Kevin Costner Breaks Silence on Yellowstone Exit, Hints at Pay Dispute, Creative ‘Issues’ — and a Lawsuit
Kevin Costner is speaking out about his decision to leave Yellowstone, offering a peek behind the curtain at the “long, hard-fought negotiation” between him and the show’s producers.
Costner’s comments came as he testified on Friday at a child support hearing connected to his pending divorce from his wife Christine Baumgartner. On the witness stand, Costner said that he had every intention of returning for a sixth season of the Paramount Network hit, but “I couldn’t help them any more,” People magazine reports. “We tried to negotiate,” but “they offered me less money than previous seasons,” he claimed, adding that “there were issues with the creative” as well.
The actor noted that his upcoming feature film Horizon, which he will direct and star in, was also a sticking point, as the decision to break Yellowstone‘s fifth season into two parts interfered with the film’s shooting schedule. “A show I was only doing once a year, I was now doing twice,” he testified, per our sister site Deadline. He planned to shoot Horizon between Season 5’s two parts, but “they still hadn’t finished” shooting the first half in time, he claims, and there were “no scripts written” for the second half, either. (TVLine has reached out to Paramount Network for comment.)
Instead of returning for Season 6, Yellowstone — starring Costner as ranch patriarch John Dutton — will instead end with Season 5, with the upcoming second half serving as the show’s swan song. (Those episodes are expected to debut later this year, but no premiere date has been set.) However, a spinoff that will continue the Dutton story and “[pick] up where Yellowstone leaves off” has been ordered by Paramount Network and will also stream on Paramount+.
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan addressed Costner’s exit in June, backing up Costner’s assertions about Horizon: “His movie seems to be a great priority to him, and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.” Sheridan added that Costner’s departure “doesn’t alter” the ultimate fate of his character John Dutton, “but it truncates it.” Don’t expect a brutal death scene, though: “I don’t do f–k-you car crashes.”
As for Costner, he indicated that he may have to return to the witness stand to resolve the dispute surrounding his Yellowstone exit: “I will probably go to court over it.”
Are you taking Costner’s side in this fight? And will you watch a Yellowstone spinoff without him? Mosey on down to the comments to give us your thoughts.
So the takeaway is that all of the strenuously denied rumors were true.
I love Kevin but I will watch any version of Yellowstone with Beth and Rip in it. And the rest of the bunkhouse. Kevin is great but Beth is the star of this show and Rip is the best character. Both are true bad asses.
Beth is a rabid dog and, should have been euthanized in season Two. I do like Rip though.
What a horribly misogynistic take.
Taylor Sheridan was a bit snarky with his comments, hoping that Costner’s movie “is a good one.” He’s peeved that his main character is leaving. I didn’t watch the prequels, I’ll have to see who the sequel centers on before I decide to watch it.
I thought the opposite, that Sheridan was mighty polite, what with his star dropping out of the show.
Saying “I hope [it’s] worth it” I thought was pretty meh.
These cable, and streaming shows are weird. They want the lead actors to just hang around until the scripts/crew/sets are ready, then film as much as possible, then hang out and repeat as needed. Which, if the actors have no other projects, is fine. But Kevin got some legit other projects in the hopper, and Paramount wasn’t OK with him having a career outside of YS.
I agree. Kevin’s point of they would just film once a year but now it’s two makes a huge difference. That would annoy me if I was an actor.
Split into 2 seasons is cable’s way of saving money, as they film double expected episodes with no raises that would be given for a yr 6.
Filming around his movie, really isn’t a huge deal, just planning has to take place, could easily be caught and put in holding a few episodes as a work around or do as Kevin suggested shoot all his stuff over 2 or 3 weeks then slice it into the season. The sticking point with that was they wanted to cut his pay for less screen time.
The problem isn’t the split filming, in and of itself. The problem is that they are changing procedure. Setting up a film project, especially as a very involved director and lead actor, takes YEARS to get going. The TV show, abruptly, changed their method of operation. Kevin planned for years to clear a shooting/production window.
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Again, the show hates this. And it isn’t just YS. All these streaming shows, like the cable shows before them, HATE when their stars have other gigs. They can accept, grudgingly, when some supporting character actor does other supporting character actor roles. Small stuff in big projects, or big stuff in small, indy projects. But these streamers don’t want their leads to be leads in other big projects.
