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Kevin Costner as John Dutton in 'Yellowstone'© Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Yellowstone fans in disbelief over Kevin Costner's exit storyline as they complain about part 2 premiere

Kevin's character, John Dutton, had his fate revealed in the part 2 premiere

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
2 days ago
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Yellowstone made its highly-anticipated return on Sunday with the second part of its fifth and final season – and it's safe to say fans aren't too happy about Kevin Costner's exit storyline. 

Warning! Spoilers for season five, part two premiere ahead!

WATCH: What did you think of the Part 2 premiere?

The episode opens with the dramatic death of Kevin's character John Dutton, who is found with a gunshot wound to the head on the floor of his bathroom. Part of John's body is seen lying on the ground, with Kevin's face not shown in the scene. 

Later, John's son Jamie (Wes Bentley) calls a press conference where he announces that his father died by suicide. 

Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner in Yellowstone© Paramount
Kevin Costner's character was killed off

Taking to social media, fans criticised the storyline with many saying Kevin "deserved better". 

One fan wrote: "Kevin Costner deserved a better ending. Kudos to being one of the best characters in television in the last decade. Nobody will ever come close," while another added: "Honestly I knew that Kevin Costner wasn't coming back but Taylor Sheridan should've found a better way to kill him off!"

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone© Paramount
Kevin left the show due to scheduling conflicts

A third viewer penned: "Even though we know KEVIN COSTNER wasn't supposed to come back for the rest of #Yellowstone. The way to end his character was just dumbfounded and lazy. Could've been a better way or he just could've rode off into the sunset."

Others defended the show's writers, with one person penning: "Listen, Kevin Costner wasn't coming back. Am I happy that THAT is how they wrote off John Dutton? Not really. But at the same time, it plays into the story. There weren't a whole lot of options they could do. I have faith that this final season will still be great."

Rip and Beth in Yellowstone © Instagram
The show returned with the second half of season 5

A second fan added: "How are people surprised that the John Dutton character got killed off? Kevin Costner announced a year ago he quit the show. This was the obvious way things were going to play out."

Kevin, who starred as Dutton patriarch John since 2018, announced his departure due to scheduling conflicts. His exit comes amid reports of a fallout with show creator Taylor Sheridan. 

Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Kelsey Asbille, Cole Hauser and Gil Birmingham attend Paramount Network's "Yellowstone" season 5B NYC premiere© Noam Galai
Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Kelsey Asbille, Cole Hauser and Gil Birmingham at the season 5B NYC premiere

In June, Kevin told People he was "disappointed" about the producers' handling of rumours surrounding his exit.

"I was disappointed that nobody on their side... ever stepped up to defend what it was I actually did for them," he said. "There came a moment where I thought, 'Wow, when is somebody going to say something about what I have done versus what I haven't done?'"

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