Inside Yellowstone’s Behind-the-Scenes Drama: From Kevin Costner’s Exit to Legal Battles

Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western series Yellowstone is about as dramatic as they come — both on and off the screen.

Set in rural Montana, Yellowstone follows the Duttons, a multigenerational ranching family fighting to maintain their way of life as they face constant battles with land developers, Native American reservations, and their own flesh and blood. The show has been a hit for Paramount Network since its debut in 2018, garnering widespread critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase. But behind the scenes, the drama has been just as intense.

Feuds, legal battles and dramatic exits have changed the future of the show. In February 2023, rumors began swirling that Kevin Costner, who plays Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton, was leaving the show to focus on his multi-part Western movie series Horizon: An American Saga.

Deadline reported that the actor’s divided attention and limited shooting schedule were “a source of frustration” for Sheridan. When an agreement between the two parties couldn’t be reached, the network announced that the second half of season 5 would be the show’s final installment. It’s scheduled to premiere in November 2024, followed by two spinoff series.

Costner isn’t the only cast member to go toe-to-toe with Sheridan. On Nov. 21, Sheridan’s coffee company, Bosque Ranch, filed a lawsuit against Yellowstone star Cole Hauser’s coffee company, Free Rein, for “trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising.” The lawsuit alleges that Free Rein’s logo is “confusingly similar” to Bosque Ranch’s.

The drama doesn’t end there. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest behind-the-scenes scandals that have rocked the Yellowstone franchise.

Costner exited the series amid creative “issues”

Speculation about Costner’s departure from Yellowstone first surfaced in May 2023. Rumors suggested that he wouldn’t return after season 5 and that Matthew McConaughey would take over as lead. Puck News reported that the actor’s long list of demands included a higher salary, a reduced shooting schedule, and the right to weigh in on scripts. Both Costner and Sheridan remained tight-lipped while negotiations halted filming until the network announced the end of the series.

The actor first addressed leaving the show during a child support hearing in 2023. In his testimony, Costner said he wanted to return for a sixth season but declined because he was offered less money than he had made in previous seasons. He also cited creative issues as contributing to his decision. While Sheridan didn’t address any rumors of behind-the-scenes tension, he did thank Costner for a “symbolic and powerful” performance as John Dutton.

“I’m disappointed,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

In May 2024, Costner set the record straight about his pending exit during an interview with Deadline.

“I have taken a beating from those f—ing guys. I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong,” he said, adding that he’s “very open to coming back” for whatever length of time. “If the writing is there, I will be there too.”

Sheridan sued Hauser’s coffee company in November 2023

In November 2023, Sheridan’s coffee company, Bosque Ranch, sued Hauser’s coffee company, Free Rein, in the Northern District of Texas for trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising. The lawsuit alleges that the similarity in logos — both companies use branding marks with two overlapping letters — could confuse consumers.

The lawsuit claims, “Neither Hauser nor the Defendants asked or received permission or authorization of Sheridan or Bosque Ranch to use a mark confusingly similar to the BR Brand for virtually identical goods.”

Costner’s ex-wife said she “did not pressure” him to leave the show

In May 2023, PEOPLE confirmed that Costner’s wife of 18 years, Christine Baumgartner, filed for divorce. Despite the timing being so close to the announcement of Costner’s departure from Yellowstone, Baumgartner claimed in court documents that she never pressured him to leave the show.

The couple wed in September 2004 and had three children together: Cayden, Hayes and Grace. Costner is also a dad to Annie, Lily, Joe and Liam, whom he had in previous relationships. After a months-long legal battle, the couple settled their divorce in September 2023.

Nearly all of Yellowstone‘s biggest stars dropped out of a PaleyFest event last minute

Sheridan and the series’ stars — including Costner, Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver  — were scheduled to attend a PaleyFest panel in Hollywood in April 2023. But when the day arrived, everyone from the original lineup dropped out, and fellow Yellowstone cast members Josh Lucas, Dawn Olivieri, Wendy Moniz and Mo Brings Plenty took their places.

The last-minute change in the panel raised eyebrows and upset fans who paid for tickets. Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton on the show, responded to a fan’s concern on Instagram and said she alerted the event’s organizers in January that she wouldn’t be able to attend. None of the other cast members offered explanations for their absences.

Q’orianka Kilcher was charged with disability fraud

Q’orianka Kilcher, who plays Angela Blue Thunder on the show, was charged with two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud in July 2022. The California Department of Insurance claimed that she broke state law by collecting $96,838 of disability benefits while working on Yellowstone after telling her doctor that she was too injured to work. Kilcher allegedly injured her neck and right shoulder while working on the set of the 2019 film Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

The actress was reportedly blindsided by the charges and maintained her innocence throughout the investigation. Her case was dismissed in February 2023.

Asbille’s ancestry has been questioned

In 2017, The New York Times reported on the lack of Native American actors in Native American roles and discussed the upcoming drama film Wind River. The piece highlighted Asbille, who played a Native American woman in the film (and currently portrays Monica Dutton, a Native American woman, in Yellowstone), and identified her as a descendant of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

BuzzFeed News reported that after the piece came out, actor Sonny Skyhawk reached out to the nation’s Tribal Enrollment Office. The office sent back a letter that the tribe had no record of Asbille or any evidence that she was a Cherokee descendant. The actress has yet to address the accusations.

Grimes allegedly quit True Blood because he didn’t want to play an LGBTQ character

Before he was Kayce Dutton, Grimes played a vampire named James on HBO’s True Blood. However, he left the show before the final season and his character was recast, with HBO saying in a statement, “The role of James is being recast due to the creative direction of the character,” per Entertainment Tonight.

Nelsan Ellis, who played James’ future love interest, Lafayette, alleged to Vulture in a 2014 interview that Grimes left because their characters were headed for a romance.

“We’re all sitting there going, ‘You quit your job because … really?’ ” Ellis claimed. “I’m just … I’m over him. You quit your job because you don’t want to play a gay part? As if it’s … You know what? I’m going to stop talking.”

However, Grimes’ rep said in a statement that he left the show due to “scheduling conflicts.”