Kevin Costner divulges frustrating moment that forced him to quit Yellowstone

Kevin Costner has shared the real reason he quit Yellowstone in 2023, after a year of uncertainty.

The actor played Montana landowner John Dutton in the US drama, which was created by Taylor Sheridan.

It was revealed at the time that Costner leaving the series would prematurely bring it to the end, with Sheridan expressing disappointment over the Bodyguard star’s decision.

Furthermore, after news of Costner’s departure surfaced, there were reports claiming he had fallen out with Sheridan over scheduling conflicts allegedly caused by the actor’s desire to shoot his Western passion project, Horizon – An American Saga.

Costner has disputed this claim, while clearing up exactly why he left Yellowstone. According to the actor, production on the show kept getting pushed back despite the fact he was ready and poised to shoot whenever he was required.

“I did it for five years, and I wanted to work more than once a year,” Costner told the Today Show on Monday (17 June). “We lost an entire year at one point, and I thought, that can’t happen again.”

The actor continued: “It was well over a year. I thought I have to be in a position to make the things.

“Material has to be ready at certain times, and we weren’t able to do that. After five years, I thought, I’m not going to do this. If we can get that, we can do that, and I’ll do it.”

Costner said he “would love to go back” to Yellowstone – albeit “under the right circumstances”.

“I’ve supported that thing and I’ve loved it,” he said, adding: “It’s been really important to me. I would love to go back under the right circumstances. I think that’s what all of us want. At this point, for me, it really needs to be the right circumstances.”

Costner previously said he was sad the show’s production team “didn’t stick up for him” when media reports cited him as the reason Yellowstone ended prematurely.

He said he even fit production of Horizon – a five-part passion project, the first part of which debuted at Cannes in May – around Yellowstone to ensure he fulfilled his commitments.

However, when he arrived to work on Yellowstone, he discovered there was “no script”, and claimed things “imploded”.