By Eve Buckland and Alesia Stanford and Heidi Parker For Dailymail.com
16:42 09 Dec 2023, updated 18:26 09 Dec 2023
Kevin Costner has struck up a shock new romance with Jewel – months after his multimillion dollar divorce from Christine Baumgartner.
Costner, 68, endured a famously acrimonious split from Baumgartner – with whom he shares three children – with a judge ordering the Yellowstone actor to pay $63,000-a-month for their kids and the prenup enforced.
Today, Jewel is worth an estimated $14million versus Costner’s vast $400million fortune
Earlier this year the singer, 49, claimed her estranged mother Lenedra embezzled more than $100million from her, leaving her broke and in debt at age 34.
As Jewel debuts her hot new romance with Costner, DailyMail.com looks back at her messy finances after losing $100million…
The artist was born Jewel Kilcher in Payson, Utah in 1974.
Her parents, Atz, 75, who is a star of the reality show Alaska: The Last Frontier, and Lenedra Carroll, 67, moved Jewel and her older brother, Shane, to Alaska shortly after her birth, where they lived on a large homestead with no electricity or plumbing.
Speaking to the Verywell Mind Podcast with Amy Morin in March 2023: ‘My mom and dad got divorced when I was eight, and we went to live with my dad,’ she explained. ‘Nobody told me it’s because my mom didn’t want to be a mom. She left us, and so my dad took over raising us. I didn’t know that at the time.’
‘My dad was this volatile alcoholic that hit me, very easy to identify “bad guy.” My mom seemed like the opposite. She was calm, she was soft, she never yelled, obviously never hit me. And I didn’t realize I was being abused in another way at the time,’ she said.
Jewel said when she would go to her mom for support, she would find ways to ignore Jewel, without the girl knowing.
‘Let’s say when I would show up on her doorstep, she would say, “Your mind is so powerful. Our minds are only tap, we use like 10% of our brain power. Our minds are so powerful and I think you, Jewel, are so powerful that I think you could sit here and stare at this light bulb and you might be able to get it to turn off with your mind.”‘
Looking back, the Who Will Save Your Soul singer said, at the time, those interactions made her ‘feel loved.’ It wasn’t until much later she discovered, ‘What it actually was was my mom didn’t want to stay there and be with me, and she babysat me by having me watch light bulbs. So sometimes the appearance of an attached figure isn’t what it seems.’
The You Were Meant for Me singer began performing at an early age. She and her father would yodel and sing in roadhouses and taverns to earn money.
‘I was bar singing as an eight year old. I was around predators, I had a very scary life. I had a very terrifying life. And I had a life where adults weren’t safe people, being in connection to people wasn’t safe.’
It was Jewel’s talent that enabled her to get out of the bars. She won a partial scholarship to study operatic voice at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Her hometown of Homer rallied around here, holding an auction to raise the remainder of the money.
She learned guitar while studying at the music school and moved to San Diego after graduating.
There, she lived in a van while writing songs and performing. She paid the bills by working in a coffee shop and as a telephone operator at a computer company until she was discovered.
Her debut album, Pieces of You, skyrocketed to success, becoming a 12-times platinum record.
The artist’s second collection of songs, Spirit, debuted on the Billboard 200 in third place, but did not go on to have the same success as Pieces of Me.
Jewel’s mother was close enough to have access to the singer’s finances.
‘I didn’t really realize what my mom was until I was 30-something. I woke up and realized she embezzled all of my money, over $100 million,’ she admitted.
And then as I started investigating the truth about what my mom had told me in my life versus what was true, I had realized that pretty much everything that I formed my reality on was fiction,” she added.
’34 years old, realize I’m $3 million in debt, realize my mom stole it, realize everything I thought my mom was isn’t what she was, very difficult psychological thing to come to terms with.’
To help vulnerable kids and teens, Jewel helped create the non-profit, Inspiring Children in the early 2000s, which includes the singer’s free in person and online mental health program, Jewel Never Broken.
The program includes survival techniques the artist taught herself to overcome anxiety and depression.
Jewel often speaks about the importance of good mental health on her personal social media account and on the Inspiring Children and Never Broken accounts.
The star has been estranged from her mother since the early 2000s.
This comes amid the star’s budding new romance with Costner.
