What Kevin Costner has said about leaving Yellowstone after Golden Globes win

The matter of whether we’ll see Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone anytime soon might be on fans’ minds after his Golden Globes win.

Yellowstone season 5 might have now gone on hiatus after its mid-season finale which suggested that things are getting far more Succession-like for the Duttons, but the neo-Western drama is still getting plenty of attention. As fans await the show’s return and enjoy watching Yellowstone from the beginning alongside the likes of Yellowstone prequel 1923, lead star Kevin Costner won big at the Golden Globes 2023. The actor wasn’t actually present at the star-studded ceremony but he was honored for his Yellowstone role as family patriarch John Dutton. This came just a few months after rumors circulated suggesting that viewers could see Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone sooner than you hope. 

Here we reveal what Kevin Costner himself has said about leaving Yellowstone, what he won his Golden Globe for and where the mid-season finale left John Dutton…

*Warning: Spoilers ahead!*

Is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?  

There have been plenty of Yellowstone season 5 cast changes although Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone as John Dutton wasn’t one of them. Despite speculation late last year, Kevin himself has stated that he is not leaving Yellowstone yet and will remain on the Paramount show until a very specific point - and only he will know when the time comes. 

Opening up to USA Today, Kevin cleared things up as he explained, “I was only going to do one season, but I've done this many. I give everything I can to what I'm doing. But the moment I feel that it's not right, I'm just going to step away."

Although he didn’t confirm that he would be back as John in Yellowstone season 6, Kevin didn’t announce his departure either and he certainly seems to have been swept along for the wild ride by his enjoyment of being part of the show. Until it’s “not right” it seems Kevin will continue his role on Yellowstone and he also seemed to express admiration for how he’s watching the writing “stand up” on the shows within this universe.

Commenting on concerns the Yellowstone universe was expanding too quickly, he said, “It all depends on the writing. What you do needs to stand up. And that's what I'm watching constantly."

His rep has also reportedly previously denied rumors of Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone and Kevin is said to have explained that he’ll be on the drama “till it doesn’t feel like we’re interesting. And right now we have our foot on the gas and that feels okay to me.”

What did Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner win a Golden Globe for? 

You might have heard already that Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner won a Golden Globe this year but for anyone who’s not sure which award he scooped he took home the Best Performance by an Actor Award for his role as John Dutton. This marked the Western drama’s first Golden Globes win and Kevin Costner wasn’t at the ceremony due to the weather. 

With flood warnings in place that even place Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s mansion under threat, Regina Hall who accepted the award on his behalf explained Kevin’s situation to the attendees. 

He also took to Twitter to thank the Golden Globes for this honor and to share his win with all those who made Yellowstone possible.

“Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press and @goldenglobes for this tremendous honor and to the @Yellowstone team for bringing John Dutton’s world to life. I share this recognition with my castmates, the producers, and our incredible crew,” he declared. 

Where did Yellowstone season 5 mid-season finale leave Kevin Costner’s character? 

The recent Yellowstone mid-season finale primarily focused on the escalating tension and murderous intentions of his two children, Jamie and Beth Dutton in season 5. However, John Dutton was also part of the action as Jamie took steps to begin the process to try and impeach his father as governor. Meanwhile it was revealed that John has been using the train station as a “trash can” for everyone who “attacked” their family and it appears to have quite a few bodies buried down there, giving Beth some ideas about how to deal with Jamie. 

John also faced other challenges after it looked like protected wolves might have been killed on the Yellowstone ranch. Given that the mid-season finale is largely setting up the final battle between Jamie and Beth it’s perhaps not surprising that John didn’t take center stage quite as much, but as the father of warring siblings he looks set to endure some even more difficult times when season 5 returns.