Stephen A. Smith questions massive settlements amidst Kevin Costner divorce scandal-"Anybody gonna say something about this"

During a recent episode of the Stephen A. Smith show, the ESPN anchor shared his thoughts on the current Kevin Costner divorce scandal. Costner and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, are still hashing out the terms of their divorce, but the split has been incredibly public.

Smith started by explaining the details of the controversy.

"Kevin Costner's estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, reportedly thinks nearly $52,000 a month in child support for three kids is completely inappropriate," Smith explained. "The former handbag designer, who was in the midst of a contentious divorce with the movie star, stood firm on her stance that her kids need $248,000 a month in child support, according to new court documents obtained by TMZ on Thursday..."

"However, Costner has maintained that $51,940 a month, which is what he's currently paying, is the only reasonable amount of money that he should have to pay in child support. The actor also recently alleged that he simply cannot afford a higher amount. Since he will no longer be on his hit show Yellowstone, he said he'll earn substantially less in 2023 than he did in 2022. Costner also previously argued via his attorneys that Baumgartner is allegedly seeking a higher payday for child support in order to fund her own personal expenses."

Smith continued.

"I mean, is anybody going to say something about this now? You Kevin Costner. Listen, I'm not trying to get in his pockets. Listen, the brother's 68 years old, y'all. He ain't 28. He ain't got 40 years left in the business. I mean, when you talk about one over $240 thousand a month, you talk about nearly $3 million a year."

During the episode, Smith also discussed multiple other high-profile divorce settlements as he looked to make the point that marriage and divorce have become a transactional entity within American culture.

---

Stephen A. Smith could still be part of ESPN layoffs

While Smith survived the first round of ESPN's latest staff layoffs, the 55-year-old has noted how that doesn't mean his job with the sports conglomerate is safe.

"Let's deal with reality, this ain't the end, more is coming. And yes ladies and gentleman, I could be next," Stephen A Smith said on a recent episode of his The Stephen A Show.

Given how Smith is among ESPN's most prominent sports anchors and is known across the sports media landscape, it's unlikely he would be released.

Smith is arguably the biggest sports anchor in the world at present - drawing eyeballs in whatever show format he's asked to head up. However, at 55, he could find himself as part of possible layoffs in the future as ESPN continually looks to shake up its offering and remain relevant in the modern market.