Actor confirms he is leaving the hit TV show which has been on hiatus since 2022 amid rumours of tension and protracted pay negotiations
Kevin Costner has announced that he will not be returning to Yellowstone, confirming long-running speculation that he is done with Taylor Sheridanβs hit Western series.
The 69-year-old actor posted a video on Instagram on Thursday in which he said he was now focused on making Horizon: An American Saga, his series of Western films, the first part of which premiered at this yearβs Cannes film festival.
βI 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 thatβs required,β Costner said. βThinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love. I just realized that Iβm not going to be able to continue, season five or into the future.β
Costner said that Yellowstone βwas something that really changed meβ.
βI loved it and I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I wonβt be returning,β he said. βI love the relationships that Iβve been able to develop. And Iβll see you at the movies.β
Costner plays the patriarch cowboy John Dutton in Yellowstone, which has been a huge hit and made Costner one of the highest-paid actors in television. It has also spawned two prequel series: 1883, starring Sam Elliott, and 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.
Yellowstone is currently in its fifth and final season, but the show has been on hiatus since 2022. Only eight of the 14 episodes have aired, with delays attributed to the Hollywood strikes and reports of tension between Costner and the showβs producers over his decision to focus on making his films.
Costner has variously spoken of his plans to return to Yellowstone and distanced himself from it. During his divorce hearing last year, Costner told the court he may sue the showβs producers over unpaid salary, claiming he was owed $12m for the second half of season five that he had not yet received due to the delays in production, because of a βpay or playβ clause in his contract.
βI will probably go to court over it,β he said, calling it a βlong, hard-fought negotiationβ with the showβs network, Paramount.
Costner also claimed he signed a contract to appear in a sixth and seventh season, but βI couldnβt help them any more. We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons [and] there were issues with the creative.β
He disputed reports that he had demanded fewer shooting days on Yellowstone to make Horizon, telling Deadline: βI have taken a beating from those fucking guys β¦ I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong.β
Paramount has previously declined to comment about anything to do with the negotiations.
Yellowstoneβs creator, Sheridan, has previously said he would be βdisappointedβ by Costnerβs likely departure, saying: βIt truncates the closure of his character. It doesnβt alter it, but it truncates it.β
Costner has recently suggested he would consider coming back, however. Just days ago, he told the Today show that he return βunder the right circumstancesβ, adding: βSaying thereβs a chance, thereβs always a chance. I love the thing. Youβve got to be really clear about that.β
The actor has focused his energy and personal wealth on his Horizon films, which he is directing, co-writing, producing and starring in. The first Horizon film cost $100m to make, with Costner putting in $38m of his own money to fund it. The second film is due out on 16 August.
The final six episodes of Yellowstone are currently in production and will air in November.