Everything Kevin Costner said about his death in Yellowstone

Kevin Costner not included Yellowstone already, but he still have some thoughts about the direction the show has taken his character, John Dutton, since his exit.

The Oscar winner confirmed his departure from the Paramount Network drama in June 2024. after months of speculation as to whether he would appear in the final episodes of Season 5.

“After this long year and a half of work on Horizon and to do all the things that are required and to think about it Yellowstonethis beloved series that I love and I know you do,” Costner began in a video shared via social media at the time. “I just found out I won’t be able to continue season 5B or into the future. That was something that really changed me. I adored him. And I know you liked it. I just wanted to tell you that I’m not coming back. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”

Rumors of Costner’s departure began in early 2023. after the end of the 5A season. Reports have been rife that Costner is at odds with Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan over production time that overlapped with the filming of Costner’s four-parter Horizon film saga. The duo denied any bad blood, but Sheridan later said he was “disappointed” that Costner is not interested in continuing the show.

Although Sheridan said in June 2023 that he doesn’t do “uh… you crash” in his lyrics, he still killed John Dutton in the season 5B premiere, albeit not in a car crash. In the episode of November 10, 2024 fans immediately learned that John was killed by an assassin hired by Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri). The killer staged the scene to look like a suicide, but Beth (Kelly Riley) and Casey (Luke Grimes) immediately suspected that all was not as it seemed.

Meanwhile, Costner claims he hasn’t seen the episode, but shared his thoughts on it since it aired. Keep scrolling for everything he had to say about John’s death:

Related: How Yellowstone Handled Kevin Costner’s Departure in the Season 5B Premiere

Yellowstone finally returned for Season 5B after a nearly two-year hiatus — and fans finally learned the fate of Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton. Spoilers for Yellowstone ahead. In the Season 5B premiere of Yellowstone on Sunday, November 10, John Dutton met his untimely end. Although law enforcement initially believed he had committed suicide, (…)

Not so interested

The day after Season 5B premiered, Costner said he didn’t know the first episode without him had finally aired. “I’ll be completely honest. I didn’t know it was actually airing last night,” he said during an interview on November 11, 2024. for SiriusXM The Michael Smerkonish Program. “This is a God-swearing moment. I see ads with my face all over the place and I think, “God, I’m not in this one.” But I didn’t realize that was yesterday.

He noted that he hadn’t seen the episode, but had heard what happened, quipping, “I heard it was a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush out to see it.”

Kudos to the writers

In the same interview, Costner praised Yellowstone team for always making good stories — and hinted that he knows John’s “suicide” might not be what it seems. “They’re pretty smart people,” he said. “Maybe it’s a red herring. who knows. They are very good. And they will understand that.

Kudos to the fans

As the second episode of Season 5B aired, Costner shared his thoughts on fan backlash to Jon’s fate. “Fans have a say in things and they choose to follow things,” he said And! News on November 17, 2024

The actor went on to say that he brought up John’s death to Sheridan “some time ago,” but it has nothing to do with what’s happening now. “They do what they want,” he said. “That’s fine with me.”

No thoughts

During an interview on November 17, 2024. with Entertainment tonightCostner confirmed that he still hasn’t seen the episode where John dies. “I haven’t seen it, so I don’t really have any thoughts on it,” he quipped.

Let’s leave it

Costner doubled down on his lack of feelings for him Yellowstone ends.

“I don’t think about (the Yellowstone finish), I don’t think I’ve thought about it,” he said in a video obtained by Daily Mail on December 18. “We’ll just leave it at that.”