Jewel broke her silence about rumors that she’s dating Kevin Costner for the first time. 

“He’s a great person,” the singer, 49, told Elle in an interview published on Thursday, April 11. “The public fascination is intense for sure.” The article’s author also noted that Jewel was “blushing” as she talked about the Yellowstone star. 

Rumors of a romance between Jewel and Kevin, 69, began when they were photographed looking quite cozy in November 2023. The duo attended a fundraiser for Jewel’s Inspiring Children Foundation, which took place on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. The following month, TMZ obtained photos of the pair at the event and the images featured the actor wrapping his arms around Jewel’s waist. 

The trip took place just two months after Kevin settled his contentious divorce from Christine Baumgartner. “He really hit it off with Jewel,” an insider exclusively told In Touch in December 2023. “He’s enjoying being single again after 18 years of marriage, but she definitely caught his eye. He’s ready to move on with his life.”

Later that month, Us Weekly reported that Kevin and Jewel had “been quietly dating for quite some time now.” The insider said that the stars ran in the same circle for years before getting together. “[They’ve] always gotten along great,” the source dished. “They check a lot of boxes for each other.” 

The rumored couple also has music in common. While she has been singing since the 1990s, he is the frontman of the band Kevin Costner & Modern West. “He’s really into his band and singing and she’s very much a part of that country-and-western world,” Us Weekly reported. “Some of their mutual friends joke how it’s surprising they didn’t get together years ago.”

Although Kevin and Jewel were reportedly taking things slow at first, an insider exclusively told In Touch in February that the relationship was getting serious. “Kevin just got out of a bad marriage and went through an ugly divorce, but that hasn’t turned him off to the idea of getting married again,” the source divulged. “He feels so good when he’s around Jewel. He’s happier, lighter. And he adores her son.”

Jewel shares her only child, Kase, 12, with ex-husband Ty Murray. The exes divorced in 2014. Meanwhile, Kevin has seven children of his own. With his first wife, Cindy Silva, he has daughters Annie, 39, and Lily, 37, as well as son Joe, 36. He and former partner Bridget Rooney share a son, Liam, 28, and he has three teenage children – Cayden, 16, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 13 – with Christine, 50.

Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.