When Kevin Costner left the hit Taylor Sheridan show Yellowstone back in 2024, fans were devastated. After all, what was going to happen to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch now that its patriarch, John Dutton III, was dead?! Well, without spoiling it, all we will say is that it was quite dramatic—but not as dramatic as all of the drama that unfolded off-camera before and after Costner left the show. We share everything you need to know below.
The Shocking exit: Why Kevin Costner left ‘Yellowstone’
In June 2024, Costner announced that he wouldn’t be returning for Season 5b of Yellowstone, opting instead to focus on his new movie Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1, which he wrote, directed and starred in.
“I want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all of the things that that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future,” the Oscar winter shared in a social media video. “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.”
Following that announcement, several reports were made that claimed Costner was difficult to work with. In them, sources said that the actor had a variety of clashes with production over things like contracts, scheduling conflicts and creative control.
Paramount Network/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
There was also an article published by The Hollywood Reporter in October 2025 that claimed Costner got into a physical fight with co-star Wes Bentley, who reportedly thought that the show was too focused on Costner’s character.
“Kevin didn’t like that, and he lunged at him [Bentley],” a source who was present told The Hollywood Reporter. “No fists were thrown, but they were in each other’s faces, pushing and shoving and just getting hot until they had to be separated.”
Bentley’s spokesperson seemingly confirmed that there were arguments between the two, but didn’t share much else, other than revealing that there was a “work-related argument during an emotional and physically tough scene” that did happen on set.
What Kevin Costner has been doing since leaving ‘Yellowstone’
After leaving Yellowstone, Costner released Horizon: An American Saga—Chapters 1 and 2, both of which didn’t perform well at the box office. Following that, he was working on producing Chapter 3, but has faced significant funding problems, meaning that the film is currently on the back burner.
“I have to hurry and not let the rock fall back downhill. I’ve gotta go put my hands on it again and start to push it up,” Costner said in 2024, per Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a rope that I cannot let go of. I don’t know how I’m gonna make 3 right now, but I’m gonna make it.”
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Beyond that, he hasn’t acted in anything since Yellowstone and Horizon. Nonetheless, he’s continued to walk red carpets and attend events, allowing fans to see that their beloved John Dutton III is still alive and well.
Will Kevin Costner ever return to the Taylor Sheridan universe?
In the past, Sheridan has brought dead Yellowstone characters back in the form of voiceovers and/or flashbacks, so there is a chance that Costner could appear in The Madison, Marshals or Dutton Ranch, all of which are releasing this year.
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“I would love to go back under the right circumstances, I think that all of us want. For me, it really needs to be the right circumstances,” Costner said on the Today show in 2024. “There’s always a chance.”