“Yellowstone” fans are in a full-blown uproar, and it’s not hard to see why. The beloved character John Dutton, portrayed by none other than Kevin Costner, was unceremoniously written out in the season premiere of the final half of Season 5, and let’s just say fans did “not” take it lightly. After a two-year wait, viewers were primed for something epic, something worthy of a character as iconic as Dutton. But instead of a heroic exit, fans got what felt like an afterthought, and they’re letting creator Taylor Sheridan know exactly how they feel.
‘Warning: Spoilers Ahead’
The first scene of the episode packs a jarring surprise. In a matter of seconds, Beth Dutton, played by Kelly Reilly, pulls up to the Governor’s mansion, visibly shaken. The audience quickly realizes something terrible has happened. She rushes inside with her brother Kaycee (Luke Grimes), and viewers see a troubling scene: a blood-spattered bathroom wall and the partial view of Dutton’s body on the floor, next to a gun.
Initially, the setup suggests a tragic suicide, but there’s a twist—Dutton’s death might actually be a murder. That plot twist, however, didn’t do much to quell fans’ outrage.
The social media backlash was immediate and intense. “Yellowstone” fans flooded Twitter and Instagram, expressing everything from disappointment to outright anger at what they perceived as a disservice to the legendary Dutton.
One fan bluntly declared, “Yellowstone has its first episode without Kevin Costner and they already ruined it in the first 5 minutes.” Another vented, “John Dutton deserved to go out like a gladiator, not a victim. Completely undoes the series. I’m not a fan at all how #Yellowstone handled Costner’s departure.”
And the frustration didn’t stop there. One particularly enraged fan shared, “Waited 2 years for a new episode just to watch 3 minutes and change the channel.” Another added, “John Dutton was a fantastic character, and despite the Kevin Costner drama, he deserved a better goodbye than Yellowstone gave him.”
The sudden demise of Dutton’s character left fans frustrated, not only at the writing but also at the messy behind-the-scenes drama between Costner and the show’s production. Reports had surfaced claiming that scheduling conflicts related to Costner’s upcoming film, “Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter 1,” were at the root of his exit. Costner, however, told “GQ” that he’d offered the show options for wrapping up his character, even suggesting ways they could end Dutton’s story in his limited availability.
Costner’s comments on his willingness to continue with “Yellowstone” if given some flexibility didn’t go unnoticed. He mentioned that, despite everything, he was open to making things work, a sentiment that added more fuel to the fire for fans who were now blaming the show’s management for not negotiating a better send-off for their hero.
Paramount acknowledged Costner’s impact on the show in a carefully crafted statement to Fox News, saying, “Kevin has been a big part of ‘Yellowstone’s’ success,” and wishing him well in his future endeavors. For die-hard “Yellowstone” fans, however, that statement may ring hollow. As far as they’re concerned, Dutton deserved an ending as grand as the Montana landscapes he loved, not the abrupt, tragic exit that left fans wondering what might have been if things had gone differently behind the scenes.
