American actor Kevin Costner shares reason to leave TV series ‘Yellowstone’

Kevin Costner just revealed the real reason he left the Western TV show Yellowstone. Costner started his stint as the star of Yellowstone in 2018. He starred as John Dutton III, a rancher who eventually became governor. However, he left in the middle of the fifth season.

Here is what Costner said led to him leaving the popular Paramount+ series.

Kevin Costner blames creative issues on leaving Yellowstone

Kevin Costner is currently involved in a divorce case with estranged wife Christine Baumgartner. The divorce is of public interest and there are reporters in the courtroom listening to the cast. In a recent moment in the case, Costner, 68, took the stand and spoke about his time in Yellowstone as the couple battles over child support issues.

Costner said that there was a “long, hard-fought negotiation” when it came to splitting the fifth season into two parts. Costner said the decision to split the show into two parts is what caused him to leave the series (via People). The actor had his own Western he wanted to work on and he said having two different shoots for one season got in the way of that. Costner also said he changed his schedule so he could be there for the first part of the fifth season.

Costner also said there were no scripts even written for the second half of the season. According to the actor, Paramount wanted to change the terms to a “pay or play” form, and that didn’t work for him. He was contracted to receive $12 million for each part of the fifth season. He then said he wanted to come back for Season 6, but they offered him a lot less money than the previous seasons. He also said he had some problems with the creative direction of the show.

Yellowstone ending without Kevin Costner

Costner said that he gave the production one last chance and offered up his salary number. That number was $12 million and Yellowstone chose to “walk away.” He said that he understands fans aren’t happy. He also said that he will probably have to take the producers to court to get his pay for the second half of Season 5.

Without Costner, there won’t be a sixth season of Yellowstone. The series will end with the second half of season 5. Yellowstone premiered on the Paramount Network in 2018 and is available to stream on Peacock. However, the story won’t end there. There was a Yellowstone prequel series starring starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott called 1883. Another prequel, 1923, stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. Finally, a fourth spinoff is coming, this one with Matthew McConaughey in the lead.

What are your thoughts on Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone? Was he in the right to leave before the story ended? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.