The Oscar winner announced he will not be returning to the Paramount series
Kevin Costner confirmed that he will not reprise his role as John Dutton for the final episodes of Yellowstone.
In a new Instagram post from the Oscar winner, he told fans he will not be returning to the hit series for the second half of season 5.
Costner’s announcement follows the June 20 news that the long-awaited second half of the season will debut on Nov. 10 on Paramount Network.
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“Hi everyone. I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone — that beloved series that I love — that I know you love. I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5b or into the future,” he shared.
“It was something that really changed me. I loved it, and I know you loved it,” he continued. “I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning,” he reiterated before concluding, “I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
Costner starred as patriarch John Dutton III for four and a half seasons, from 2018 to 2022. He starred alongside Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Ryan Bingham, Hassie Harrison and series co-creator Taylor Sheridan.
The first half of the hit Western series season 5 first aired from November 2022 to January 2023, and it was originally slated to conclude with a November 2023 premiere. However, due to the writers’ strike, the production was delayed. In November 2023, the network announced that it would be another year before the Dutton family returned to the screen.
Additionally, Coster exclusively shared with PEOPLE in this week’s cover story: “I liked the people on the show. I liked what it was about. I love that world.”
Costner, who is No. 1 on the list in PEOPLE’s annual 100 Reasons to Love America issue, shared how much he “loved the show.”
The legendary actor explained that he kept the show a priority for over a year awaiting the next season’s scripts and schedule, but “the scripts weren’t there.”
“When it was first pitched to me by Taylor [Sheridan] it was one season and [like] a long movie, which [is] speaking my language… but ultimately, I think what happened was the studio didn’t want that,” he shared with PEOPLE. “And because he’s such a prolific writer, he said, ‘I can do that. I can make a series that goes on.’ ”
Costner gladly “stepped up,” and, “I said, ‘I’ll do it for three seasons’,” he explained, “and I ended up doing it for five.”
The actor was willing to keep with the series but explained there was no timeline or new material. “There was a moment where that show for me stopped for 14 months… That’s the fact. I could have done a lot of things in that time, but I wasn’t aware that that [hold-up] was going to happen.”
