Kevin Costner finally comes clean about his exit from 'Yellowstone'

Kevin Costner has eased fans’ doubts about his loyalty to Yellowstone, putting a slew of speculations to rest.

In a new interview for Deadline, the 69-year-old debunked the series’ creator Taylor Sheridan’s claims that Costner wasn’t willing to return for second part of season five, in favour of his own film, Horizon: An American Saga.

The Waterworld star threw production under the bus, noting they didn’t have a script to proceed after wrapping up the first part of the final season.

Costner told the outlet, "You’ve been reading one version [of this behind-the-scenes drama] for a year and a half. I left my movie to be on time for them for 5B. I left exactly when they wanted, and it made it hard on me."

“It turns out they didn’t have the scripts for 5B. They needed four more days just to complete the first eight episodes," the actor insisted. "I left early to give them what they needed to have a complete eight, and I felt bad that the audience didn’t get 10."

Costner also addressed claims that he was supposedly only willing to film for a week, saying, "There were no scripts. I said, 'Look, if you want to end this elegantly, the best I can do is give you a week. And if you can figure out a storyline…' And they took that and a source on their side spun that into, well, he only wants to work a week for a whole season."

He added, "It’s just that simple: Paramount and 101 Studios mismanaged this. They had me for five, six, and seven. I agreed to do it. And then they steadily began changing their format."

Costner concluded his explanation by reiterating on his stance, which is: "If the writing is there, I will be there too.”

For the unversed, part one of the final season of Yellowstone premiered on November 2022, with the second part slated for November 2024.