Kevin Costner Shares Terrible ‘Yellowstone’ Update With Fans

In a video posted to social media on June 20, the 69-year-old actor confirmed that he did not plan to return to the hit Paramount Network series. The disappointing news came the same day that the network announced a November 2024 premiere date for the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth – and final – season.

Kevin Costner confirms ‘Yellowstone’ exit

Rumors about Costner’s Yellowstone exit had been swirling for well over a year, amid reports of tension between him and the show’s creator, Tyler Sheridan over the show’s shooting schedule.

Though Costner had said in the past that he was open to returning as Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton, he’s now confirmed his time on the show has officially ended.

“Hi everyone,” Costner says in the Instagram video. “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’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue, Season 5B or into the future.”

Horizon: An American Saga is Costner’s pet project. Chapter 1 of the four-part western epic opens in theaters on June 28.

Working on ‘Yellowstone’ ‘changed me,’ Costner says 

Costner went on to reflect on his time on Yellowstone, which afforded the Oscar winner a career renaissance. 

“[Yellowstone] was something that really changed me. I loved it,” he said. “And I know you loved it. And 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.”

In April, Costner still seemed to be holding out hope that he might be able to make future appearances on the gritty frontier drama work. 

“I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to,” he told ET. “…I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five. So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”

Yellowstone Season 5B premieres Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Paramount Network.