This article contains Season 5B “Yellowstone” spoilers
Kevin Costner won’t be watching his final “Yellowstone” episode anytime soon after his character was killed off the Western series.
The actor weighed in on his character John Dutton’s death in the Sunday’s Season 5B premiere while chatting Monday on SiriusXM’s “The Michael Smerconish Program.”
“I didn’t see it,” he admitted. “I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it.”
Host Michael Smerconish told Costner, 69, that his character wasn’t the “suicide kind of guy,” to which the “Dances With Wolves” star responded, “Well, they’re pretty smart people.
“Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They’re very good. And they’ll figure that out.”
Dutton’s death was first thought to be a suicide, however, the episode flashed back six weeks to reveal he was murdered by a hit man orchestrated by his son Jamie Dutton’s girlfriend Sarah Atwood.
The “Bodyguard” star explained to Smerconish that he didn’t know part two of the season was airing last night, as he hasn’t been following the show’s production since it was revealed he wouldn’t be returning.
“That’s a swear to God moment,” he continued. “I mean, I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place and I’m thinking, ‘Gee, I’m not in that one.’”
Costner doubled down on rumors that he quit the show, saying, “I didn’t leave. I didn’t quit the show.”
He explained the issue was rooted in scheduling and contract issues, as he was also working on the four-part series “Horizon: An American Saga.”
“There were the gaps that were there,” Costner shared. “There was contractual things that would allow for both things to be done, but because both things were contractual, you had to make room for the other thing.”
“There was room, but it was difficult for them to keep their schedule. It seemed to be, it was just too difficult for them to do it.”
Though Costner kept the details vague, he claimed to have accommodated the “Yellowstone” crew’s ever-changing request twice, but couldn’t on the third ask because he “had 300 people waiting” for him.
“I couldn’t help them anymore,” he continued. “Everybody has to live up to what they say they’re going to do. And it doesn’t matter what business you’re in.”
Despite Costner’s character being found dead from a gunshot wound at the start of Sunday night’s episode, a body double was used to portray the Oscar winner, and his face was concealed.
In February 2023, rumors Costner wouldn’t be returning to film the rest of Season 5 sparked after Deadline reported that he and the show’s co-creator Taylor Sheridan had clashed over scheduling.
The outlet reported that the two had trouble agreeing on a filming schedule with Costner reportedly wanting to film the second round of episodes in one week.
A representative for Paramount, however, denied the rumors at the time, telling The Post “Costner [was] a big part of ‘Yellowstone.’”
In May 2023, an insider close to production told “Entertainment Tonight” that Costner would officially not be returning to set.
Costner confirmed the news via Instagram in June, saying the decision came after a “long year and a half” of working on his 2024 western drama, “Horizon.”
At the time, he was also going through a highly publicized divorce with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, whom he wed in 2004.
“Yellowstone” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.
