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It’s official: Kevin Costner will not be returning to “Yellowstone” for the show’s final episodes.
Costner announced his departure Thursday in a social media video. His message came on the same day that Paramount Network said the last episodes of “Yellowstone” would start airing Nov. 10.
The actor, who recorded his video standing outside in front of a hedge, began by saying he wanted to “reach out” to fans following “this long year and a half of working on ‘Horizon,’” his ambitious film project.
Costner then addressed “Yellowstone,” calling it “that beloved series that I love, that I know you love,” and said he “just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future.”
The actor added that doing the show “really changed me.”
“I loved it and I know you loved it, and I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning,” he said. “I’ll see you at the movies.”
Costner’s exit from the popular TV drama, which is set to conclude with Season 5, has long been rumored. Back in February 2023, Deadline reported that he only wanted to spend a single week shooting the final episodes, though Costner later disputed this account.
The actor has recently been focused on “Horizon: An American Saga,” a Western epic in four parts — the first of which is set to open in theaters June 28.
A Paramount Network spokesperson told HuffPost that Costner was “a big part of ’Yellowstone’s’ success” and the network had hoped to continue working with him.
“Unfortunately, we could not find a window that worked for him, all the other talent and our production needs in order to move forward together,” the spokesperson said. “We respect that Kevin has prioritized his new film series, and we wish him the best.”