Kevin Costner left the beaches of Santa Barbara behind for a pre-Christmas getaway to distant shores with some pals, DailyMail.com photos show.
The Yellowstone actor was spotted driving into a private airport in Santa Barbara in a dark Ford pickup truck with two large surfboards fastened on the roof.
Rocking shades, a black shirt, blue jeans and camel-colored cowboy boots, the chill-looking 68-year-old arrived early Saturday morning at the tarmac where his sleek private jet had been waiting.
He hopped out of the vehicle carrying two pieces of luggage and unloaded the surfboards before sauntering up to the plane along with two male friends who drove in separately.
They then flew off for what sources say was a two-day, pre-Christmas getaway.
There was no sign of singer Jewel, who Costner has been reportedly dating in recent weeks after finalizing a messy divorce.
‘He just looked like such a movie star getting out of this big black truck and stepping onto his private plane,’ one woman who was at the scene on Saturday told DailyMail.com, fawning over one of her screen idols who won an Oscar for Dances with Wolves. ‘Everybody was like, ‘Oh, look!’
‘The man looks really good for his age, like a real cowboy in that monster truck and boots,’ she gushed.
‘He just looked happy and in good spirits, being able to go off with his friends for a couple days.’
The local woman said the truck appeared to be brand new, and appeared to be a larger version of one she said his 16-year-old son Cayden has been driving around Santa Barbara lately.
‘They are their new Christmas toys,’ she said.
It was revealed earlier this month that Costner and Jewel, 49, are dating after a photo emerged showing the pair getting very close on Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.
The 68-year-old actor and Christine Baumgartner, his wife of 19 years had been embroiled in a months-long legal war which only ende in September.
Kevin was blindsided when Christine, 49, filed for divorce in May.
Now that Costner has moved on, Christine said she ‘never could have imagined he and Jewel dating, but in retrospect it makes sense,’ friends told DailyMail.com earlier this month.
‘They’re both into music, into that cowboy thing. What’s not to like about her. At least Jewel is a down to earth person and has her own thing going on,’ our source said.
‘Christine said the last thing she wanted was for some fame seeker to come along and play mom to their three children. But Jewel has a son of her own, she has her own life and isn’t a gold digger. So that’s a relief.’
Christine and Kevin share three children, Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13.
Jewel’s son Kase, 12, who she shares with her professional cowboy ex-husband Ty Murray, seemed to be on the trip to Branson’s luxurious island as well.
TMZ shared images showing Kevin’s arms around Jewel’s waist as she spoke into a microphone.
They appeared very flirty and smiled from ear to ear while on the island for a tennis fundraiser for Jewel’s Inspiring Children Foundation.
A source told TMZ, ‘There was definitely something going on. They were flirty, and when they were together, it was like they both just lit up.
‘You could tell they were trying to be discreet, but anybody who saw them could tell something was going on.’
It was also reported that Jewel has been ‘picky about who to date’ but feels Kevin ‘fits the bill’ after her split with Murray in 2014.
Costner’s ex-wife says it’s ‘bittersweet’ to see her Yellowstone actor ex dating just three months after their contentious divorce was finalized.
But Baumgartner thinks it could have been worse, telling a friend the last thing she would want is some fame-seeking bimbo to come along and play mom to their children.
‘Christine said she’s not surprised that Kevin has moved on so quickly, but he didn’t need to make it so obvious by wrapping his arms around her,’ a close friend tells DailyMail.com.
The source added that Christine is relieved that Costner isn’t dating a ‘fame seeker’ and that Jewel seems like a ‘down to earth person.’
‘She said she’s happy for him, but it still isn’t a great feeling seeing your ex with someone new,’ the friend said.
Jewel fits Kevin’s type: blonde and young. He has also romanced blondes Elle Macpherson, Joan Lunden and Cheryl Teigs, and, of course, his ex wife Christine.
In July, Christine was kicked out of the couple’s $145million mansion and moving vans were seen outside.
In her testimony on day one of their divorce hearing, Baumgartner said she needed more cash to provide a suitable home for their three children.
She said her $40,000-a-month Montecito rental did not compare to the family mansion and complained her sons would have to share a bathroom.
During his testimony, Kevin apologized to his estranged wife, saying: ‘I want to help but the thought of having things inflated to the point I can’t do what I want to do… Somehow in this unusual world, we didn’t make it and for that, I’m sorry.’
The court also heard details of the family’s lavish spending – which totaled $240,000-a-month in 2022.
Expenses included $40,000 spent each month on flowers and gifts alone, although Kevin’s forensic accountant Tracy Katz pointed out the figure is for the entire family, including Christine.
The pair settled and it 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.