Kevin Costner has finally broken his silence following the shocking Yellowstone finale and rumors about behind-the-scenes tensions with his former co-star Luke Grimes.
The 69-year-old Hollywood legend, who exited the hit series amid a much-publicized rift with showrunner Taylor Sheridan, stepped out in Aspen just days after the final episode aired—an episode that delivered a gut-wrenching farewell to his iconic character, John Dutton.
In a candid video shared by DailyMail.com, Kevin kept his thoughts on the finale brief but telling, saying: “I’m not thinking about it, I don’t think I’ve given it any thoughts, we’ll just let it go.”
The comment came just weeks after viewers saw John Dutton killed off in a devastating murder-for-hire plot, staged to appear as a suicide—a move that sent shockwaves through the Yellowstone fanbase.
Kevin also addressed the speculation surrounding his alleged feud with Luke, who played his on-screen son, Kayce Dutton. Asked whether they’ve spoken since the finale aired, the Dances With Wolves star simply shook his head and shut the door on the question.
© ShutterstockLuke, however, has been more vocal in recent interviews about Kevin’s departure and the shift it caused on set. Last week, the 40-year-old actor opened up about how the absence of Yellowstone’s patriarch lightened the atmosphere during production.
“Hopefully everyone can see that it was time,” Luke told People, acknowledging Kevin’s exit from the neo-Western drama. “To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone. Obviously, it didn’t make it super fun to be around… Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.”
© ParamountWhen pressed about his current relationship with Kevin, Luke revealed to Men’s Health that the two haven’t been in contact since filming wrapped. “No, I haven’t talked to him since. It’s not a case of any hard feelings or anything; it’s just, he’s Kevin Costner,” Luke said with a laugh. “He’s a big deal. I do have his phone number—I just don’t feel like it’s my place to reach out. He can reach out to me if he wants.”
Reflecting on the fallout of John Dutton’s abrupt death, Luke admitted that the twist came as a shock not only to fans but also to the cast. “None of us saw it coming the way it did,” he confessed. “Obviously there was news about possible blowups behind the scenes or whatever. But just like in life, man, these things happen. They happen fast, and they’re not predictable.”
© Paramount/Kobal/ShutterstockLuke, who tragically lost his own father a few years ago, found a sense of realism in the sudden loss of John Dutton. “It’s like life—you lose people, and it’s sometimes not how you planned or when you think it’s going to happen,” he said. “In our little Yellowstone world, that helped ramp the show up into a boil.”
The Yellowstone finale was met with mixed emotions from fans, many of whom felt blindsided by John’s fate. Initially, the show revealed his death as a suicide, a twist that most viewers refused to accept. It was later clarified that John’s death was orchestrated as part of a murder-for-hire scheme, staged to appear as self-inflicted.
© ShutterstockSome viewers were deeply moved, praising the conclusion as poetic and fitting, while others were less than impressed, comparing it unfavorably to the infamous Game of Thrones finale.
One disappointed fan, @JustinRaley_15, declared, “It is official. Game of Thrones is no longer the worst final season of any TV show ever. Yellowstone has taken that award.”
Addressing the backlash, Luke said: “I think there’s been some negative reactions. People feel sort of cheated. But I would say, we were all lucky to have Kevin on the show as long as we did.” He went on to share that Taylor originally planned for John Dutton’s death to happen much earlier in the series. “So, in a way, they got way more of John Dutton than they were going to originally get. I would keep that in mind.”
