“Yellowstone” fans know that Kevin Costner’s time on the hit series is about to end following scheduling conflicts — and now some think they’ve figured out just how he will exit.
Fans of the Paramount Plus series went all the way back to Season 1 to find any clue that could explain how Costner’s character John Dutton will depart when the series comes to an end when the second half of Season 5 debuts in November this year, Screen Rant reported.
While it is still unclear if fans will even see Costner on the show as the series comes to an end, one idea that’s gained traction is that his character could be killed off with the recurrence of his colon cancer.
A viral “Yellowstone” ending theory is gaining traction online, and it will ENRAGE fans.
Prepare for viewers to revolt if the show ends as the theory suggests.
DETAILS: https://t.co/dIqJxcJ0MH pic.twitter.com/hirWmJqfa7
— OutKick (@Outkick) January 28, 2024
In the first season, Costner’s character decided to initially hide his cancer diagnosis from his three kids, Beth (Kelly Reilly), Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Kayce (Luke Grimes). Eventually, it came out and he ended up having it removed in a successful operation, the New York Post noted.
In the second season, the show faked out viewers that the cancer was back when it turned out Dutton just had a ruptured ulcer. This is what fans think could happen — and a way the show could kill off his character without him ever returning on screen — leaving his kids to work together to save the family land and legacy.
This exit would also not violate Costner’s “moral death clause” he reportedly has in his contract, which ensures the death would not “cause shame and embarrassment” of his character, Puck noted.
Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that Costner was leaving the show at the height of its popularity. He recently opened up about what caused his departure from the popular series over a scheduling conflict.
“Somewhere along the line they wanted to change things,” Costner said of the “Yellowstone” filming process. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B … affected ‘Horizon.’ I was going to do my movie ‘Horizon’ and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.”
Costner said Paramount “walked away” from negotiations. “We did negotiate. There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away.”
Last year, production was halted in the second half of the season due to Costner’s scheduling conflicts — followed by the writers’ and actors’ strike, as previously reported.
“Yellowstone“ has been nominated for a handful of awards since the show debuted in 2018, with Costner scoring a Golden Globe in 2023, the first major win for the show.