Kevin Costner, the renowned actor best known for his roles in iconic films like ‘Dances with Wolves and ‘The Bodyguard’ recently made headlines when he announced his departure from the hit TV series ‘Yellowstone’. While the news was met with disappointment from fans of the show, the actor’s decision was not made lightly. In recent courtroom testimony during his ongoing divorce proceedings from his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, Costner shed light on the circumstances that led to his departure from the Paramount Network series.
The 68-year-old actor’s testimony, delivered in Santa Barbara, Calif., where the divorce proceedings were pending, revealed that his departure from “Yellowstone” was the result of a complex negotiation involving the show’s fifth season and his own ambitious project, “Horizon: An American Saga,” a four-part television series. Costner’s testimony revealed the behind-the-scenes drama and challenges he faced juggling these two major projects.
He stated that at the time they “still haven’t finished” the first half of Season 5 and that “no scripts have been written” for the second half. He was supposed to collect $12 million for each episode of Season 5, but they tried a pay-or-play strategy and it didn’t work.
Despite his desire to return for the sixth season of the Western television series, Costner admitted in court that “I couldn’t help them anymore.” There were concerns with the creative, they offered me less money than in previous seasons and we tried to negotiate.
The actor claimed that in his latest attempt to make a comeback, he urged his agents to “pay me whatever number, we’ll come up with a number and they [Yellowstone] will go away.” He said on the witness stand that he thought the figure was 12 million dollars.
“I’ve been told it’s a little disappointing that [it’s] the No. 1 show on TV, I won’t be participating,” he continued.
When asked if he would get paid for the second episode of Yellowstone season 5, he said, “I’ll probably go to court over that.”
Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan admitted in June that he wasn’t entirely happy with Costner’s choice to leave the popular franchise. Sheridan, 53, expressed her disappointment at Costner’s departure from The Hollywood Reporter. “It breaks the resolution of his character. It cuts him down rather than changes him.”
Yellowstone will stop after the second half of Season 5 (which was set to premiere in November but is subject to the ongoing Writers Guild strike), the Paramount Network announced in May. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there were discussions about Costner returning to film scenes that would conclude John’s narrative.
Sheridan continued to praise Costner’s efforts on the show despite rumors of behind-the-scenes conflict. The Academy Award-nominated writer of Hell or High Water said: “His creation of John Dutton is iconic and powerful… and I’ve never had a problem with Kevin that he and I couldn’t resolve over the phone.”
Regarding the rumored conflict, THR added that Costner “has taken a lot on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it.” He seems really focused on his film and wants to change the subject. I sincerely hope that the film will be worthwhile and entertaining at the same time.
According to a Deadline article in February, Costner was trying to free up more time to work on Horizon, while McConaughey was in discussions with the Paramount Network to play a supporting role in Yellowstone. Later, Paramount Network announced that Yellowstone would end and that a spinoff series had been ordered for the Paramount+ streaming service. (Paramount+ is where its predecessors like 1883 and 1923 can be found, and will likely air the upcoming spinoff 6666, which is currently in production.)
Days after Baumgartner, Costner’s ex-wife of 18 years, filed for divorce, Yellowstone was canceled. Christine, 49, claimed in court filings filed Friday in California Superior Court in Santa Barbara County that she “did not pressure” Costner to leave Yellowstone before their split.
“I have refrained from publicizing the details of our divorce. I have done so to preserve our family’s privacy. Christine stated in the documentary, ‘I did not force Kevin to leave the Yellowstone show.’
Conclusion
Kevin Costner’s departure from “Yellowstone” was the result of complex negotiations and a conflict with his own creative project “Horizon: An American Saga.” While fans may have been disappointed by the decision, it reflects Costner’s commitment to storytelling and his pursuit of new creative opportunities. The legacy of “Yellowstone” and Costner’s contributions to the series will be remembered in the annals of television history, and fans eagerly await his future projects.
You can watch the first half of Season 5 as well as the first four seasons of Yellowstone on Peacock.