Is Kevin Costner Leaving 'Yellowstone' ? Everything We Know So Far

Here's what to know about Kevin Costner's current status on Yellowstone, including what the cast and creators have said about his rumored exit

Less than a month after Kevin Costner's children "stood up and cheered" when he won a Golden Globe for portraying powerful Montana patriarch John Dutton on Yellowstone, reports began to surface that the actor was readying to exit the series.

And though fans' clamor for the second half of season 5 shows no signs of abating, recent months have made it increasingly clear that Yellowstone's path forward likely won't be a smooth one — and that many big-picture questions are looming over the franchise's charter production.

Related:Yellowstone Season 5: Everything to Know

Though Costner, 68, and Paramount have largely avoided making any grand pronouncements, there has been a slow trickle of information about what the future might hold for Yellowstone, for its star and for its growing family of prequels and sequels.

Here's everything we know so far...

Why do fans think Kevin Costner is leaving Yellowstone?

Rumors of Costner's departure from Yellowstone kicked up in February 2023.

According to a report from Deadline, not only was Paramount in talks to extend the Dutton saga with a new spinoff led by Matthew McConaughey, but Costner himself was also looking to shift his focus away from Yellowstone to his long-gestating Western epic Horizon.

Related:Shake-Up on Yellowstone: Is Kevin Costner Leaving? Is Matthew McConaughey Joining?

Costner's divided attention had become "a source of frustration for [creator Taylor] Sheridan," according to the outlet. And reported limitations imposed by the actor about how many days he would commit to filming both in season 4 and in the first half of season 5 had sparked disagreements over Yellowstone's shooting schedule. This alleged push-and-pull, Deadline wrote, laid the foundations for "morale problems for the other stars of the show."

Costner's attorney Marty Singer issued a denial two weeks after the report, blasting the claim that his client was unwilling to work as "an absolute lie."

Though the dust briefly settled, it kicked back up again at the start of April when Sheridan, Costner and several other Yellowstone stars were all notably absent from a PaleyFest panel. With that, the conversation that all was not well behind the scenes began to swirl anew.

Where does Matthew McConaughey fit into the Yellowstone universe?

A month after Deadline's initial February report that Paramount was courting McConaughey for an extension series, spinoff prospects for the Dallas Buyers Club actor — not to mention the possibility of a Costner-free Yellowstone — became slightly more concrete. ViacomCBS President Chris McCarthy confirmed in an interview published on March 28 that McConaughey's franchise would "move forward regardless of whether Costner returns to the original," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Related:Matthew McConaughey's Yellowstone Spin-off Moving Forward, Says Paramount President

While McCarthy couldn't share any new details about the upcoming project, he did tell THR that the entire Yellowstone franchise "wouldn't be what it is today without Kevin, and we hope that that stays for a long time to come."

Plot and casting details currently remain unknown, and it's unclear where McConaughey's spinoff could cross over into, or branch off, from Yellowstone.

What has Paramount Network said about Kevin Costner's rumored departure?

Paramount has acknowledged the rumors surrounding Costner's departure from Yellowstone a few times since speculation first began in February, including statements by spokespersons and network executives.

Related:Yellowstone Stars, Taylor Sheridan Ditch PaleyFest Q&A amid Kevin Costner Series Turmoil

Most notably, Paramount Network president of development & production Keith Cox said in April that he remained hopeful for Costner's future with the series.

"What I can say is our star, the face of our show and the executive producer, are very confident he's going to continue with our show," Cox said during a PaleyFest panel, prompting a round of applause. (This was at the same panel that Sheridan, Costner and several of his Yellowstone costars did not attend, despite being confirmed in advance.)

Coupled with McCarthy's statement to THR in March that the franchise "wouldn't be what it is today without Kevin," it would seem there the show's parent company and its star — who has also served as Yellowstone's executive producer since its debut in 2018 — remained in conversation, at least at that time, about the role Costner will play moving forward on screen or off.

How will Yellowstone season 5 be affected by Kevin Costner's rumored departure?

Paramount previously announced that Yellowstone season 5 would return in summer 2023, but after the PaleyFest 2023 no-show by several of the show's key players, that premiere date is looking less likely.

Though Cox remained optimistic about Costner's return to the series during the PaleyFest panel, he steered clear of providing a clear update about when production on the second half of season 5 would resume. (Yellowstone season 5, part 1 premiered in November 2022 and aired its mid-season finale on Jan. 1, 2023.)

Paramount and a representative for Costner did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the production status of the show amid reported production delays.

Related:Yellowstone Star Wes Bentley Considers John Dutton's Demise amid Reports of Kevin Costner's Exit

As it currently stands on Yellowstone, John Dutton as played by Costner doesn't necessarily mean John Dutton's story is over: just ask Josh Lucas, who plays him in flashbacks.

As one of the stars who did take the stage at PaleyFest, the Sweet Home Alabama star shared he thinks Sheridan has "always planned on at some point, having Kevin die and having multiple characters die."

"And so you know that that's just ... the evolution of what the ranch is," he continued. "That's why when you see the cemetery and you see the names of Elsa and you see the names of Jacob and you see these names, I think it's of course going to evolve and change. And I think that's what hopefully people will really like as it goes."

Dawn Olivieri, who plays Sarah Atwood, also opened up to PEOPLE about how her experience on the show doesn't mean the door is forever closed if Costner chooses to walk out at some point.

"I've already been killed once. I'm coming back to life. It happens to the best of us," said the actress. "I don't know what's going to happen with him. I hope I get the chance to work with him. I do."

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Yellowstone seasons 1–4 are currently streaming exclusively on Peacock. Its 1883 prequel starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, as well as the Helen Mirren- and Harrison Ford-led prequel 1923 can be streamed on Paramount+. McConaughey's as-yet-unnamed spinoff and another extension series dubbed 6666 remain in the works.

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