Kevin Costner Confirms He Won’t Be Returning to ‘Yellowstone’
Hours after Paramount Network announced the return date for the final episodes of Yellowstone, Kevin Costner put an end to speculation about his involvement by confirming on social media that he will not be returning.
In his Instagram video, Costner shared, “An update for you guys. I’ll see you at the movies.” He explained, “After a year and a half working on Horizon and reflecting on Yellowstone, the beloved series that I love and know you love, I’ve realized that I’m not able to continue with Season 5B or any future episodes. It was a transformative experience for me. I loved it, and I know you did too. I wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I cherish the relationship we’ve built, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
Earlier on Thursday, Paramount announced that the second half of Season 5, the final season of Taylor Sheridan’s series, will premiere on Sunday, November 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The network did not specify whether Costner’s character, John Dutton, would appear in these concluding episodes, leaving fans to seek out recent interviews for clues about his involvement.
In recent interviews, Costner has voiced his frustrations over the portrayal of his departure. He expressed disappointment that none of his former co-stars defended him amid the narrative that his absence was due to his conflicting schedule with Horizon: An American Saga.
“I read all the stories,” he said. “I was disappointed that nobody on their side stepped up to defend what I actually did for them. At one point, I wondered, ‘When will someone speak up about what I’ve done versus what I haven’t?’”
Costner also suggested that he might be open to returning to complete the Yellowstone saga under specific conditions. “I’ve always felt it could be an interesting opportunity to come back and finish the story of this modern-day family,” he said. “If that were to happen and I agreed with how it was being done, I would consider it.”
In June, Costner told Today that he hadn’t completely ruled out returning to Yellowstone. He noted, “I did it for five years, and I want to work more than once a year. We lost an entire year at one point, and I thought that couldn’t happen again.”
In May, Costner revealed to Deadline’s Mike Fleming that he had originally signed a contract for seasons five, six, and seven. However, contract renegotiations led to a shift to seasons 5A and 5B, with potential for a sixth season. He explained that issues with script availability and schedule conflicts contributed to the halt in filming for the second half of Season 5.
The breakdown of the situation became public in February 2023, when Deadline reported that Yellowstone was set to end with its current iteration and explore a franchise extension starring Matthew McConaughey. Paramount’s attempt to mitigate the impact of Costner’s departure included a statement expressing hope for his continued involvement and excitement for future franchise expansions. Details on the spinoff and the number of episodes for the end of Yellowstone have yet to be announced.
