Costner and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin sat down with ET to discuss their new docuseries, The West, which premieres on History Channel on May 26. In their discussion, Costner addressed the future of his ambitious Horizon project, his legacy in the Western genre, and, most interestingly, how he feels the Dutton family should have ended up in Yellowstone. Costner complimented the show’s ability to beautifully capture “modern-day ranching“, but acknowledged that the show is also a “soap opera“, and that, presumably the Duttons, “should all be in prison.”
Many Yellowstone fans were frustrated with Kevin Costner for prematurely leaving the series, as it never fully recovered after the death of the Dutton family patriarch. For his part, Costner expressed hurt feelings for being what he felt was fully blamed for his Yellowstone departure. He also said in 2023 that he’ll “probably go to court” for not being paid the $12 million he claims he’s owed for the back half of season 5.
A Difficult Goodbye to John Dutton
Costner, who anchored Yellowstone since its 2018 debut, admitted that leaving wasn’t an easy choice. Fans had hoped his exit was temporary, or that negotiations might eventually bring him back. But according to Costner, the challenges behind the scenes became too great to overcome.
“After five years, I realized I couldn’t keep doing this. The scripts weren’t ready on time, the schedules didn’t line up, and I had to make a decision about my priorities,” he explained in a recent interview.
A major factor in Costner’s departure is his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga. The multi-film Western saga has consumed much of his time as actor, director, and producer.
“I devoted over a year and a half to Horizon and I knew I couldn’t balance both at the level they deserved,” Costner said.
The actor also hinted at frustration with the show’s production delays and what he saw as a lack of support from the studio.
“I’ve never missed a day of work on Yellowstone, but I didn’t feel like anyone was standing up for me when false stories came out. That was disappointing,” he admitted.
This growing tension, paired with uncertainty about how the writers would handle John Dutton’s exit, pushed him to finally step away for good.
Fans React Strongly to Costner’s Absence
Many fans expressed disappointment at the lack of John Dutton in Season 5B:
“Conflict is what creates quality art… without Costner, the show just floats along.”
“John Dutton was the emotional heartbeat… the show died interest for me when he was gone.”
(Source: Reddit)
