Um, What Happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton in 'Yellowstone' Season 5?

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Now that part two of Yellowstone season 5 is finally out, there are tons — and I mean TONS — of pressing questions that need to be answered. Perhaps the biggest, most pressing questions on your mind heading into the show: How on Earth did Yellowstone deal with Kevin Costner's exit? And how the heck did John Dutton III's story come to an end?

To be blunt, fans aren't exactly thrilled with how Dutton's story came to an end, but before we get into the juicy — and potentially infuriating — details of it all, please be warned that if you haven't yet watched Yellowstone season 5's part 2 premiere, there are major spoilers ahead. If you're cool with that, read ahead of find out why Kevin Costner decided to leave the show, where John Dutton III went, and how the character's arc was wrapped up.

What happened to John Dutton III in Yellowstone season 5 part 2?

The season 5B premiere of Yellowstone aired on Sunday, November 10, and in a major twist for fans, John Dutton III was killed only a few minutes into the episode. John was found dead at the governor's mansion from a fatal gunshot wound originally thought to be a suicide, however it is later revealed that his death was part of a murder-for-hire plot from Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), who arranged it to appear as if John took his own life. This is significant because Sarah is the girlfriend of John's estranged Dutton brother, Jamie (Wes Bentley).

In the scene, John's body isn't shown — instead, viewers just see a limp body lying next to the gun. His daughter, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), is enraged by his death, and promises to kill Jamie when she gets the chance. John's body isn't seen for the entire duration of the episode.

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How did fans react to John Dutton III's death?

Needless to say, fans weren't thrilled that Costner's character was written off in such an unceremonious way.

Why did Kevin Costner leave Yellowstone?

Costner left Yellowstone for the same reason most actors abandon a project — because of scheduling conflicts and a desire to move on to the next big thing in their career. Before the pandemic, Costner praised the show on many occasions and revealed in a profile for GQ, that he re-negotiated his season 3 contract to stay on for as many as seven seasons. COVID-19 and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, however, got in the way and caused a two year gap between the first and second halves of season 5.

“We very rarely started when we said we would and we didn’t finish when we said we would,” the actor said in the interview. “And I was OK with that. I really was. I was OK with it, but it wasn’t a trend that could continue for me.”

It also didn't help that in between this time, Costner was tapped to work on the Horizon western film franchise, which he produces, co-writes, and stars in. “It was just time to move on and as gracefully as you can with something that’s been very important to you,” he told Extra. Costner explained that Yellowstone was something “that I helped birth, not from a creative standpoint but lending a certain amount of — whatever you want to call it — weight to it...I was proud of that and what I was able to do. But it was time to move.”

Why did Yellowstone kill John Dutton III off?

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Yellowstone executive producer Christina Voros said, “I think [show writer] Taylor [Sheridan]’s decision to begin this way was incredibly brave. I think it is testament to his faith in the characters and the actors who embody them to go, ‘Let’s not make this about the incident. Let’s make this about how these human beings exist in the aftermath.’ That was more interesting to [Taylor] than the incident itself.”

She continued, “Death and birth are the two constants in our human experience. They are the most pivotal moments in our lives, and yet they are the most pedestrian elements of being a human being. What’s interesting about birth and death is not the birth and death itself, but the way it affects us as people. To me, I think that was the driving force in telling the story this way. He’s asked, ‘How does everybody else survive and what do they do?’ And that’s where the mystery is. That is where the unraveling is. That is where the story is.”

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