Kevin Costner, 69, opens up about 'tough times' as the 'single father' of seven admits he's been 'bruised' after messy divorce from ex Christine Baumgartner

Hollywood actor Kevin Costner appeared to hint at his messy divorce from Christine Baumgartner on Monday morning as he opened up about 'tough times' and admitted he had been left 'bruised' by life.

During an appearance on The View, the 69-year-old actor - who split from his wife of 19 years in May 2023 - referred to himself as a 'single father' whilst discussing the three teenage children he shares with Baumgartner, 50, as he described them as 'really good kids.'

When panelist Sara Haines asked Costner how he handled life when 'stuff hits the fan,' the Oscar winner replied: 'You know, I don't want to circle this back to movies, but I will for a second... for as phony as they are, and as moving as they can be and funny as they can be, there's a lot of life lessons in movies.

'Because we know who the bad guys are, we see it, we know who the buffoons are, and we know what it is to be noble, and sometimes even in defeat. And so when you go to the movies, you can see who you want to be,' Costner claimed.

'So, I have had life take some bites out of me, and I have to look at myself as a movie. I know I'm just a person, but who am I going to be? And one of the things I need to do is maybe not think about myself too much. These tough times have been more a moment for me to look outward and make sure the people around me are all right.

Kevin Costner referred to himself as a 'single father' during an appearance on The View on Monday morning

The 69-year-old actor pictured at Cannes Film Festival in May with five of his seven kids: Annie, Cayden Wyatt, Grace Avery, Hayes Logan and Lily

'Because I know I'm bruised, I know where I'm at. I've been really lucky, really lucky in my life. That doesn't mean I haven't been bruised, I've taken some big bites out of life, and life has taken some really big bites out of me, and I think I know who I want to be in the movies, and I think I know who I need to be in my life.'

The father-of-seven shares his three youngest children, Cayden Wyatt, 17, Hayes Logan, 15, and Grace Avery, 14, with his ex, Baumgartner, and Sunny Hostin was keen to hear what his life was like raising three teenagers at once.

'Well, you would be shocked, but my life is very much like yours. I'm like living on a freeway, I think I'm an Uber driver... I might as well be one,' the actor joked, before adding: 'I'm a single father... that wasn't how I drew it, but that's where it is.

'I kind of love to see them succeed, I loved playing with them since they were little and I'm watching them actually talk to me about things, there's then that shift....

'My life isn't any different. They have their ups and downs, but they're really good kids, and I feel lucky,' Costner said, just hours after teasing a return to Yellowstone during an interview with Savannah Guthrie on Today.

The Waterworld actor also shares three adult children — Annie, 40, Lily, 37, and Joe, 36 — with his ex-wife, Cindy Silva, as well as son Liam, 26, with former partner Bridget Rooney.

During a recent interview with GQ, Costner opened up about his split from Baumgartner and weighed in on the gravity of the situation and how he managed to cope with his professional endeavors on top of raising a family.

'So much. Very serious stuff,' the actor explained. 'And those things are very important. I have to deal with them. And I have to deal with them on a daily basis, emotionally, historically almost. And then there's the immediate needs of children.

Costner was previously married to Cindy Silva from 1978 to 1994 and they share three children - Annie, 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35 (seen in 2008)

The former couple pictured in 2019 with their three children: Grace, Hayes, and Cayden

Kevin and Christine, pictured here in 2019, married in September 2004 but she filed for divorce in 2023

'I'm not going to list the things—I'm going to stop right there with them. That is my job, looking at that, and dealing with that,' he added.

In September 2023, it was reported that Costner had scored a victory in his divorce battle with Baumgartner after a judge slashed her child support payments to $63,000 per month - less than half of the $129,000 she was currently receiving - and considerably less than the $161,000 she wanted.

After the verdict, Costner said there were 'no winners' in the bruising battle.  

'You know, when you have a life that long with somebody, there is no winner...and it's this big, crazy thing called life and how it unravels so quickly,' he told Fox News Digital.

'One minute you feel like you're on top of the world, and then you realize how, you know, how vulnerable you are.'