'She's special': Kevin Costner finally addresses romance rumors linking him to singer Jewel

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kevin Costner finally addresses the speculations linking him with singer Jewel.

During an appearance on ‘The Howard Stern Show’, the ‘Yellowstone’ star made it clear that while he "would like that," he is still decisively single since his divorce from his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner. 

The 69-year-old actor and Jewel sparked dating rumors after they spent considerable time together on Virgin mogul Richard Branson's private island, Necker Island, in December 2023.

Kevin Costner opens up about his equation with Jewel

In the interview with Howard Stern, Costner admitted that he is not dating the 50-year-old songstress even though she is "special," per OK! Magazine.

When pressed about the rumors, the 'Horizon: The American Saga' star vehemently denied his dalliance with the ‘Standing Still’ singer, saying, "No, no, no, but ... I know, that's what they are. I like the idea of that."

He continued to refute the speculation, saying, "No, Jewel and I are friends. We've never gone out — ever. She's special, and I don't want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that is what we have. She's special."

Costner gushed, "She's beautiful enough to go out with," before recalling, "We were down at Branson's island. She has a foundation, which I didn't know, and she was part of the foundation and Richard Branson had been asking me for years to come down to Necker Island, and I finally did. I am divorced, all of a sudden, I am a single father and he's been asking me for years to go down there." 

He also shared how their friendship grew in the first place, noting, "I got on a plane with nine people — Jewel was one of them, Emma Watson was on there, and seven people other people who weren't celebrities."

“We were the only three celebrities on an island for three days down there and then we fly back. She was somebody I just had some tremendous conversations with, along with Emma. I went down on a private plane with her, I went back on a private plane with her," added Costner. 

The actor further explained, "I was on with nine people and I don't want the press to ruin this for us. I've had conversations with her, and she's so smart and she's been through a lot herself and so we have a friendship."

He made things clear saying,  "We don't have a romance, and we've not dated. She's beautiful and smart enough — it just has never happened for us. But she's everything you might think. It just hasn't happened. I have to explain to my kids. They're like, 'Where is she?' That's the truth. You can't stop that. It's whatever, but she's special,” and added, “I would like that. I love women; there's something about them." 

Kevin Costner was bruised after his divorce from Christine Baumgartner

Costner's confession about the truth about his relationship with Jewel came just a day after he admitted during an appearance on 'The View' that he was left bruised following his tumultuous divorce with Baumgartner. 

When co-host Sara Haines asked Costner how he deals with life when "stuff hits the fan," he 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."

He expressed, "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."

Nevertheless, he admitted that the difficult times indeed made him stronger. But that doesn't mean he was not "bruised."

"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," added the 'Silverado' star before adding, “These tough times have been more a moment for me to look outward and make sure the people around me are all right," continued Costner. 

He admitted that his bruises taught him how to deal with life, saying, "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."