Kevin Costner Says He’s “No Longer Under Contract For ‘Yellowstone'”

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Kevin Costner & The Future Of Yellowstone – What’s Going On?

Yellowstone‘s future remains up in the air as its midseason break grows longer and longer. After months of rumors about the show and its lead, Kevin Costner, Paramount confirmed Yellowstone will end after Season 5 concludes. However, the cast and crew has yet to start filming the season’s remaining episodes.

Despite this, Paramount announced the second half of Season 5 will kick off in November.

One thing that remains especially uncertain is Costner’s future on the show. He plays the series’ lead character, John Dutton. No one seems to know yet how many episodes Costner will film, if any.

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan addressed the Costner topic during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying:

“I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame…”

RELATED: TAYLOR SHERIDAN ADDRESSES KEVIN COSTNER’S EXIT FOR THE FIRST TIME, “I’M DISAPPOINTED”

Kevin Costner Shares Yellowstone Bombshell In Documents Pertaining To His Divorce

Speaking of lawyers, Costner is in the midst of a divorce from his wife of 18 years, Christine Baumgartner. They share three children.

Christine recently requested $248K per month in child support from Costner. She cited his 2022 income, saying it totaled $19,517,0641.

RELATED: KEVIN COSTNER’S ESTRANGED WIFE ASKS FOR $248K PER MONTH IN CHILD SUPPORT

New court documents obtained by Us Weekly show Costner expects to make much less in 2023. He does not anticipate as much of an income from Yellowstone because he is not under contract.

As Costner revealed in the documents:

“I will earn substantially less in 2023 than I did in 2022. This is because I am no longer under contract for Yellowstone, the principal source of my income last year. The fixed amount ‘pay or play’ and episodic compensation I received has ceased. Now, any compensation I earn from Yellowstone will derive only from my back-end contractual participation rights, which amounts are not fixed.”

The Yellowstone Star Feels He Can’t Afford Estranged Wife’s $248K Per Month Child Support Request

Costner said Christine did “not give a true picture of [his] cash flow” by only looking at his income from 2022. He explained that because of his career, his income “can change quite dramatically” from year to year.

The actor called the amount Christine requested for child support “astonishing” and beyond what he can afford. “Nor can I afford to pay those amounts and pay my living and business expenses without liquidating assets,” he said.

Stay tuned for any future updates on Yellowstone‘s fate and Costner’s divorce battle. In the meantime, head below to hear more details from Sheridan about Costner’s departure from Yellowstone.