 19. “What I can say is I’ve had an amazing life. I’ve been bruised, but I’ve had an amazing life and I’m grateful for that.”
After 18 years of marriage, Kevin and Christine, 50, filed for divorce in May 2023. They finalized their divorce settlement in February. The exes currently share custody of Kevin’s three youngest children, Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 14.
“You just do it,” he said when navigating his new normal. “You just keep talking, you keep coaching [the kids], you keep interested in what they’re interested in.”
A new relationship status, however, can also lead to new chatter. Earlier this year, the actor sparked romance rumors with Jewel after they were invited to Sir Richard Branson’s private island.
While speaking to Howard Stern, Kevin assured fans that they are just friends. “We’ve never gone out,” he said on the Tuesday, June 18 episode of SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. “She’s special, and I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have.”
According to Kevin, he met the “Foolish Games” singer when they traveled to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands and attended a tennis fundraiser for Jewel’s Inspiring Children Foundation. “I got on a plane with nine people — Jewel was one of them,” he explained. “Emma Watson was on there and 7 other people who weren’t celebrities.”
“We have a friendship,” Kevin continued. “We don’t have a romance. We haven’t dated. She’s beautiful and smart enough for all those things. It just hasn’t happened for us. She’s everything you might think, but it just hasn’t happened.”
Back in April, Jewel also spoke out about the rumors surrounding her relationship with Kevin in an interview with Elle. At the time, she called the actor “a great person,” but added, “the public fascination is intense for sure.”
Kevin’s latest project Horizon: An American Saga hits theaters on Friday, June 28.