Kevin Costner has finally addressed the swirling rumors about his relationship with singer Jewel, putting an end to the speculation. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on June 18, the 69-year-old actor clarified that he and Jewel, 50, are just friends and have never dated.
“Jewel and I are friends — we’ve never gone out,” Costner stated, emphasizing his concern that the rumors could jeopardize their friendship. “She’s special, and I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have.”
Costner, who is set to star in the upcoming film “Horizon: An American Saga,” reiterated that their relationship has always been platonic. He did, however, acknowledge Jewel’s beauty and intelligence, calling her “special” and “beautiful enough to go out with.”
The actor recounted how he met Jewel in December 2023 during a trip to Necker Island, a private island owned by Richard Branson in the British Virgin Islands. The trip included a group of nine people, among them actress Emma Watson.
“We were down at Branson’s Island, she has a foundation, which I didn’t know about,” Costner explained. “Richard Branson had been asking me for years to come down to Necker Island, and so I finally did. I’m divorced all of a sudden, I’m a single father, and he’s asked me for ten years to come down there.”
Photos from the trip, published by TMZ, showed Costner with his arms around Jewel’s waist as she addressed a crowd with a microphone. The pair also appeared in a group photo wearing matching all-white outfits, further fueling the romance rumors.
Costner shared that he had “some tremendous conversations” with both Jewel and Watson during the trip, but insisted that no romantic sparks flew between anyone. “I’ve had conversations with her, text-wise, and she’s so smart and she’s been through a lot herself,” he said. “We have a friendship, we don’t have a romance and we’ve not dated. She’s beautiful and smart enough for all those things, it’s just never happened for us. She’s everything you might think.”
The rumors became so pervasive that even Costner’s children began to question him about Jewel. “I have to explain to my kids, no,” Costner said, laughing as he recalled one of his daughters asking, “Well, where is she?”
Jewel also addressed the rumors in April, telling Elle that Costner is “a great person” and acknowledging the intense public fascination with their relationship. “The public fascination is intense for sure,” she said.
Costner’s personal life has been under scrutiny since his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, which was finalized in September 2023 after a contentious four-month legal battle. The former couple shares three children: Hayes, 15, Cayden, 17, and Grace, 14. Costner also has three older children from his previous marriage to Cindy Silva and a son from a relationship with Bridget Rooney.
The rumors about Costner and Jewel first gained traction in November 2023 when they were seen getting cozy at a tennis fundraiser in the British Virgin Islands. Despite the speculation, Costner remained silent until his recent interview with Howard Stern.
“No, Jewel and I are friends. I never went out,” Costner reiterated. “She’s special and I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have. She is special to me. She’s pretty enough to go out with.”
Costner explained that the rumors likely started because of their interactions during the trip to Necker Island. “I was down on Branson Island. She has a foundation, which I didn’t know about, and she was part of the foundation,” he said. “And Richard Branson has been asking me for years to come down to Necker Island, and so I finally did.”
He added that the trip included nine people, including Jewel and Emma Watson, and that they all had meaningful conversations. “We were with nine people and I don’t want the press to spoil it for us because… we had conversations with her, in terms of the lyrics, and she’s so smart and she’s been through a lot herself, and so we have a friendliness,” Costner explained. “We don’t have a romance and we haven’t dated.”
Despite the lack of romance, Costner admitted that his teenage children — sons Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and daughter Grace, 14 — have all asked him about the rumors. “I have to explain to my kids, no,” he said.
Jewel, who was previously married to pro cowboy Ty Murray and shares a son with him, has also been the subject of intense public scrutiny. In her interview with Elle, she didn’t deny the dating rumors but emphasized Costner’s good character.
“He’s a great person,” she said, adding that the public fascination with their relationship is “intense for sure.”
As Costner continues to navigate his post-divorce life, he remains focused on his career and his children, while maintaining his close friendship with Jewel.