The two stars were seen sitting very close to each other on Richard Branson‘s Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands over the Thanksgiving weekend, as reported by TMZ on Friday.
The Yellowstone star was on the island for a tennis fundraiser for Jewel’s Inspiring Children Foundation.
TMZ claims Costner and the singer flew together to the Caribbean and spent over a week hanging out, were acting ‘flirty,’ and are now dating.
It was also claimed they left the event together after being by each other’s side daily.
The site also shared images with Kevin’s arms around her waist as she spoke into a microphone.
They appeared very flirty and smiled from ear to ear suggesting they really enjoyed each other’s company.
The site’s source shared: ‘There was definitely something going on. They were flirty, and when they were together, it was like they both just lit up.’
It was also shared: ‘You could tell they were trying to be discreet, but anybody who saw them could tell something was going on.’
They played double tennis with Sir Richard.
The site’s source also shared that Jewel has been ‘picky about who to date’ but feels Kevin ‘fits the bill,’ meaning she gave him the greenlight for romance.
Her son Kase, 12, whom she had with ex-husband Ty Murray, seemed to be on the trip as well as he was seen on the beach with the star in her Instagram photos.
Jewel mentioned Costner when talking the fundraising event on her Instagram last week, saying he was ‘kind enough to mentor our kids this year.’
She added of the event: ‘Every year, my foundation and I go to Necker Island to help host a tennis event w Richard Branson to raise funds for our kids. Amazing players like come and support us in playing doubles with the folks who come.
‘It’s an incredible time, and one I use to relax, rest and play w my son! and Sir Richard was his usual inspiring self- who also plays a mean game of doubles!’
Costner and Jewel were also seen partying with other stars like Emma Watson and Michael Bolton at the private island over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Jewel fits his type: blonde and young. He has also romanced blondes Elle Macpherson, Joan Lunden and Cheryl Teigs, and, of course, his ex wife Christine Baumgartner.
In late November, PageSix reported that Jewel and Kevin were on the same trip together making eyebrows raise.
‘Costner seemed in high spirits and more interested in looking to the future than dwelling on his headline-making split from wife of 19 years, Baumgartner,’ a source told the site.
‘He was talking to other guests about his upcoming movie projects, and he even screened part of his latest movie,’ said an island hopper.
His latest film is the two part Horizon: An American Saga which debuts in June 2024.
Costner also went scuba diving and sailing, the site added.
And when he had dinner at night he rubbed elbows with Jewel as well as Emma Watson, Michael Bolton, and tennis stars Genie Bouchard and Mike Bryan.
Guests paid up to $100,000 to visit the island and play with the best tennis stars in the world.
The good times come after Costner finalized his divorce from his wife of 19 years Christine.
In October Costner and Baumgartner’s very bitter divorce met an end as the two sides settled with the prenup enforced and a massive monetary penalty if it is challenged.
A joint statement from Costner and Baumgartner provided to DailyMail.com read: ‘Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings.’
The actor and his wife of nearly 20 years have been embroiled in a months-long legal war which has met a surprise end after a report that Baumgartner had received more than $400,000 to pay the costs of the contentious courtroom battle.
Costner was previously married to Cindy Silva from 1978 to 1994 and they share three children – Annie, 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35.
He also shares a son Liam Costner with Bridget Rooney, who he dated after his split with Silva.
Jewel’s dating history includes relationships with Sean Penn and NFL star Charlie Whitehurst.
She was also married to professional cowboy Ty Murray and they share a 13-year-old son.
The settlement between Costner and his ex is likely to be similar to the one previously offered by Kevin in a letter sent on June 30 which would have paid her $75,000-a-month in child support.
The mom-of-three rejected that after enjoying a temporary monthly payment of $129,000 and had wanted it bumped to $161,000.
Instead, after a two-day hearing in September in which both Kevin and Christine took the stand to testify, a judge ordered Kevin to pay $63,000-a-month for their three children.
According to the terms of the settlement, if Christine challenges the judgment ‘she would have to repay Kevin more than $1million and pay his attorney’s fees for the prenup fight.’
Upon hearing this, she ‘agreed to the terms of a 3-page settlement letter.’
Although the prenup is enforceable, Christine got more than what was prescribed in the agreement.
Christine had vowed to fight it out in court with a trial due to take place in December, which will no longer happened.
