How Kevin Costner Was Written Off ‘Yellowstone’ Revealed

Yellowstone fans, the wait is over! The Paramount Network’s hit series made its highly-anticipated return on Sunday night (November 10), launching the second half of season five with a major change: the absence of original star Kevin Costner. Costner, who famously played the formidable patriarch John Dutton, exited the show midway through filming, leaving viewers anxious to see how his character’s fate would be sealed.

In the episode titled “Desire Is All You Need,” the show wasted no time in dropping a bombshell. Montana’s power dynamics are upended when John Dutton is discovered with a fatal gunshot wound in the bathroom of the governor’s mansion. The scene is intense, with Beth and Kayce rushing into the mansion to find the tragic aftermath. While the camera shows a lifeless body on the floor, the face remains unseen as a forensic worker swabs the hand—confirming the end of Dutton’s reign without directly showing Costner.

Interestingly, despite not appearing in the episode, Kevin Costner’s name was still the first listed in the opening credits, and he maintained his executive producer title in the end credits, underscoring his significant legacy on the series.

For those curious about the behind-the-scenes impact, Luke Grimes recently opened up about filming the second half of the season without Costner, sharing how the dynamic on set changed with the absence of the show’s lead actor.