Kevin Costner confirms ‘Yellowstone’ departure: ‘I’ll see you at the movies’

FORT WORTH, Texas — On the same day the final episodes of “Yellowstone” received a release date, Kevin Costner officially confirmed that he’s not returning to Dutton Ranch.

The Paramount Network announced Thursday that “Yellowstone” will return for its final run of episodes on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Central. These last few episodes will finish out Season 5, and the series as a whole.

In a 43-second clip posted to his 1.5 million Instagram followers Thursday evening, Costner officially confirmed that he will not be returning for the final episodes of “Yellowstone.”

“Thinking about ‘Yellowstone,’ that beloved series that I love, that I know you love,” Costner said. “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue season 5B or into the future.”

Costner said after working on his four-part movie series “Horizon: An American Saga” for the last year and a half, he wanted to take a minute and address the fans of “Yellowstone” about his future on the show.

He went on to praise “Yellowstone” in the video, saying that it “really changed” him and that he “loved it.”

“I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning,” Costner said. “I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop and I’ll see you at the movies.”

Why is Kevin Costner leaving ‘Yellowstone’?

It’s been a tumultuous year and a half for the modern Western drama.

Word broke early last year that the show’s fifth season could be its last with Costner. Scheduling conflicts with “Horizon” were reportedly the reason for his departure, although the actor disputes that characterization in a lengthy interview with Deadline Hollywood earlier this year.

“I didn’t do ‘Horizon’ because I was tired of doing ‘Yellowstone,’” Costner said. “That’s a [expletive] story.”

Instead, Costner said he was game to return for the second half of “Yellowstone” Season 5, but the scripts weren’t ready to go so production took a pause. He then went to work on “Horizon.”

“What you read in the end was that I said, ‘Well, look, I’m doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week,’” Costner said. “I really didn’t have that week to give them, but I said, I’ll do that. And then they [spun that] into, I only wanted to work a week.”

Before the video confirmation this week, Costner has shared interest in returning to “Yellowstone,” but it seems that now the final nail is in the coffin.

But Costner fans just have to wait a few weeks until he’s back with new material.

“Horizon: An American Saga” premieres its first chapter in movie theaters on June 28 and the second part on Aug. 16. The third film is filming in Utah, with the fourth and final up next.

Who’s returning for the final episodes of ‘Yellowstone’?

When Paramount announced that filming had resumed on “Yellowstone” Season 5 last month in Montana, there was no mention of returning cast members.

By looking at the social media accounts of several “Yellowstone” cast members, this can help dispel the truth of who’s returning to Dutton Ranch this fall. Here’s who has posted about being back on set since the show returned for filming on May 20:

Cole Hauser. The Rip Wheeler actor posted a photo to his Instagram account on May 23, wishing Montana a good morning and saying he’s missed the state.

Brecken Merrill. The actor who plays Tate Dutton posted on May 22 that he was back on set.

Ryan Bingham, Jen Landon and Jake Ream. Bingham posted a photo on June 19 of the trio together with the caption, “Back on the Stone.”

Ian Bohen. Bohen, who plays Ryan on the show, posted a photo on June 14 of him practicing horseback riding with the “Yellowstone” set in the background.

Forrie J. Smith. The Lloyd Pierce actor posted a video on June 15 saying that he was gearing up to return to set.

Where can you catch up on ‘Yellowstone’?

The first four seasons and first half of “Yellowstone” Season 5 are streaming on Peacock.

As for why the Paramount Network show is streaming on Peacock and not Paramount+, that stems from a previous streaming deal.

Peacock landed the streaming rights to “Yellowstone” in January 2020, between the show’s second and third seasons. Peacock launched in July 2020 with “Yellowstone” as one of the streaming service’s biggest draws.

At the time in 2020, Paramount’s own streaming channel, Paramount+, had yet to launch. Paramount+ would eventually get off the ground less than a year later in March 2021, but the “Yellowstone” streaming rights were firmly in Peacock’s control.