Kevin Costner has weighed in on the unexpected send-off his character, rancher and Montana Governor John Dutton, faced during the Nov. 10 premiere of the second half of season 5 of “Yellowstone.”
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “Smerconish Podcast,” which aired on Nov. 11, Costner admitted that he hadn’t watched the new episode, which depicted Dutton’s apparent suicide from a gunshot wound.
“I’m going to be perfectly honest: I didn’t know it was actually airing last night. That’s a swear-to-God moment. I swear to God,” the actor told host Michael Smerconish. “I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place and I’m thinking, ‘Gee, I’m not in that one. I’m not in this season.’”
Costner—who officially announced his departure from the Paramount Network’s hit show earlier this year—said he didn’t know how his character would be written off in the new season, adding that he only learned of Dutton’s fate the morning after the episode was shown.
“I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it,” he said.
Smerconish expressed a similar sentiment, indicating that Dutton’s demise did not unfold the way he had anticipated. “Governor Dutton never struck me as a suicide kind of guy,” the radio host said.
‘Yellowstone’ Departure
Costner’s character has previously been central to the storyline of the show, which chronicles the affluent Dutton family’s work on Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.“Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect—the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders—an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park,” an official synopsis of “Yellowstone” reads.
The show’s ensemble cast includes actors Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, and Wes Bentley, who play Dutton’s children, Beth, Kayce, and Jamie, respectively. Cole Hauser also stars in the series, portraying the character Rip Wheeler, who is Beth’s husband.
Around the same time, Costner had been heavily involved in the production of his four-part Western movie series, “Horizon: An American Saga.” The Academy Award-winning actor directed, produced, and starred in the movie series.
Shortly before the June 28 debut of the epic’s first chapter, Costner took to social media to announce via video that he would not be returning to “Yellowstone.”
“It was something that really changed me. I loved it, and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning.”
Speaking to Smerconish, Costner clarified that he did not resign from the show.
“There [were] contractual things that would allow for both [‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Horizon’] to be done, but because both things were contractual, you had to make room for the other thing. There was room, but it was difficult for them to keep their schedule,” Costner explained.
“But I didn’t leave; I didn’t quit the show.”
Season 5, part 2 of “Yellowstone” premiered on the Paramount Network, with encore airings broadcast on more than a handful of its sister cable channels, including CBS, MTV, MTV2, Logo, CMT, Pop, and Comedy Central.
Although Costner was notably absent from the episode, it still attracted the largest viewership in the show’s premiere history, per Variety.
According to data from VideoAmp, a media measurement and optimization software company, the episode brought in 16.4 million viewers on Sunday night, Variety said.
The season 5, part 1 premiere garnered 15.9 million viewers, while the season 4 premiere drew 14.7 million, according to Variety.
