As a new magazine profile of Jewell attests, the singer-songwriter continues to keep people guessing — these days about her rumored romance with Kevin Costner, her upcoming “immersive art experience” in Arkansas and the nasty-looking cut on her right index finger, which she displayed in two recent TikTok videos.
In one of those TIkTok videos, Jewell asked her fans to guess what “shenanigans” she has been up to and how she got the cut on her finger, offering a $100 reward for whoever guessed correctly.
A couple of fans good-naturedly alluded to reports that she has been dating “Yellowstone” star Costner, with one saying the cut probably was caused by “Kevin Costner eating an apple with his pocket knife on your front porch when you got a little too close!” Another teased, “Kevin Costner wrangled ya!”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: Kevin Costner speaks onstage during the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman on February 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
A new profile for Elle revealed that Jewell’s injury came from a raven bite. The musician, 49, was posing for a photo with an actual live raven, while standing on a giant turntable that rotated her like “a life-size music box dancer.” Dressed in an ivory-colored gown, Jewell held up her right arm. A shiny black raptor was perched on her wrist and took at least one nip that drew blood.
The photo shoot was for a large hologram of Jewell that will greet visitors to “The Portal: An Art Experience by Jewel,” opening on May 4 at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. The 90-minute “experience” also features 10 pieces she’s selected from the museum, an outdoor, choreographed 200-piece drone light show and a portrait of her 12-year-old son that she painted herself after taking a two-week class in Rome.
The Elle story appeared to be timed for Jewell’s exhibition, but it also caught up with her upcoming co-headlining tours with Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls. And, the story let Jewell address rumors and reports that she’s dating Costner, 69.
“He’s a great person,” Jewell said, “blushing,” according to Elle. She didn’t say anything more about the Oscar-winning movie star and director, other than to add, “the public fascination is intense for sure.”
The fascination with her and Costner began late last year when the “Dances With Wolves” actor was seen getting “flirty” with her during a celebrity fundraising event in the British Virgin Islands. The sight of Costner and Jewel looking “cozy” at the tennis fundraiser sparked relationship rumors, People reported.
Photos obtained by TMZ also showed Costner with his arms around the Grammy-winning artist, as she was giving a speech to attendees at the tennis fundraiser for her Inspiring Children Foundation. The event was held on Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.
Both Costner and Jewel smiled as his hands rested on her waist as she spoke into a microphone, the photos showed. Page Six said it looked as though he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
“There was definitely something going on,” a source told TMZ. “They were flirty, and when they were together, it was like they both just lit up.” TMZ also reported that Costner and Jewel made the trip to the Caribbean together and hung out “a lot” for more than a week. Another source told TMZ: “You could tell they were trying to be discreet, but anybody who saw them could tell something was going on.”
Reports about the romance began several months after Costner extricated himself from one of the messiest and most embarrassing divorce battles in recent Hollywood history. Last May, Costner’s second wife, Christine Baumgartner, reportedly “blindsided” him by filing for divorce after 18 years of marriage and raising three children together.
During their nearly six-month court battle, Costner, Baumgartner and their high-priced attorneys battled over property, child support, legal fees, a prenuptial agreement and her avowed need to keep their three, teenage children in a lifestyle “to which they had become accustomed” — which included private-jet travel and resort vacations.
Several months after settling the divorce, Costner was seen hanging out with Jewell in the Caribbean. She herself is single, having divorced her ex-husband, pro rodeo cowboy Ty Murray, in 2014. They share a son, 12-year-old Kase.
When the Costner romance rumors first erupted, TMZ cited a source who said that Jewel is “picky” about whom she dates. “She wants a good man, and Kevin fits the bill,” the source said.