Warning: Major spoilers for Yellowstone season 5 episode 9 “Desire Is All You Need”
This article contains mentions of suicide.
Yellowstonehas finally revealed the fate of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton - and it’s been predictably divisive.Kevin Costner’s exit fromYellowstonecame as a major shock when the news broke in May 2023. The actor left the hit series to mount his planned four-part Western sagaHorizon, and many wondered how exactly it would deal with the absence of Costner’s character. Now,Yellowstoneseason 5 part 2 has revealed that Costner’s Dutton diedoffscreen of an apparent suicide.
In truth, this reveal shouldn’t be a huge surprise, since it would have been near impossible to logically explain Dutton’s absence for the remainder of the season. Plus, it became clear that Costner wouldn’t be returning toYellowstone, but it’s not so much that Dutton died that’s causing problems - it’s thewayit happened. Fans quickly took to social media to vent their disappointment, while Costner himself weighed in on the issue (viaSiriusXM’sThe Michael Smerconish Program), stating the way Dutton was killed “…doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it.”
How John Dutton Died Is Very Divisive
That’s not the way anybody pictured the end of John Dutton
Yellowstone’s"Desire Is All You Need" wastes little time establishing Dutton’s demise, with his children Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) rushing to John’s home to find it swarmed by police. Upstairs,Kayce and Beth find John’s dead body (though his face is never shown), with the evidence pointing to Dutton taking his own lifewith a pistol. Dutton was a towering figure inTaylor Sheridan’sYellowstoneuniverseand had already survived multiple assassination attempts, so some audiences hated the implication that Dutton would kill himself.
Desire Is All You Need" soon makes it plain that Kevin Costner’s John Dutton was actually murdered…
Many of these visceral, negative responses seem to have come in the immediate aftermath of the reveal, however. Beth doesn’t buy the notion her father would end his own life, even with his upcoming impeachment trial as governor. “Desire Is All You Need” soon makes it plain thatYellowstone’slate patriarch was actually murdered, andJaime’s (Wes Bentley) lover/lawyer Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) is the one primarily responsible for the killing. Following on from their conversation about killing John inYellowstoneseason 5’s midseason finale, Sarah indeed met with a mysterious organization to arrange John’s end.
This group tells Sarah that a suicide was the “cleanest” option available to them, thoughthe death of John will only drive Beth, Kayce and Rip (Cole Hauser) to take Jamie down for good. The furious initial response to John’s death aside, “Desire Is All You Need” makes it clear that he was murdered, with the ending seeing Jamie consumed with guilt for his role in his “father’s” killing.
Killing Off John Dutton So Early Is A Bold, Risky Move
Yellowstone ripped the band aid off early
There was much speculation as to howYellowstonewould deal with Costner’s departure, or if it was possible to leave the door open for his potential return. Creator Taylor Sheridan took a very pragmatic approach, making it clear from the opening minutes of “Desire Is All You Need” that Dutton was gone andnevercoming back. In this way, it’s immediately apparent that Beth, Rip and Kayce will become the central focus ofYellowstone, andrevenge for John’s murder will be the engine that drives the second half of the season.
Killing John so abruptly is a gamble, and again, it’s no surprise that some fans responded so negatively. One alternative would have been for the episode to tease out Dutton’s fate, perhaps using archive footage of Costner to keep him a presence on the show, until he dies in the finale or even a later episode.To just cold open the second half of season 5 with John dead is a blunt - but effective - solutionto the problem.
Kevin Costner’sHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2was pushed back from its original August 23, 2025, release date following the underperformance ofChapter 1; it’s currently unknown when the second chapter will be released.
It works inYellowstone’sfavor because audiences feel the same sudden loss as Beth and the others. They spend the first episode reeling, and while the next couple of episodes will likely cover their grief and Dutton’s funeral, it won’t be long before they focus their attention on destroying Jamie.
Kevin Costner’s Exit Was Always Going To Be Difficult For Yellowstone To Handle
There were various options on the table to deal with Costner’sYellowstoneexit. For instance,season 5 could made some excuse to explain away his absence, such as John falling into a coma or being called away from the ranch. Without a reasonable chance of Costner returning for a future series though, these options would have only delayed the inevitable.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Premiere Review: Kevin Costner’s Exit Might Be The Best Thing That Could’ve Happened
Yellowstone season 5 part 2 begins with a shocking twist that propels this final season forward as it narrows its focus on the story that matters.
The only realistic choice was to kill the character off, though without Costner returning to film a proper exit, this also had to be handled offscreen. Many theories have been proposed for the character’s exit - such asJohn dying in his special place inYellowstone ranch- but the show choosing to make the reveal so early at least refocuses the story onto its other characters.John’s death and legacy will still play a big part inYellowstonemoving forward, and Sheridan picked the best option out of a selection of bad ones regarding how to approach John’s departure.
Kevin Costner Was Yellowstone’s Biggest Draw For A Long Time
Yellowstone’s success can be traced back to Costner’s involvement
There was a brief period where Sheridan wanted Robert Redford forYellowstone, but despite the veteran actor actually being interested, the network balked at the idea. While Costner’s stardom may have faded since his 1990s heyday, he’s still a screen legend, so his agreeing to frontYellowstonewas a big deal.Kevin Costner’s Western movieslikeDance with WolvesorOpen Rangealso made him an icon of the genre and loaned the series a lot of credibility.
… withYellowstonespinoffs like 1883 and 1923 expanding the scope of the series ever wider, it became clear the show could survive Costner’s departure.
No matter how soapy or outrageousYellowstonecould be, Costner was always a dignified, grounding presenceon it. That said, withYellowstonespinoffs like1883and1923expanding the scope of the series ever wider, it became clear the show could survive Costner’s departure. Still, killing John Dutton before the end ofYellowstoneis a major loss - and clearly was never the original plan. It’s hard to say what the long-term impact of that early exit will be, but Dutton’s death certainly starts the new season on a mournful note.
Could Yellowstone Have Handled John Dutton’s Fate Better?
Should John Dutton have gone down swinging?
John Dutton’s death inYellowstone’s"Desire Is All You Need" is likely to remain divisive, even with the knowledge the showrunners had few other choices available. Maybe it’s the idea that the seemingly indestructible Dutton was taken down so easily that bothers certain devotees. Had the series suggested John was the victim of a home invasion and was shot dead struggling with the intruders, maybe that would have worked better.
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If there was a vague hope Costner could be lured back, season 5 could have gone for the stalling option of having Dutton disappear too, with the season following Beth and the others trying to find out what happened to him.Yellowstoneseason 5 is looking to push past Dutton’s exit as tactfully as possible given the circumstances, so answering the one question every returning viewer had upfront was wise - even if it wasn’t the answer they wanted.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on July 09, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
