Kevin Costner Breaks His Silence – Finally Addresses His ‘Yellowstone’ Character’s Fate

The Hollywood star Kevin Costner has finally broken his silence to address the fate of his iconic “Yellowstone” character John Dutton.

Costner Talks ‘Yellowstone’

Daily Mail reported that Costner, 69, claimed that he is eager to continue playing Dutton on “Yellowstone,” which is set to return for a sixth season in November, despite all the drama that has happened behind the scenes.

“I’d like to be able to do it, but we haven’t been able to,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five. So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me.”

“If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.” he continued.

Costner went on to say that he has his own ideas about how Dutton’s story should end, though he admitted that this is ultimately up to “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan.

“Well, you know, he needs to be proactive in what happens and I’ve kind of had my own fantasy how it might be,” Costner concluded. “That’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”

Costner’s “Yellowstone” contract reportedly has a “moral death” clause, which indicates that he has some say about how Dutton would potentially be killed off on the series. This clause includes a list of general ways his character is allowed to die, and stops him from being written off the show in a “shameful or embarrassing” manner.

Related: Kevin Costner Reportedly Wants To Return To ‘Yellowstone’ – ‘Hopes To Leverage’ Fan Support

Costner’s ‘Yellowstone’ History

Costner was believed to have left “Yellowstone” last year after season five amidst rumors that he was feuding with Sheridan. Costner had starred on “Yellowstone” ever since it premiered back in 2018, and by 2022, Variety reported that he was possibly the highest paid stars in television as he was making $1 million per episode.

“First off, Yellowstone is a tremendous hit. It’s one of the biggest shows on television right now and Kevin Costner is, of course, the leading force behind that show,” Variety TV Editor Michael Schneider said at the time. “He’s a movie star, he’s now a TV star, he’s been around for a long time, he’s the kind of person that fetches a pretty penny when working, so when you want to get a star like Kevin Costner, you’ve got to open up the pocketbook from the beginning.” 

By 2023, however, rumors were swirling that Costner would not continue playing Dutton after season five amidst rumors that there was tension between him and Sheridan behind the scenes.

“Certain people in charge of the production developed a God complex,” a source with detailed knowledge of “Yellowstone” told The Mail in April of last year.

Full Story: Kevin Costner Turned On Taylor Sheridan After ‘Yellowstone’ Creator ‘Developed God Complex,’ Sources Allege

Costner Allegedly Told To ‘Stick To Acting’

This insider went on to say that Costner, 68, who is also an executive producer of “Yellowstone,” was told to “stick to acting” when he raised concerns about the direction the show was heading in.

“Kevin will forever be proud of and grateful for Yellowstone and the cast is like family to him,” the source said. “He just felt like Yellowstone is headed in a direction that was not in line with their initial vision and he was met with criticism, including that he should just stick to acting.”

Even after everything that has happened, “Yellowstone” remains one of the most popular shows on television today. Here’s hoping that Costner does make a return, because fans would certainly love to see his character of John Dutton get the sendoff that he deserves!