Yellowstonestar Kelly Reilly reveals that it was always creator Taylor Sheridan’s plan to have Kevin Costner be absent from season 5, part 2. After first airing in 2018, the hit Paramount Network neo-Western returned in 2022, continuing the story of Costner’s John Dutton and his attempts to protect his Montana ranch. After numerous delays and reports of behind-the-scenes drama, which ultimately resulted in Costner announcing that he wouldn’t be reprising his role,Yellowstoneseason 5, part 2, is now set to bring the show to a close.
In a recent interview withEW, Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton on the show, reveals thatSheridan always intended to have Costner’s character be absent fromYellowstone’s final batch of episodes. Reilly doesn’t elaborate on exactly what Sheridan’s specific plan was, but the creator is said to have shared his vision for the end of the series with her back in season 1. Check out Reilly’s comment below:
“The absence was part of the ending. That’s not something that we had to pivot, that was already written into the tapestry of the story. It was always going to happen, it just happened a little bit differently.”
What Sheridan’s Plan Means For The Show (& John)
Sheridan’s Vision Explained
The fact that Sheridan always planned to have John be absent from the finalepisodes ofYellowstoneis good news for season 5, part 2. Sheridan has been steering the hit series since season 1 and the show has become massively popular. If a conclusion without John is what Sheridan has been building towards this whole time, the show could end up going out on a high note.
All 6 Upcoming Yellowstone TV Shows & Spinoffs Explained
Even though Yellowstone is coming to an end soon, creator Taylor Sheridan has many other Yellowstone spinoffs and sequels in the works.
What Reilly doesn’t address, however, is exactly when and how John was supposed to leave the show.It’s very likely that Sheridan always intended to kill John off toward the end of the series, but he probably also thought he’d get to pull this moment off differently than how it will now end up playing out. If John does die, for example, it will now have to happen off-screen without any kind of proper end to that character arc.
It’s been reported thatYellowstoneseason 6 is now a possibility, though an additional season has not yet been confirmed.
Our Take On John’s Yellowstone Ending
Why It Might Be Disappointing
Though behind-the-scenes conflicts may have caused Costner to depart theYellowstonecast, his character has been crucial to the story of all five seasons thus far. Even if John was always supposed to die towards the show’s ending, it’s a shame that this moment now won’t have the emotional weight that it otherwise would have had.John dying off-screen, if that is how his arc concludes, is sure not to be as satisfyingfor audiences.
The fact that Sheridan’s larger plan for the show remains intact, however, could mean that other characters like Beth, Rip (Cole Hauser), Jamie (Wes Bentley), and Kayce (Luke Grimes) get strong endings. It remains to be seen howYellowstonewill wrap its story up (and whether it gets a season 6), but Sheridan has evidently been planning the conclusion of the Dutton storyline for some time.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on June 02, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
