The series creator explained that Costner’s original contract was only for three seasons, but that he stayed on due to the popularity of “Yellowstone.”

Taylor Sheridan makes rare comment on Kevin Costner’s departure from Yellowstone

The series creator explained that Costner's original contract was only for three seasons, but that he stayed on due to the popularity of "Yellowstone."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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June 30, 2026 1:22 p.m. ET

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Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner. Credit:

Michael Tullberg/WireImage

- Taylor Sheridan is speaking out about Kevin Costner's departure from *Yellowstone*.

- The series creator revealed that Costner had originally only signed on for three seasons and was "ready to go" then, but stayed on for another two due to its increased popularity.

- “Finally, Kevin hit a point where he's like, 'I gotta do my own thing,'" he said.

Taylor Sheridan is opening up about Kevin Costner’s departure from *Yellowstone*.

The 56-year-old series creator revealed that Costner, 71, was “only supposed to be in the first three seasons” of the hit Western drama, but that plans changed due to the show’s immense popularity and network concerns.

“That was in his contract,” Sheridan said on a recent episode of *The Bill Simmons Podcast*. “In my mind, that's when his youngest son takes over… But the network was so scared of not having Kevin be a part of it. Even though Kevin was ready, he was ready to go.”

Costner and Sheridan.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty

The writer explained that Costner “had other things he wanted to do, but stayed on for another two seasons” because the show had gone on to become “such a behemoth” at that point.

“It was such a huge hit that the notion of giving up a hit before it had run out of juice to squeeze is very foreign to a network,” Sheridan continued. “And there was even pressure from some of the cable companies wanting to put it in their deals that they were going to get an ‘X’ number of seasons of *Yellowstone* to re-up with whatever this cable company is.”

He added, “I mean, that's the power of a really big hit show. But creatively, that can run in opposition."

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Sheridan admitted that Costner eventually reached the conclusion that it was time to part ways with *Yellowstone*. “Finally, Kevin hit a point where he's like, 'I gotta do my own thing. I gotta do my own thing too,’” he said. “But we had originally conceived it together that it was three seasons and then the baton is handed.”

Sheridan added, “I wonder if that wouldn’t have been better for the show because we had to tread water for a bit there. I think it was pretty evident.”

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Costner portrayed family patriarch John Dutton on *Yellowstone*, which aired from 2018 until 2024. He appeared in the first half of the program’s fifth season in 2022, but later confirmed he wouldn’t return for its second installment in June 2024.

"It was something that really changed me," he said of the series. "I loved it and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won't be returning. I love the relationship that we've been able to develop, and I'll see you at the movies."

At the time, Costner had been hard at work on the first installment of his *Horizon: An American Saga* film series. The Western galloped into movie theaters in June 2024, but its already finished follow-up has since been shelved by Warner Bros. and does not currently have a release date.

That same year, Sheridan told *The Hollywood Reporter* that he was “disappointed” by Costner’s departure from the series because it “truncates the closure of his character.” His character was later killed in the second half of season 5.

Costner’s exit also came after reports of alleged scheduling and production issues, which the actor later contested in a 2024 interview with Deadline. "There were no scripts. I said, 'Look, if you want to end this elegantly, the best I can do is give you a week. And if you can figure out a storyline…' And they took that and a source on their side spun that into, well, he only wants to work a week for a whole season."

The series came to a close that season, with spinoffs *Dutton Ranch *and *Marshals* taking its place. Sheridan’s Kurt Russell- and Michelle Pfeiffer-led series *The Madison* was initially set to be a *Yellowstone* spinoff, before becoming its own standalone series.

Listen to Sheridan talk *Yellowstone* in the clip above.

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