How Will Yellowstone Season 5 Handle John Dutton Story Arc After Actor Kevin Costner's Exit From Show? Find Out

Kevin Costner's exit from Yellowstone was a shocker but here's how the show might justify his absence. There are multiple reasons stated regarding the actor's abrupt exit!

By Shreya Patnaik

Published on Aug 30, 2024 | 02:03 AM IST | 75.2K

Kevin Costner (Image via: Getty)

The fifth season of the Paramount Network series Yellowstone will be released later this year, and the channel is constantly teasing fans on social media with exclusive snaps and clips. However, John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, an essential player in the game, was notably missing in the released pictures.

One snap showed power couple Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) standing tall in an embrace. Meanwhile, the former’s sibling/rival Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) held a presser in another released image. Another photo showed Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and his son Tate (Brecken Merrill) alive and well after their fatal car accident.

Although it’s not been confirmed that Costner’s exit will be dealt with in the show, it’s possible that his character, John Dutton, is posed as collateral damage in the murderous war between siblings Beth and Jaime.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in June, the Dances With Wolves actor confirmed that he won’t appear in Yellowstone season 5 due to commitment to his Horizon film franchise. "It was just time to move on and as gracefully as you can with something that's been very important to you," he said addressing his exit.

However, in a different interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said he wanted to move on because he didn’t need the “drama,” adding that it wasn’t a tough decision at all. “It was a necessary decision to say, ‘Hey, okay I don’t want to really talk about this anymore. It’s time to move on,’” he told the outlet.

Although he enjoyed doing the show's five seasons, he wanted to move on. “So, let’s just take that drama away, let’s take the guessing [away],” he added. Costner also expressed gratitude to fans for giving him love, promising that he’d deliver more projects in the future.

This “drama” the actor kept referring to could be about the rumored strife between him and creator Taylor Sheridan. However, the latter denied the rumors and conceded he was "disappointed" by Costner's exit. Sheridan also claimed that the actor’s other work commitments was the reason behind his exit.