Taylor Sheridan Lifts The Lid On Kevin Costner & Confirms A Bitter Yellowstone Truth

Following Kevin Costner's unceremonious departure from "Yellowstone," there was plenty of chatter that he clashed with executives and series creator Taylor Sheridan. His character, John Dutton, was killed off when Part 2 of Season 5 aired in November 2024. Almost two years later, Sheridan addressed the rumored tension with Costner when he appeared on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." The creator of the hit Paramount series said that he never intended Dutton to stick around so long. "With 'Yellowstone,' Kevin was only supposed to be in the first three seasons," Sheridan said on the podcast, which aired on June 28.

As the seasons wore on, Sheridan said that Costner wanted to start filming his "Horizon" movie series, but Paramount had other plans. "The network was so scared of not having Kevin be a part of it," Sheridan said on the podcast. "Finally, Kevin hit a point where he said, 'I gotta do my own thing,'" he recalled. The "Yellowstone" creator shared that he would have had one of Dutton's sons take over responsibilities in the show. Sheridan thought extending Costner's time on the show narratively hurt the series. "Because we had to tread water for a bit there, and I think it was pretty evident," he added.

Before the John Dutton storyline was wrapped up, a report from Deadline circulated in February 2023 that Sheridan had clashed with Costner over the shooting schedule. It claimed Costner was limiting his availability. A few months later, a source speaking to The Hollywood Reporter refuted the claims. "Kevin's been unfairly portrayed in this thing. How can you schedule something when there are no scripts?" they told the outlet in June 2023. Later, there were plenty of signs that Costner was bitter about his "Yellowstone" exit.

Both Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan sent messages through the media as "Yellowstone" came to an end. Speaking to Deadline in May 2024, Costner was asked point-blank if he had prioritized filming "Horizon: An American Saga" over working on the Paramount series. "I made 'Yellowstone' the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong," an impassioned Costner told the publication. The "Dances With Wolves" star was also fairly candid about how he believed network executives and the team behind "Yellowstone" had mistreated him. "Well, I haven't felt good about it the last year, what with the way they've talked about it. It wasn't truthful," Costner said, adding that he felt comfortable speaking about it while out promoting his "Horizon" movie. "I have taken a beating from those f***ing guys and I know a lot of times where it's coming from. I just elected not to get into that."

A year earlier, Sheridan gave his version of how the relationship with Costner deteriorated over time. The series creator/writer claimed the rumors about scheduling conflict were not his fault. "I don't dictate the schedule. I don't determine when things start filming," Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023. He also gave some insight into his relationship with Costner.

According to Sheridan, the situation became messy when Costner's lawyers clashed with "Yellowstone" creators. "I've never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn't work out on the phone," he told THR. "But once lawyers get involved, then people don't get to talk to each other," he added. Sheridan also agreed with Costner's later sentiments that the series star had been unfairly villainized. "He took a lot of this on the chin," Sheridan said.