Kevin Costner's Reputation Is In Shambles After Ditching Yellowstone & It's So Obvious

Kevin Costner's reputation has taken a major hit since leaving "Yellowstone." For the better part of five years, he headed the cast of "Yellowstone" as John Dutton, the Dutton family patriarch. Unfortunately, Costner took his talents elsewhere when he announced in June 2024 that he was departing the popular western to work on his film "Horizon." He said (via The Guardian), "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. 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 five or into the future."

Unfortunately, things have been less than straightforward for Costner since leaving "Yellowstone," as he's been involved in quite a bit of drama. For starters, Costner defended himself against rumors that the scheduling issues that culminated in his "Yellowstone" exit were the reason that Season 5 was taking so long to air. During a May 2024 interview with Deadline, "The Bodyguard" star even revealed that returning to the series wasn't off the table, despite public speculation. "If they've got so many other things going on, maybe this circles back and it's a really cool two seasons," he said. "Or end it, if the writing's there and I'm happy with it. I'm open to that." With that said, he didn't appreciate the people around him not taking up for him when the rumors were running rampant. "I took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out," he complained. Now, the once-glittering star has even more negative press surrounding his reputation.

According to some reports, Kevin Costner has quite the shady side, and it isn't doing his reputation any favors. As The Hollywood Reporter printed in October 2025, he nearly got into a physical altercation with his "Yellowstone" cast member Wes Bentley when tensions boiled over on set after Bentley rebuffed Costner's creative input on a scene. "Kevin didn't like that, and he lunged at him," shared an insider. "No fists were thrown, but they were in each other's faces, pushing and shoving and just getting hot until they had to be separated." The same piece detailed decades' worth of supposed bad deeds on Costner's end — including the widely-held belief that he was difficult to collaborate with.

As of this writing, Costner has yet to comment on the latest round of Costner-bashing, but if history truly does repeat itself, he'll eventually put out a statement. Unfortunately, he also reportedly had a hard time realizing that his former "Yellowstone" co-stars weren't exactly in mourning following his exit. In fact, they were back and doing better than ever. "Kevin's tried to put a brave face on it, but there's no denying this real lack of love is bothering him," shared a source with Radar in January 2025. "He's been stabbed in the heart time and time again. The people on the show he thought were going to be loyal, like Hauser and Reilly, are preoccupied with their own success." Ouch!