Yellowstone’s Neal McDonough says Kevin Costner’s exit ‘was really just a timing thing’ and he ‘will be sorely missed’ on set

As Kevin Costner says goodbye to Dutton Ranch, his co-stars wish him well.

Yellowstone star Neal McDonough raved about working with 69-year-old Costner in an interview with TMZ while addressing the reason for his departure from the hit Paramount show.

“I’ve always said, pound for pound, Kevin is not only one of the most talented guys ever, but one of my guys I’ve ever worked with,” he said.

“We understand each other, and it was truly an honor to be a part of that show with him in the iconic character that he played,” McDonough, 58, added. “But things happen after time and schedules conflict.”

He continued, “I love Kevin like crazy, I love too [creator Taylor Sheridan] and David Glasser at age 101…Yellowstone was something that was so amazing to be a part of.”

McDonough also addressed reports of Costner’s split from Sheridan, 54, while discussing the reason for the actor’s departure.

‘It was really just a matter of timing. What Kevin said before is that he was away with Horizon, Taylor was away with his shows, and this one took him a while to get cooking for the last season.

“So things are really going well between those guys. But I think with Cole Hauser now taking that position as Chief Dutton, I think he’s doing well. I think fans will absolutely love the show.

“But Kevin was the one who created the franchise. It was Kevin, Kevin was everything. So he will certainly be greatly missed on this show.

Costner, 69, previously made it official that he will not reprise his role as John Dutton in the hit Western crime series when it returns for season 5B.

‘Hello everyone. I just wanted 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 it takes, and thinking about Yellowstone – that beloved series that I love, that I know you loves it – I just realized I can’t continue Season 5B or the future,” Costner announced somberly as he stared into the camera.

Previous reports indicated that Costner was likely done with the series for good after conflicts between himself and producers over salary, his schedule and his availability to film his multi-part Western epic Horizon: An American Saga.

“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of the Paramount Network series.

“I loved it, and I know you loved it,” he repeated. “I just wanted to let you know I’m not coming back.”

“I’ve always said, pound for pound, Kevin is not only one of the most talented guys ever, but one of my guys I’ve ever worked with,” he said.

‘It was really just a matter of timing. What Kevin said before is that he was away with Horizon, Taylor was away with his shows, and this one took him a while to get cooking for the last season. So it’s really between those guys,” McDonough said

The actor and director wrapped up with what may have been a plea to his fans to see his upcoming Horizon films.

“I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you in the movie,” he said, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

The announcement means that Costner’s final run of episodes was for season 5A, which aired from November 2022 to January 2023.

His character, the patriarch of the Dutton family, ran the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, a fictional ranch that was the largest in Montana.

It bordered Yellowstone National Park and the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, which often brought the wealthy family into conflict with their Native American neighbors and greedy developers who wanted to grab their land.

Before closing the door on the possibility of returning for Season 5B, Costner clashed with producers, reportedly wanting to cut down on shooting days for the season to allow for the filming of Horizon.

So far, that film is expected to gross a disappointing $12 million in its opening weekend, despite Costner contributing $40 million of his own money to the passion project. However, his latest announcement may prompt some of his Yellowstone fans to buy a ticket to the much-talked-about western.

Costner has disputed reports about the nature of his disagreements on Yellowstone, complaining that the show’s producers refused to defend him amid reports he disagreed with.

Costner, 69, previously made it official that he will not reprise his role as John Dutton in the hit Western crime series when it returns for season 5B

“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of Yellowstone. “I loved it, and I know you loved it.”

The actor has also denied that his problems with the series were due to his Horizon filming schedule.

He has said he was ready to return to film season 5B, but the scripts for the second half of the season were reportedly not written in time.

Some fans and critics have pointed the finger at showrunner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who has written all of the show’s scripts since season three.

He is also the showrunner, writer and director of multiple Yellowstone spin-offs, as well as several other shows he has created for Paramount and its streaming service Paramount+, leading some to suggest that he has stretched himself too thin, reportedly preventing him from appearing in managed to produce scripts in time for Costner to film the second half of season five.

Sheridan has disputed that he is too busy due to his many shows and other projects.

Costner also had the added aggravation of his divorce from wife Christine Baumgartner during his downtime, in which the two fought in court over their prenuptial agreement and the financial support she requested.

Yellowstone and Costner fans flooded the comments on his new video to express their sadness over his departure.

Several fans expressed the feeling that Yellowstone simply wouldn’t work (or even exist) without Costner’s gravity.

“Well, this really breaks my heart. There is no Yellowstone without you, sir,” one commenter mourned.

Yellowstone and Costner fans flooded the comments on his new video to express their sadness over his departure

Several fans expressed the feeling that Yellowstone simply wouldn’t work (or even exist) without Costner’s gravity

Several others applauded him for the nature of his announcement, as he avoided criticizing the other people involved in his departure.

While the comments were overwhelmingly positive towards Costner, a few had their knives out, including some Taylor Sheridan fans

“There is no Yellowstone without Mr. Costner,” another fan agreed.

Several others applauded him for the nature of his announcement, as he avoided criticizing the other people involved in his departure.

“That was nice of you to let the fans know about Yellowstone’s status, a true gentleman through and through and attentive to his fans,” one approving Instagram user wrote.

Another said they couldn’t bring themselves to ‘like’ Costner’s post, but added: ‘Thank you for being honest and kind. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and can’t wait to see what’s next [dove and olive branch emojis].’

Others were more vocal about their sadness at Costner saying goodbye to Yellowstone for good.

‘NOOOOOOOOO MR. Dutton, please don’t do this to me,” one user responded, adding a series of alternating broken heart and crying emojis.

Although the comments were overwhelmingly positive towards Costner, a few had their knives out.

“I’m 100% team Taylor Sheridan. Goodbye Kevin!’ wrote one cheerful critic.

But even if his days at Yellowstone were now over for good, several of his fans made it clear that they would support his upcoming Horizon films.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One will be released in theaters on June 28 and Chapter Two will be released in theaters on August 16.

Costner has already started filming Chapter Three, and he has said he plans to film Chapter Four at the same time.