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It gives them options outside the show. Which means the show has to pay them more, or adjust the schedule, or make some other concession to the actor. Which the streamer HATES. And YS is operating like a streaming show. There is no set time for filming. They just want to film as soon as the scripts are ready. And Kevin isn’t OK with that.
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I’m not saying Kevin is blameless, but the show really boned him.
Oh having to act more ..boohoo
Honestly, I prefer the sequels. You’re missing out
I loved Yellowstone and hate that it has to end this way, but I will definitely be a viewer of the squel with Matthew McConaughey.
Costner acting like a douche
Is he?
” They want the lead actors to just hang around until the scripts/crew/sets are ready, then film as much as possible, then hang out and repeat as needed. Which, if the actors have no other projects, is fine. But Kevin got some legit other projects in the hopper, and Paramount wasn’t OK with him having a career outside of YS.”
Going to another country to shoot few times a year with 12hours days living in some trailer. Also expecting actor to take pay cut is ridiculous! I surely wouldn´t accept to that.
I thought the pay cut was because he’d be in Fewer episodes. Less work usually = less pay. I’ve left full time work to take a part-time role at the same company twice in my career – and both times it came with a net pay decrease as it should. Both times were my choice to take less hours but I wouldn’t have dreamed my choice meant I’d get to work less for the same income.
I think Kevin and Taylor are both self absorbed Jenks. Neither cares about the fan base. Kevin shouldn’t have scheduled another project while in the middle of a big one. Taylor is writing too many stories at one time. All the Yellowstone prequels, Tulsa Kings, the Jeremy Renner series etc. Neglecting the project that resurrected his career. That can be said about both of them
I won’t pay for Paramount + I only watched Paramount because it was part of my Cable package. No more streaming services for me. It’s out of control. No Beth or RIP is a big no from me.
I don’t see how Paramount+ is to blame for any of this.
“..a spinoff that will continue the Dutton story and “[pick] up where Yellowstone leaves off” has been ordered by Paramount Network and will also stream on Paramount+.
actually none of the current actor in Yellowstone will carry on in the new shows sorry to say
What is cable?
lol
I will definitely watch a sequel – even without Kevin Costner. No one’s irreplaceable. Other current Yellowstone actors can take up the slack IMHO.
Matthew McConaughey is taking up the reins as the star for the new show
I think it’s funny how people automatically label Kevin a jerk. It seems to me like Taylor Sheridan is getting a bit cocky himself. My understanding is that Kevin’s project, Horizon, was known WAY in advance. And it’s not like it’s just something he’s starring in. He’s writing, producing and starring in it. So yeah, I think it makes sense that it’s pretty important to him! Taylor’s comments seem to me like he was dismissive of that and thought he could make Kevin do things how he wanted, and put off his passion project. Given that fact that it seems like all of this has had the residual effect of resulting in Kevin getting divorced too, seems to me like there’s a lot people don’t know and a lot of entitlement being thrown around by everyone. It would have been good if they could all have been better at communication in the first place and maybe things could have gone better for everyone involved. I’m still looking forward to the spinoff that continues the story, and I hope Taylor really does handle it in the best way possible.
He is and always has ben
Yellowstone with Kevin Costner will not be the same. He is the glue that holds his family and show together.
Not sure if we will continue watching this show. I am sure our family is not the only viewers that feel this way. Paramount should give him a pay raise. He certainly deserves it.
Other than making his movie, “Horizon” Kevin Costner wanted a pay raise. In Yellowstone, he’s making $500,000 per episode. So at 10 episodes per season, that totals 5 million per season. Why is it with so many people, especially celebrities, that any large amount of money is never enough? Oh, and did I forget to mention, for Season 5 he’s making 1.3 million per episode and that Season consist of 14 episodes totaling $18,200,000.
You have no idea about the long hours daily in the set and away from family shooting months. Also Paramount+ thought he couldn´t have own projects so he should just sit and wait at home. Also making the trip to another country to shoot two times a year rather than doing it straigth like most do. Would you take pay cut in your job? I don´t think so. It´s a principle like how they are valuing you as an actor.
Why do people act like actors have no rights to have a life or pick jobs? Costner has films he wants to make, a life he wants to live. After 5 seasons, he feels he doesn’t want to take a pay cut to stay. He doesn’t have to.
On his end, the show on an obscure cable network, would not of got anyone to watch or talk about it, he is what made it possible, he made it where it would sell overseas, it is a hit because his name was a draw, also it being a good show as well.
