Kevin Costner Breaks Silence on ‘Bulls–t’ Rumors About ‘Yellowstone’ Drama: ‘I Took a Beating’
Kevin Costner is finally weighing in on those Yellowstone rumors, explaining the “real truth” of what went down with the show.
“I have taken a beating from those f–king guys and I know a lot of times where it’s coming from. I just elected not to get into that. But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong. I did not initiate any of those things. They did,” Costner, 69, told Deadline in a profile published on Monday, May 13, noting that he could go through his current Horizon: An American Saga press tour saying “no comment” — but won’t.
“I will address it. They should have known that there was going to be an opportunity for me to say something,” Costner continued. “I didn’t have to answer the slings and arrows over the last year and a half, because I’ve just been busy working. They’ve been pretty slick about keeping their hands off; nobody was ever on the record.”
Discussing the Yellowstone drama, Costner said he hasn’t “felt good about it the last year,” noting that the ongoing speculation about the show “wasn’t truthful.” The actor explained that he had negotiated a contract for three more seasons — five, six and seven — but the powers that be “made another contract” which turned into season 5A and 5B.
At the time, Yellowstone was in “first position” and his Horizon film series fit “into the gaps.” Costner added, “They just kept moving their gaps.”
Costner called “bulls–t” on rumors he couldn’t be on the Yellowstone set because he was too busy with Horizon. His account of the so-called drama is “straight up,” the Hollywood veteran added.
“That’s not true,” he declared when asked whether Horizon cut into his Yellowstone filming time. “That’s a lie. That’s not correct. They sent me away for seven days to go to London, to go to England during Covid, to do [promotion]. They made the contract, and they picked the days.”
Costner said there were “blocks of time” that 10 episodes were not filmed, and he only worked “43 days.”
It was widely reported that alleged tension between Costner and Yellowstone cocreator Taylor Sheridan delayed the show’s return. Season 5A aired its final episode in January 2023 with the second part set to air that summer — but the episodes have yet to air.
Costner told Deadline that he “lived up” to the contract he signed. (The actor has played the role of John Dutton since the Yellowstone series premiere, which aired in 2018.)
“I gave them 25 of my days for this B thing in November and December [2022]. What they called 5B. The whole month of March [2023],” he continued. “I didn’t shoot 5B. There was no script. And then things imploded.”
According to Costner, he left Horizon to film season 5B. The biggest issue, it seemed — which Costner kept repeating — was that there were “no scripts” for the final Yellowstone episodes.
“I left exactly when they wanted, and it made it hard on me. It turns out they didn’t have the scripts for 5B. They needed four more days just to complete the first eight episodes,” he claimed. “I left early to give them what they needed to have a complete eight, and I felt bad that the audience didn’t get 10.”
A Guide to ‘Yellowstone’ and Its Many Spinoffs
That’s when he decided to offer “a week” to Yellowstone. “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,” Costner added.
“Do you think that’s who I am? I’ve never missed a day of work. I’ve never left before fulfilling my contractual obligations,” the actor continued. “A lot of times, I stay as much as I can. In fact, I worked the nine-day stretch just to try to help them in July [2022], when I was starting [Horizon] August 1. I worked a Saturday and Sunday for them, and they still needed four more days. I gave it to them, when I thought, we were going to do this so-called B, but there was no B thing.”
Costner is “very open to coming back” to Yellowstone.
“If the writing’s there and I’m happy with it. I’m open to that. But I took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out,” he added. “I’m not happy about that. But if the writing is there, I will be there too. They had first position. I didn’t do Horizon because I was tired of doing Yellowstone. That’s a bulls–t story. I didn’t do Horizon to compete with Yellowstone. This [project] is something I’ve had a long time.”
The first half of Yellowstone’s fifth season ended with John (Costner) seemingly teaming up with his daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly), to murder his son Jamie (Wes Bentley). Jamie, meanwhile, called for John’s impeachment.
The second half of Yellowstone’s fifth and final season is now set to premiere in November. Horizon: Chapter 1, meanwhile, hits theaters on June 28.
