"I didn't see it"— Kevin Costner says he has no interest in watching his character John Dutton's exit from Yellowstone

Since Kevin Costner decided to leave Yellowstone, fans have been anticipating what would happen to his character, John Dutton, in the series. Viewers finally learned of his fate when the series returned for the final half of its fifth and final season.

Yellowstone season 5 part 2 premiered on Sunday, November 10, 2024, and just minutes into the episode, the Dutton patriarch was unexpectedly found dead with a fatal gunshot wound. The episode was a revelation for those who have waited to see what happens to Costner's John Dutton's fate.

However, the actor himself isn't as eager to watch his character's exit from the show. During an appearance on SiriusXM's The Michael Smerconish Program on November 11, Kevin Costner said that he has no immediate plans to watch the latest installment of the hit series to see his character's exit from the show. He said:

"I didn't see it... I heard it's a s**cide, so that doesn't make me want to rush to go see it."

Moreover, the actor explained that he had no idea that Yellowstone season 5B would premiere on Sunday. He noted:

"Well, I'm going to be perfectly honest. I didn't know it was actually airing last night. That's a swear to God moment."

The actor said that he only knew of the premiere the following day, saying that while he saw some ads with his face "all over the place," he "didn't realize yesterday was the thing."

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Kevin Costner clarified that he didn't "quit the show" following the Yellowstone season 5 part 2 premiere

Elsewhere in his interview with Michael Smerconish, Kevin Costner clarified to the podcast host why he isn't in the final half of Yellowstone season 5. He denied that he "quit the show" and explained that his exit was because of other contractual obligations. Costner noted that he gave several seasons to play John Dutton in the series, saying:

"I gave it five seasons—I didn't even know I was going to do it that long."

The actor also mentioned that he talked about possible endings for his character in the series "a couple of times." He also shared about his exit from Yellowstone and the reasons behind it during his profile for GQ in May 2024.

Kevin Costner said that he made a deal to stay on the show for as many as 7 seasons, but due to scheduling disagreements, COVID-19, and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, production has been delayed.

While Kevin Costner noted that he was okay with the production delays at first, "it wasn't a trend that could continue" for him because he already had a contract for his Western film Horizon. That said, he gave a more blunt answer to the question of why he's leaving Yellowstone during an interview with Billy Bush for Extratv in June 2024. He said:

"It was time to move on and as gracefully as you can with something that's very important to you."

As for his character John Dutton's exit from Yellowstone, his death was initially believed as s**cide. However, as the story continues, it is revealed that Sarah Atwood (played by Dawn Olivieri) arranged a murder-for-hire scheme to make it look like he took his own life.

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The previous four seasons of Yellowstone and the first half of season 5 are currently streaming on Peacock.