Yellowstone: Kevin Costner Explains Surprising Exit Announcement

It was widely known that Kevin Costner might not return to Yellowstone for the second half of its fifth season. The drama surrounding his potential exit had been very public. Many expected him not to come back, but very few could’ve guessed that Costner would’ve made things official by dropping a recorded video on Instagram on a random Thursday night. But that’s exactly what happened, and Costner let his fans know that his time playing John Dutton had come to an end.

What was the reason for dropping such a big piece of news on social media? Speaking to Variety at the premiere of his new film, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, Costner explained that he wanted fans to get the news from him.

“I’ve been talking to the press for what feels like the last month-and-a-half, and they’ve been asking me the same questions,” Costner said. “I just finally tried to go to the people that have been following me and let them know that this was the moment to really step off. And we’ll see what the future is but this was the moment to say, ‘We’re stepping off.’”

It had been reported that Costner was prioritizing Horizon over Yellowstone and not showing up for the show’s scheduled shoots, causing production to be delayed. When Costner finally opened up about the situation, however, he made it clear that he only moved on to Horizon after consistently showing up ready to work, only for production to be delayed because the scripts weren’t finished.

There had been a lot of questions about whether or not Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan would be able to smooth things over and bring John Dutton back for the show’s next set of episodes. Those questions ended last Thursday night with Costner’s Instagram video, where he confirmed he wouldn’t be returning.

“Hi, everyone. I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon, and doing all the things that that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love and I know you love. I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5, or into the future,” Costner said in the video. “It was something that really changed me. I loved it and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship that we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”