Why Did Kevin Costner Leave Yellowstone? Answered

The extremely popular series Yellowstone has been headlined by Hollywood star Kevin Costner since its beginning. But when Costner left the show after the fifth season, fans were left wondering why.

Why Kevin Costner Left Yellowstone

There are multiple reasons Costner decided to leave Yellowstone. The biggest, however, was his desire to focus on his four-part Western saga, Horizon: An American Saga. It’s a career-long passion project for Costner, who has been working on the script since 1988. With the saga finally entering production in 2022, Costner knew it was time to move on from the character of John Dutton.

While he knew Yellowstone fans would be disappointed, Costner also counted on the fanbase to support Horizon. “I tried to honor that audience as much as I could when making Yellowstone. And I made this movie for people like that, not as a peacemaking moment but as a continuing relationship,” Costner said before Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1 was released in theaters to the general public in June 2024 (via USA Today).

It didn’t exactly turn out that way. Horizon’s first chapter debuted to poor reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, and the general theatrical release could have been better. It bombed at the box office, bringing in just over $29 million domestically. Considering that Costner fronted almost $40 million of his own money to help get the first two films made, Part 1 didn’t even get him his own money back. The result was disastrous enough that Horizon: An American Saga – Part 2 was pulled from its original August 2024 theatrical release date and has yet to receive a replacement date.

Related: All Yellowstone Spinoffs, Listed

Will Kevin Coster Return to Yellowstone?

The actor loves making movies. While Costner has stated that he doesn’t regret his time on Yellowstone, he prefers the schedule and creativity of making movies for the big screen to that of television. The simplest evidence of this is his customary “see you at the movies” line. In addition, he has spoken at length about the power of cinema and the experience of seeing things on the big screen.

When I went to the theater to see Part 1 (yes, really), a conversation between Costner and the CEO of Marcus Theaters preceded the film. Costner spoke of the magic of seeing movies in the theater, particularly summer theatrical releases. Ironically, that’s part of what doomed Horizon. It might have fared better if it hadn’t been a summer release.

As for Yellowstone, at first, Costner’s departure seemingly accelerated the show’s ending. Season 5 was split into two parts, with Costner not appearing in Season 5B. However, recent reports claim that a sixth season of the show is being worked on.

And that’s why Kevin Costner left Yellowstone.

Yellowstone is streaming now on Peacock.