Yellowstone: Kevin Costner reveals real reason behind exit from show, amid divorce battle

Actor Kevin Costner never spoke about his exit from the successful series Yellowstone, where he played the lead, as a result of his personal life going awry. The acclaimed Hollywood film actor, who is going through a divorce battle with wife Christine Baumgartner currently, has now opened up about the iconic show.

Here’s what Kevin Costner said about Yellowstone and his sudden departure from the show.

When did Kevin Costner’s wife file for divorce?

Kevin Costner’s second wife Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce on May 1, 2023. His first wife Cindy Silva had filed for divorce in 1994.


Amid the divorce news, Kevin Costner was also going through a hard time professionally, as he had to leave the hit show Yellowstone.

Kevin Costner has now revealed the reason he left Yellowstone.

On Friday, September 1, 2023, Kevin Costner won the child support case against Christine Baumgartner. While giving his testimony in the hearing in Santa Barbara, the actor revealed that his exit from Paramount’s Yellowstone was actually motivated by a "long, hard-fought negotiation" about the division of Yellowstone Season 5 into two parts.

Costner was already deeply involved in his new movie series called Horizon: An American Saga, which he has also co-written, directed and produced. Since he needed time to film Horizon, he couldn’t allot dates for Yellowstone to shoot twice a year.

He had accommodated some dates for shooting some parts of Yellowstone Season 5, which he thought was “a big deal in this world".

But since there were no completed scripts for Part 2 of Yellowstone Season 5, while shooting for Part 1 of Yellowstone Season 5 was still on, he had to make a decision.

The makers of Yellowstone opted for a "pay or play" negotiation, and Costner was set to receive $12 million for each section of Yellowstone Season 5. However, it did not work out due to pay issues, creative differences, and dates.

Costner said in the hearing, "I couldn’t help them anymore. We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative…".

Yellowstone will end after the premiere of Season 5 Part II.

FAQs

When is Yellowstone Season 5 streaming?
The Yellowstone Season 5 Part 1 is available on Peacock from May 25, 2023. Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 will be released sometime in November 2023.

When did Kevin Costner’s wife file for divorce?
Kevin Costner’s second wife Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce on May 1, 2023. His first wife Cindy Silva had filed for divorce in 1994.'