NEWSTaylor Sheridan Breaks Silence on Kevin Costner's 'Yellowstone' Exit: 'He Was Ready to Go'
Taylor Sheridan opened up about Kevin Costner's exit from 'Yellowstone' amid their rumored feud.
July 1 2026, Published 1:38 a.m. ET
Taylor Sheridan finally revealed the reason behind Kevin Costner's exit from the hit western drama Yellowstone.
During a recent appearance on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," the writer and creator shared some behind-the-scenes details.
He revealed that Costner's character was "only supposed to be in the first three seasons" of the show. He explained that the veteran actor agreed with his vision and was ready to exit after Season 3 of Yellowstone.
“He was ready to go. He had other things he wanted to do, but he stayed on for another two seasons,” Sheridan said.
Taylor Sheridan Revealed that Paramount Held Kevin Costner Back From Leaving 'Yellowstone'
Taylor Sheridan said Kevin Costner was supposed to leave 'Yellowstone' after Season 3.
Sheridan revealed that Costner's initial contract called for him to appear in Yellowstone only for the first three seasons. In fact, the show creator had a different vision for the later seasons.
"That was in his contract," he said of Costner, before adding, "in my mind, that’s when his youngest son [Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes] takes over [on the show]."
He admitted that although the Field of Dreams star wanted to bow out of the show after the third season, the network persuaded him to stay.
"The network was so scared of not having Kevin be a part of it, even though Kevin was ready," he recalled.
Taylor Sheridan said cable companies were pressuring them to continue 'Yellowstone' due to being a blockbuster hit.
The show's "behemoth" status also made Costner reevaluate his exit plans.
"It was such a huge hit. The notion of giving up a hit before it had run out of juice to squeeze is very foreign to a network," Sheridan reflected in the podcast.
He also divulged that there was mounting pressure from some "cable companies" to put the show "in their deals."
"They were going to get an X-number of seasons of Yellowstone to re-up what this cable company is. That’s the power of a really big hit show," Sheridan said.
Eventually, however, The Bodyguard star opted to "go do [his] own thing."
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Kevin Costner Previously Opened Up About His Rumored Feud with Kevin Costner
Taylor Sheridan said that lack of direct communication between him and Kevin Costner fueled their rumored feud.
The breakout hit aired on Paramount Network from 2018 to 2024, with Costner leading as John Dutton.
His abrupt departure from the show's final season, with his character being killed off, raised many eyebrows at the time. The timing also fueled rumors of a feud between Sheridan and Costner.
Addressing the rumored feud during a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director said that he was “disappointed” by the actor's departure from the show.
"[Costner leaving] truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it," he told the outlet.
Taylor Sheridan said Kevin Costner didn't 'deserve' the public backlash for leaving 'Yellowstone.'
"His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone," the Landman creator said at the time.
However, he acknowledged that even simple conversations between two people to resolve an issue become a problem "once lawyers get involved."
"People don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin, and I don’t know that anyone deserves it," he added.
