Kevin Costner's YELLOWSTONE Contract and the Future of His Character Explained

There have been so many rumors and reports surrounding Kevin Costner’s role in the hit series Yellowstone. Some said the actor had issues on the set of the series, butting heads with series creator Taylor Sheridan, and some said he wanted out of his contract, leaving the show high and dry. The drama surrounding the production points to the show going from a possible 6 or 7-season run to ending after the second part of the 5th season returns.

A recent report from Puck News (via People) explains that Costner's contract included a "moral death" clause. This provision, while unusual, indicated that Costner had a say in how his character John Dutton could be killed off the show.

The report claimed that Costner, 68, had a long list of demands that included increased salary, reduced shooting schedule and the right to weigh in on Taylor Sheridan's scripts. Additionally, the outlet claimed that Costner's reps were "begging" for Sheridan, and Paramount to have him return for season 5B as well as possibly seasons 6 and 7 when they were still on the table. 

Costner has starred as John Dutton on the Paramount Network's modern-day Western drama since 2018. His efforts on the series allowed him to earn a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and win a 2023 Golden Globe Award.

The success of Yellowstone spawned an entire franchise with multiple spinoffs, including 1883, which is led by real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

Reports of Costner's rumored exit first surfaced in May, with speculation that Matthew McConaughey was going to replace him. But Paramount Network later confirmed that Yellowstone would be ending after the second half of its fifth season, which was slated to debut in November but the Writers Guild strike has sparked production delays.

The network later confirmed its plans to move forward with a spinoff starring McConaughey.

Costner — who is in the midst of a messy divorce from estranged wife Christine Baumgartner — sought to film fewer days on Yellowstone to star in his next Western epic Horizon. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, there are still talks to bring him back to shoot scenes that bring John's storyline to a close.

Sheridan told THR he was "disappointed" in Costner's decision to exit the show. "It truncates the closure of his character," he said in June. "It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."

Yellowstone is available to stream on Paramount+ and Peacock, with a weekly re-airing from the series debut beginning Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.