How Did Christine Baumgartner & Josh Connor Meet? Inside The Couple's Controversial Romance

In January 2025, People broke the news that former "Yellowstone" star Kevin Costner's ex-wife Christine Baumgartner was engaged to banker Josh Connor. But controversy quickly marred what would otherwise be a happy announcement. Particularly, her relationship with Connor played a key role in the drama surrounding Baumgartner's messy divorce from Costner. But to understand exactly why, we have to look at how Baumgartner and Connor met in the first place. In January 2024, the Daily Mail confirmed that they were officially an item. That said, the two were initially linked back in July 2023, when they were spotted enjoying a Hawaiian holiday together. Notably, it was just two months after Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner — a move that reportedly caught the actor completely off guard, as insiders divulged to Extra. 

Additionally, Connor himself had only finalized his own divorce around six months before the romantic trip took place. But it goes even deeper than that. According to the Daily Mail, the Connors and the Costners had actually been neighbors and family friends for years prior to the two hooking up, shocking the ex-spouses on both sides. Apparently, the financier originally crossed paths with Baumgartner because their daughters knew each other. All this naturally raised a few eyebrows, especially amid Baumgartner and Costner's divorce. However, at a child support hearing in August 2023 — about a month after she and Connor were spotted in Hawaii — Baumgartner's lawyer asserted that the two were just friends. Baumgartner also took the stand during the hearing, and staunchly denied that she and Connor were romantically involved with one another.

In December 2024, 11 months after the Daily Mail's initial report, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to People that Christine Baumgartner and Josh Connor were indeed a couple. They also corroborated the notion that the two were only friends in the beginning, clarifying, "Christine and Josh's relationship started as a friendship, so they have a really strong foundation. They share the same values, and she feels so happy and supported in this new relationship." However, Baumgartner's ex-husband Kevin Costner wasn't entirely convinced that the two romances didn't overlap. In January 2024, a source dished to Us Weekly that he "had strong suspicions that something was going on between Christine and Josh," adding that their closeness had become "a real elephant in the room." 

When Baumgartner and Connor vacationed in Hawaii, a source similarly admitted to In Touch Weekly that Costner "doesn't know what to think or who to trust," noting, "He's sick over it." Of course, plenty of other cheating rumors plagued Costner and Baumgartner's divorce — some of which have actually alleged infidelity on his part, not hers. It's worth noting that the "Horizon: An American Saga" star has consistently denied ever being unfaithful to Baumgartner, both to the press and in court. In the case of the latter, while neither Costner nor his legal team made any accusations against his estranged wife, the actor did acknowledge some uncertainty over whether his ex-wife had been faithful to him during their marriage, and if he'd unknowingly bankrolled a hypothetical affair.