EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Costner Spills the Beans — 'Dances With Wolves' Icon 'Selling Coffee to Fund Divorce Bill and Movie Flops'
Kevin Costner appears to be looking toward coffee to make some extra cash.
July 17 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Kevin Costner has been called out for turning to promoting coffee as he battles the financial fallout from his bitter divorce and the mounting costs of his ambitious filmmaking projects, with insiders telling RadarOnline.com the Hollywood star has embraced commercial partnerships to help offset enormous expenses while insisting the Oscar winner remains determined to keep creating movies on his own terms.
The 71-year-old actor, director, and producer, whose career has been defined by Western classics including Dances With Wolves, Open Range, and the Horizon: An American Saga films, has expanded his long-running partnership with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters following the release of the first Horizon chapter's flop.
Kevin Costner's Costly Divorce Fallout
Costner finalized his bitter divorce from Christine Baumgartner in 2024.
The campaign comes after Costner finalized his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, 52, in February 2024, with a judge enforcing the ex-couple's prenuptial agreement, awarding Baumgartner $1.5million, and ordering Costner to pay $63,209 a month in child support for their three children.
A source claimed: "Kevin has invested an enormous amount of his own money into Horizon, and the divorce only increased the financial pressure. Deals like his coffee tie-in make perfect sense because they allow him to keep funding the projects he believes in. He's not walking away from filmmaking, but he's realistic about the bills that have piled up.
"However, inside, he will see it as a step down from his grand vision of himself as a filmmaker."
The Hollywood star shot a new campaign with Green Mountain.
Kevin Costner's Coffee Confession
'I make Westerns, but I don't drink black coffee,' Costner made clear.
As part his coffee ad promos, Costner has insisted he bears little resemblance to the rugged frontier heroes who made him famous and says even his morning routine breaks with his tough-guy image.
Speaking about his daily routine, he said: "I jazz (my coffee) up sometimes with cinnamon."
He added: "I have this coffee that's really pleasant to me in the morning and kind of gets me going."
Comparing himself with the cowboys he has portrayed throughout his career, Costner said: "I make Westerns, but I don't drink black coffee.
"I make Westerns, but I don't drink whiskey."
Costner admitted he never drank whiskey like his film characters.
He explained the characters he has played would never have enjoyed the comforts he adds to his own drink.
Costner said, "The Western characters, they didn't have all the frills. They ain't gonna have creams. They ain't gonna have anything like that, and I don't take my coffee black. I just don't do it."
The movie star added: "A lot of people might think because of the image, you know, I make Westerns, I do this, that that's how I take it.
"I want to run away from that. I'm not a hardcore guy, and it's something very pleasant that I have in the morning."
Another source said, "Kevin isn't pretending everything has been easy. Between the divorce settlement and the money tied up in Horizon, he's had to be more commercial than people expected."
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Multi-Million Dollar Flop Sparks Financial Crisis
Costner invested an enormous amount of his own money into 'Horizon.'
Costner said authenticity also drives his acting choices, explaining he always has to connect with every character and understand their motivations.
Discussing villains, he said: "I wanna make sure that my bad guy is understood in his own way."
The Hollywood icon added: "It's such a word that's being tossed around a lot right now, but it does mean something. It means there's an honesty."
Costner said Green Mountain Coffee Roasters appealed because the company shared such an approach, adding, "Shooting this campaign with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters felt authentic to me in every sense."
