Fans of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone bid goodbye to the show last night, with a satisfying finale wrapping up the epic saga after Season 5.
Part 1 of Season 5 had concluded on January 1, 2023, and the show went on a hiatus before returning with Part 2 on November 10, 2024. The gap was partly owing to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in Hollywood, which delayed the script. The bigger reason for the break was the off-screen rift between Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner.
Kevin Costner's portrayal of John Dutton since the inception of Yellowstone in 2018 won him global popularity, so fans were shocked when the veteran actor announced on Instagram that he would not join Season 5 Part 2 as the the Dutton patriarch.
The show is widely known to be a passion project for Sheridan, who had reportedly planned a Season 6. However, the rift with Costner and the actor's exit from the show meant Sheridan had to write off the character of John Dutton while penning Part 2 and end the show with Season 5.
More on Sheridan's views about Costner's exit from Yellowstone in our story.
**Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2. Reader discretion is advised.**
Taylor Sheridan disappointed over not being able to give a satisfying conclusion to John's arc in Yellowstone
While there were rumors about Costner and Sheridan locking horns behind the scenes, fans did not expect it would end with Costner leaving the show.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan expressed his views about Costner's exit,
"My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
It was reported that Costner wanted to focus on his directorial project after 20 years, Horizon: An American Saga, and his schedule clashes with shoot dates for Yellowstone.
Sheridan added,
“I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then 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.”
Sheridan has said he does not hold a grudge against Costner, but it is normal to assume he was not happy with the way John Dutton's arc had to be ended on the show. Being one of the most popular and important characters in Yellowstone, Sheridan seemed disappointed at not being able to give the character the conclusion he deserved.
After they failed to bring Costner back on set, the character of John Dutton was killed off in Episode 1 of Season 5 Part 2. His body is found in the governor's mansion, next to a gun and with blood splattered on the walls.
While it looked like John had died by suicide, it was later revealed that Sarah, Jamie's girlfriend, hired someone to kill John. Beth, John Dutton's daugher, finally avenges her father's death by killing Jamie. She stabs him multiple times in the chest in Yellowstone Season 5 finale.
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