'Yellowstone' fans outraged by fate of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton in Season 5 Part 2 premiere

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from the series.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kevin Costner’s brutal fate on the beloved TV show ‘Yellowstone’ is revealed minutes after the season five part two premiere on Sunday. 

However, as the episode premiered, discontent among the loyal fans knew no bounds as the fate of the Dutton family patriarch became clear to the fans. 

If you haven’t yet watched the episode, and planning to watch how the story of John Dutton III winds up in ‘Yellowstone’, this is your signal to pause and reflect as there will be spoilers ahead.

Kevin Costner’s John Dutton’s character faces a grim fate

As the episode started, the makers wasted no time in revealing that John Dutton is no more, after being killed seemingly by suicide, per Daily Mail. 

However, this track did not sit well with the loyal fans as they thought it was completely out of character for Dutton - who is known for his resilience - to end his own life. Though it was never a secret that Costner was leaving the show, the way his character was written out, did not garner much favor from the collective ‘Yellowstone’ fans.

Nevertheless, as the episode progressed, the show hinted that Dutton’s death was actually a murder, seemingly being covered in another way, as in the last episode two years ago, Dutton’s adopted son Jamie (Wes Bentley) was seen harboring ideas of how to kill his father while having a discussion with his new romantic interest Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri).

She insinuated that there are companies that can cover up murders to look like accidents. As the episode progressed, it became evident that Sarah probably played an active role in Dutton’s demise. 

The news of Costner’s departure from the show started in 2023 when the rumors of the Oscar winner’s rift with showrunner Taylor Sheridan started surfacing online. 

As the filming of ‘Yellowstone’ clashed with the dates of Costner’s directorial ‘Horizon’, the actor decided to opt out of part two of season five. 

Moreover, taking to his Instagram in June 2024, Costner finally put all the rumors to rest when he confirmed that he would not return for the last few episodes. 

He revealed through a video, “I want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future.”

“It was something that 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 and I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop and I’ll see you at the movies,” added the star. 

John Dutton's end did not sit well with the fans

The internet was left furious over the way John Dutton's character was killed off in the first half of the episode. 

One of the social media users said, "I am so disappointed in this. John Duttton would never….. EVER!"

"No way this would have happened (yes, I know it’s just a character)," said another disappointed fan.

Someone else criticized the storyline, writing, "So disappointed! What’s the catch? Such a lazy way to end it."

Another social media user wrote, "John Dutton was a fantastic character, and despite the Kevin Costner drama, he deserved a better goodbye than Yellowstone gave him."

An enraged viewer chimed in, "Can I sue the producers of Yellowstone for permanent emotional damage 30 seconds into this episode."

"I can't believe there couldn't have been some give and take on both sides to let John Dutton finish his story," said someone else, venting out about the story. 

Someone else added, "No freaking way John Dutton goes out like that!"

"5 years of building a legacy…traded it in for a movie that flopped..," said another fan while panning Costner's 'Horizon' film series.

Another user hypothesized, "This feels like the creator of the series, Taylor Sheridan, taking out his anger out at the actor at the expense of the character he plays. It gives short shrift to John Dutton and to the audience watching at home who have invested years watching and loving the character."

"I was waiting on that to be somebody else in the floor. Just couldn’t believe they would kill him off like that. Disappointed," voiced someone else referencing the story sequence.

Another fan noted, "I don’t by the premise that John was all alone in the governors mansion a governors never alone"

"John Dutton deserved to go out like a gladiator, not a victim. Completely undoes the series. I’m not a fan at all how #Yellowstone handled Costner’s departure," declared a fuming fan of the TV series. 

"So John Dutton has been thru hell and back, just to kill himself wtf kind of B's is that," added another. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.