Kevin Costner Denies Quitting 'Yellowstone' After Shocking Character Death

Kevin Costner has finally addressed his character John Dutton's fate in the latest season of Yellowstone. The actor, who exited the popular series midway through the final season's production, was surprised to discover how his character was written off in the mid-season premiere.

In the episode, John Dutton is found dead from a gunshot wound, suggesting suicide. Costner, appearing on SiriusXM's The Michael Smerconish Program, admitted he hadn't watched the episode and only learned of the storyline that morning. He expressed his disinterest in seeing the episode, stating, "I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it.” He did, however, suggest that the suicide might be a 'red herring' employed by the show's writers.

Costner firmly refuted claims that he quit the show, emphasizing that he had a contract for all three seasons. He explained that within an eight-month period, the production attempted to renegotiate his contract twice to accommodate scheduling issues.

“I didn’t leave. I didn’t quit the show. Okay? I had made a contract to do all three. There was a contract in place to do all three," Costner stated.

He elaborated that he accommodated the first two renegotiations but was unable to do so a third time due to prior commitments. This ultimately led to his departure from the series.

"But I didn’t quit the show. There was no, there was just a, you know, everybody has to live up to what they say they’re going to do," Costner concluded.

This situation sheds light on the complexities of contractual obligations and scheduling conflicts that can occur within the television industry, sometimes leading to unexpected character departures.