Actor Kevin Costner has confirmed that he won't be returning to the television series "Yellowstone." Costner, who plays family patriarch John Dutton on the hit Paramount show, made the announcement Friday in a post on Instagram.
"Hi everyone, I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year-and-a-half of working on 'Horizon' and doing all the things that's required, and thinking about 'Yellowstone,' that beloved series that I love, that I know you love," Costner said. "I just realized that I'm not going to be able to continue."
The announcement came ahead of the highly anticipated return of "Yellowstone" season five part two on Nov. 10. While the departure of Costner, 69, may be disheartening to fans, it comes amid reports — particularly from Costner himself — about production delays and scheduling conflicts with the show.
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Last month, the actor told Deadline that he had to leave the filming of his new movie "Horizon: An American Saga" — which hits theaters next weekend — only to show up on the set of "Yellowstone" and find out "there was no script."
"They didn’t have the scripts for anything else," Costner told the outlet. "So, what you read in the end was that I said, 'Well, look, I’m doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week.' 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."
Despite his frustrations, Costner did pay homage to "Yellowstone" in the conclusion of his Instagram post, sharing his appreciation for all of the people on the show.
"It was something that really changed me," he said. "I loved it and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won't be returning. I love the relationship that we've been able to develop, and I'll see you at the movies."
