The actor confirmed he was leaving the Paramount Network show after reports surfaced about behind-the-scenes conflictWarning: Yellowstone season 5 part 2 spoilers ahead!Kevin Costner said an early goodbye to his Yellowstone character,

Kevin Costner has offered his verdict on the return of Yellowstone, which saw his departure from the show. Costner’s time on Taylor Sheridan’s hit series ended in controversy following reports the actor had quit as he wanted to make his Western franchise Horizon – An American Saga instead.

Yes, it appears that John Dutton really is dead. At the start of the ninth episode, John Dutton is found dead in the bathroom of the Montana governor’s mansion, with a gunshot wound to the head. As Kevin Costner’s face wasn't shown directly, fans not wanting to believe he could be dead thought this could be a misdirection.