Kevin Costner. Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
Kevin Costner isn’t on Yellowstone anymore, but he still has some thoughts about the direction the show took his character, John Dutton, following his exit.
The Oscar winner confirmed his departure from the Paramount Network drama in June 2024 following months of speculation about whether he would appear in the final episodes of season 5.
“After this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all of the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love and I know you love,” Costner began in a video shared via social media at the time. “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue season 5B or into the future. It was something that really changed me. I loved it. And I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
Rumors about Costner’s departure began in early 2023 following the conclusion of season 5A. Reports circulated that Costner was at odds with Yellowstone cocreator Taylor Sheridan over the timing of production, which overlapped with filming on Costner’s four-part Horizon film saga. The duo denied any bad blood, but Sheridan later said he was “disappointed” that Costner wasn’t interested in continuing the show.
Kevin Costner. PARAMOUNT NETWORK
While Sheridan said in June 2023 that he doesn’t do “f— you car crashes” in his writing, he still killed off John Dutton in the season 5B premiere, albeit not in a car accident. In the November 10, 2024, episode, fans learned right away that John was murdered by a hit man hired by Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri). The hit man staged the scene to look like a suicide, but Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) were immediately suspicious that all was not as it seemed.
Costner, meanwhile, claims not to have seen the episode, but he’s been sharing his thoughts on it since it aired. Keep scrolling for everything he’s said about John’s death:
Yellowstone finally returned for season 5B after a nearly two-year break — and at long last fans learned the fate of Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton. Spoilers for Yellowstone ahead. In the Yellowstone season 5B premiere on Sunday, November 10, John Dutton met his untimely end. Though law enforcement initially believed he died by suicide, […]
Not That Interested
The day after the season 5B premiere aired, Costner said he was unaware that the first episode without him had finally premiered. “I’m going to be perfectly honest. I didn’t know it was actually airing last night,” he said during a November 11, 2024, interview on SiriusXM’s The Michael Smerconish Program. “That’s a swear-to-God moment. I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place and I’m thinking, ‘Gee, I’m not in that one.’ But I didn’t realize yesterday was the thing.”
He noted that he hadn’t seen the episode but heard what happened, quipping, “I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it.”
Praise for the Writers
In the same interview, Costner praised the Yellowstone team for always cooking up good stories — and hinted he knew that John’s “suicide” might not be what it looks like. “They’re pretty smart people,” he said. “Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They’re very good. And they’ll figure that out.”
Kudos to the Fans
As the second episode of season 5B was airing, Costner shared his thoughts on the fan backlash to John’s fate. “Fans have a voice in things, and they choose to follow stuff,” he told E! News on November 17, 2024.
The actor went on to say that he’d pitched John’s death to Sheridan “a while back” but had no stake in what happens now. “They do what they want to do,” he said. “That’s fine with me.”