Just the way it is, a star brings in viewers, if he wants more might as well, Yellowstone won’t last forever it is a cable/streaming show, not everyone gets the Larry David treatment or always sunny guys treatment, most are 7 short seasons and over if hits, a little over a 100 episodes
I alive Kevin Costner for his decision on not returning to Yellowstone. I will miss him in the series. I also understand his reasoning.
He will be greatly missed.
I didn’t think I’d say it, but I’m team Kevin. Something really irks me about Taylor Sheridan and the execs …just with how many sequels or prequel they are producing at the same time and how confident they are of the success …while simultaneously not offering new kinds of characters in the universe. Losing the patriarch was something that was always going to happen, but now they don’t even have a proper way of doing so.
F–k Costner. It’s all about him. I don’t buy for a minute he was offered less money than previous seasons. He doesn’t give a s–t about all the people he will be putting out of work.I hope his movie crashes and burns. He will not get a ticket sale from me,
I mean, isn’t this show meant to be an Ensemble Cast that just so happened to cast him in a Series Regular role that they could just as easily write him out of like any other Series Regular role in another TV Show?
WOW, it will not be the same without Kevin. Hope He Gets the Money he deserves so he could continue with Yellowstone. Without Kevin Costner, don’t know if I would continue watching.
Costner got full of himself sounds like a jerk
Ii want to stick with Costner. I hate bad endings. Ruins the whole show/ series for me.
It makes more sense to just continue the story with a season 6 instead of a spin-off. Plenty of shows have killed off important leads and continued. You may lose a few viewers but Yellowstone is still by far the highest rated scripted show in the 18-49 demo on television.
They’re using this an excuse to kill Yellowstone because of Paramount’s stupid deal giving streaming rights to Peacock. With the spinoff, it can stream on Paramount+ instead.
I will definitely be watching the spin off of Yellowstone. Sorry to see Kevin Costner leave but it is what it is. It will still be a great show without him.
I personally not a fan of Kevin’s. He is a typical actor who feels he is worth more that he is truly worth! The show can continue without.
I am totally on Costner’s side and he’s the only reason I watch Yellowstone. Don’t and won’t watch any spinoffs.
Are we ever going to see the rest of 1923 with Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford and
Brandon Sklenar. it’s pretty bad when we see Spencer Dutton and his wife desperately trying to get home and it just ends!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s finish with that story before making a new series.
How about that???? Sheridan needs to place his attentions to giving viewers an ending. What’s his excuse for that??? Costner has nothing to do with leaving viewers questioning what comes next. Looks like Sheridan has his own issues of being full of himself. Just my opinion.
Hes over paid and seems like a jerk
As a 4th generation Montana rancher and great great grandson of a Montana homesteader I have only one thing to say!! The series is an insult to hard working Montana ranch people!! And really just ignorant crap!!
🤣 Like they’re special or something. The pollutes the land with fertilizers. Out of greed.
Well duh. In the same vein, actual lawyers, doctors, and police are not like those depicted on TV! Because post people’s everyday, hardworking real lives are rarely “dramatic.”
Yes! A lot of nonsense in this show.
So the Rumors are true, I love Kevin, but my favorite Characters are, Beth,Rip, and Casey, plus the bunk house guys .So if they every did A Spin-off I want to see with all thouse Chericter ‘s .Casey is A family man and A tuff guy like Rip, and can be as dangerous as his sister Beth when he knows somebody he loves is in danger. So I had to put him in with Beth and Rip to with what I just said.
How much money does one person need? I’m not saying the high pay these actors get isn’t well earned but when the network has an issue and can’t offer what they want, where is the loyalty, both to the fans and the show itself? It isn’t the networks fault your getting a divorce, but you expect them to pay for it, how is that fair? The cast of Friends had it right from the beginning, if everyone is paid the same amount it eliminates stress on the set and makes for a good atmosphere for everyone. Costner was most likely the highest paid actor on the show but now at a time when everything costs more money, he complains of a slight pay cut when he wanted more to pay for the divorce so he could walk away whole. Personally I liked 1889 more and would have watched that show (if they had kept Isabel May alive) for as long as it was on, Yellowstone was, to me, a ripoff of Longmire, and a bad one at that.
I will watch the ending but most likely not the spin off. You will never be able to replace the current case.