Taylor Sheridan on Kevin Costner Leaving ‘Yellowstone’ Amid Rumored Feud

The screenwriter and show creator addressed the years-old speculation about tension between him and Costner. He explained why the actor stayed on longer than his contract required.

Taylor Sheridan made a rare comment on Kevin Costner's departure from his hit show "Yellowstone," several years after their rumored clash behind the scenes of the western drama.

Taylor Sheridan appears on SiriusXM's 'The Howard Stern Show' at SiriusXM Studios on June 30, 2026 in New York City. | Sou

The screenwriter and show creator appeared on "The Bill Summons Podcast" this past Sunday, June 28, where he revealed that Costner was only contractually obligated to be on the first three seasons.

"That was in his contract. In my mind, that's when his youngest son takes over [on the show]... But the network was so scared of not having Kevin be a part of it, even though Kevin was ready," he explained."He was ready to go. He had other things he wanted to do, but he stayed on for another two seasons."

According to him, Costner only remained on the show because it "was such a behemoth."

"It was such a huge hit," Sheridan said. "The notion of giving up a hit before it had run out of juice to squeeze is very foreign to a network."

He continued, "There was even pressure from some of the cable companies wanting to put it in their deals, that they were going to get an X-number of seasons of 'Yellowstone' to re-up what this cable company is. That's the power of a really big hit show."

Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner attend the "Yellowstone" World Premiere at Paramount Studios on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images

But eventually, Costner decided he needed to "go do [his] own thing."

The hit series, which ran from 2018 to 2024, followed powerful Montana rancher and politician John Dutton (played by Costner) and his family, including Beth (Kelly Reilly), Rip (Cole Hauser), Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).

As fans may recall, Costner's character was killed off in the beginning of the series' final season, which aired in 2024, amid rumors of a falling out between him and Sheridan.

Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan of "Yellowstone" speak onstage during the Paramount Network portion of the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at The Langham Huntington on January 15 in Pasadena, California. | Source: Getty Images

In 2023, the Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter that he was "disappointed" by Costner's departure, as he revealed it was Costner who pushed to leave the show.

"[Costner leaving] truncates the closure of his character. It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it," he said at the time. "My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct."

"He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with 'Yellowstone.' I said, 'We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],' which we did."

"His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful ... and I've never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn't work out on the phone," Sheridan added.

"But once lawyers get involved, then people don't get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren't true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting."

Indeed, Costner went on to direct and star in the 2024 western "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1," which he leads alongside Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington. The sequel followed that same year, and "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 3" is currently in the works.

While he was no longer a part of "Yellowstone," the actor's character still earned several mentions in its spinoff "Dutton Ranch." The series premiered earlier this year in May.