'Mr. Dutton You Broke My Heart Today.’ Fans React After Kevin Costner Confirms He Won’t Return To Yellowstone (2024)

After over a year of speculation, it’s finally official, Kevin Costner is not returning for the final episodes of Yellowstone. For a very long time, we’ve been covering rumor after rumor and comment after comment regarding his fate on Taylor Sheridan’s Western and the alleged drama surrounding it. Now, the actor has confirmed the news himself, and fans are quite sad about it.

Kevin Costner Officially Announced He’s Not Returning To Yellowstone

Reports have truly gone back and forth about John Dutton’s future on Yellowstone. Some of Costner’s comments made it seem like he might come back as the Dutton patriarch. Meanwhile, reports about production on his Horizon films and the Paramount show happening at the same time signified that it would be hard for him to come back logistically. Add on all the rumors about the conflicts he had over scheduling and his contract, and you have quite a mess of a situation that had no clear answer in sight.

Now, the actor/director has spoken out, and he confirmed he won’t be back for Season 5B of Yellowstone. Take a look at the Instagram video he posted announcing the news:

As Costner noted in the video, he’s not able to continue on Yellowstone. He mentioned that he’s still working very hard on his series of films, Horizon: An American Saga, and he came to the conclusion that he can’t keep playing John Dutton. The actor didn’t elaborate past that point, and fans were quick to respond to the massive news.

Fans Are Very Sad That Kevin Costner Will Not Be Back On Yellowstone

There’s no denying that Kevin Costner leaving the Yellowstone cast is a massive deal. He was the biggest name in the show, and John Dutton was the main character. Now, the series will likely center around his kids – Beth, Jamie and Kayce – and it will be interesting to see how his character is written off the final episodes.

Costner’s announcement has left many fans wondering what’s next and sad about him not coming back. Numerous comments were in line with @_kayjay22’s thoughts. They posted:

Lots of people were really, really bummed by this announcement. While it’s not terribly surprising considering everything that has reportedly transpired over the last year, it’s understandably disappointing. So, I feel for the folks who commented things like:

• NO KEVIN YELLOW STONE WONT BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU 😢 YOU TRULY MADE THE SHOW MY WIFE AND I LOOKED FORWARD TO EACH WEEK TO WATCH YOU.!! As a fan I understand and can’t wait to watch horizon i think June 26th -instandaniellogan
• I will not be watching then. I am totally heartbroken this sucks. I personally liked seeing you once a week. But maybe you can make time to find your true love and really live the second half of your life on bliss -mrs.lilbit33
• Oh that sucks big time. They might as well not even continue season five because no one could ever replace you. Period!! -iamfreedomliving
• It’s their loss, @kevincostner . You had an amazing run with the show. Season 1-3 were amazing. But you belong at the movies. Can’t wait to see you complete Horizon 3 & 4! -ruthafritap
• Really???? You were the heart 💜 of Yellowstone!!!!!!! Dang... You will be surely missed! I pray your "Horizon" Series is a success! -laura_menefee
• Yellowstone will not be the same without you sir. Going to miss seeing you on that show. 😢 -debbiepolito

A lot of Costner’s fans also understood the decision, they posted about how excited they are for Horizon to premiere on the 2024 movie schedule, and they thanked him for doing Yellowstone. @jnvines' post captured the energy of those posts well, as they posted:

All around, this decision is one that’s sad because it solidifies the end of an era for Costner. However, he’s clearly very excited about Horizon and what’s to come.

Both Kevin Costner’s Horizon movies and Yellowstone are slated to come out this year. To see Chapters 1 and 2 of the actor’s Western saga, you can catch them in theaters on June 28 and August 16. If you want to catch the final episodes of Yellowstone, you’ll be able to watch them on the 2024 TV schedule starting Sunday, November 10.