“I couldn’t help them anymore”: Taylor Sheridan’s Strict Schedules Made Kevin Costner Feel Left Out Since No One Listened to His Advice Anymore

Kevin Costner shares the real reason he left Yellowstone, pointing to creative control, tight schedules, and feeling like his voice didn’t matter.

Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan might have created TV magic with their Yellowstone universe, but behind the scenes, things weren’t always so smooth between the duo. And reportedly, things intensified to such a level that the 70-year-old actor began to feel sidelined as Sheridan’s tight schedule took full control of the production.

Though the actor said goodbye to his John Dutton role after Season 5, rumors of their alleged feud have continued to resurface in the media. Moreover, Costner even admitted in an interview that he wanted to return to the famous neo-Western drama’s Season 6. However, he and Sheridan failed to reach an agreement. Let’s dive deeper!

The real reason why Kevin Costner really left Yellowstone

Kevin Costner and the Yellowstone world seemed like a perfect match on screen. Fans absolutely loved his brilliant take on John Dutton, and he played a huge role in the show’s popularity. But behind the scenes, things took a rather different turn, all of which Costner detailed while appearing for a court hearing related to his divorce from Christine Baumgartner.

Kevin Costner in a still from Yellowstone | Credits: Paramount+

Here, he opened up about why he left the famous Paramount+ show in the first place – and apparently, it wasn’t just about scheduling conflicts. That’s right – as per People, he revealed that working on Yellowstone became difficult due to strict timelines and creative disagreements.

The show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, had full control over the production schedule, and the 70-year-old actor felt incredibly pushed out. According to the actor, the producers wanted to split Season 5 into two parts, but there were no scripts ready, and filming was falling behind.

During the same time, he was also trying to work on his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga, and juggling both projects proved to be impossible. Even though he adjusted his calendar to film the first part of Season 5, it didn’t go as planned.

Kevin Costner then claimed that when negotiations for Season 6 began, the studio offered him less money than before. He added:

I couldn’t help them any more. We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative…

So, despite wanting to return, he felt that his input was no longer valued and that no one was listening to his advice anymore.

Eventually, he gave his team one last chance to work out a deal, but the studio walked away. And that’s how he left the show and was later killed off on Yellowstone.

Taylor Sheridan opened up about Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit

Kevin Costner may have spoken openly about the problems he faced while working on Yellowstone, but it looks like he wasn’t the only one left disappointed. Creator Taylor Sheridan also admitted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Costner’s exit wasn’t what he had hoped for.

Taylor Sheridan in the PowerfulJRE podcast | Credits: YouTube

He felt “disappointed” that the actor chose to leave before wrapping up his John Dutton character. Moreover, while the story wasn’t completely ruined, his exit did cut short the emotional ending he had planned.

But despite all the behind-the-scenes drama, the creator has nothing but praise for Costner’s performance. He said that the actor’s vision of John Dutton was strong and powerful, and that the two could usually talk through any disagreements directly.

Still, he hinted that Costner’s heart was no longer in the show. He seemed more focused on Horizon. Sheridan added:

His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.

Whatever may be the case, for the fans, things changed drastically when Costner left the role. For the viewers, he was the main essence of the show, and without him, Yellowstone didn’t feel the same.

You can watch all the seasons of Yellowstone in the USA on Paramount+.