Kevin Costner won't return to hit TV show 'Yellowstone'

(NewsNation) — American actor and producer Kevin Costner will not be returning to his role on the hit TV show "Yellowstone," the actor confirmed in a video posted to X Thursday.

"I just realized that I'm not going to be able to continue season 5b or into the future," Costner said. "It was something that really changed me. I loved it, and I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be returning."

The announcement came just hours after Paramount Network released the series return date for the final episodes of season five.

The 69-year-old actor portrayed the character John Dutton on "Yellowstone" since the series debuted in 2018.

Costner's decision not to return to the series comes after what he said was a "long year and a half" of filming. He has been working on set for his new film, "Horizon: An American Saga."

His decision most likely stemmed from months of negotiations trying to work out filming conflicts for both "Yellowstone" and "Horizon," Deadline reported. In recent interviews, Costner has spoken about scheduling conflicts and losing time for other projects due to working on "Yellowstone," the report said.