Did Kevin Costner's John Dutton die? Yellowstone viewers shocked by twist in episode nine

*Warning – major spoilers follow Yellowstone Season five, part two, ahead*

Questions about Kevin Costner's involvement in the second part of YellowstoneThe answer to the show's fifth and final season came almost immediately in the show's return on Sunday.

At the beginning of the ninth episode, titled “Desire Is All You Need,” Costner's family patriarch John Dutton is found dead in the bathroom of the Montana governor's mansion. It appears he suffered a gunshot wound to the head, but it is unclear how he sustained the fatal injury. A man's body is seen lying – partially – dead on the ground; However, Costner's face is not visible.

John's son Jamie (Wes Bentley) – the attorney general of Montana – then calls a press conference where he announces that his father has been found dead by suicide.

It comes after that Yellowstone Director Christina Voros teased that Costner would play a “significant” role in the drama's conclusion, despite his exit being announced in June.

On Twitter/X, many fans reacted with dismay at how Costner's main character was dispatched so quickly.

“If they decide to end a great character like John Dutton like this… THAT'S BULLS***,” one angry viewer wrote.

“John Dutton was a fantastic character, and despite the Kevin Costner drama, he deserved a better sendoff than Yellowstone gave him,” wrote another.

A third added: “So @Yellowstone is already lame for killing John Dutton. I know there were problems getting Costner on board. But that was so lame.”

“Damn. They killed John Dutton in the first minute. This is so fucking cruel,” wrote a fourth.

Costner, who led Yellowstone When he was a landowner in Montana for four and a half seasons, he announced he was leaving the hit series due to scheduling issues.

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“I did this for five years and wanted to work more than once a year,” he said in a June episode of Show today. “At one point we lost a whole year and I thought it can’t happen again.”

He added that he would “love to come back.” Yellowstonealbeit “under the right circumstances”.

Reports had originally suggested that his departure was due to a dispute with series creator Taylor Sheridan, over conflicts caused by the actor's desire to film his Western passion project. Horizon – An American Saga.

In an April interview with The Independent, Luke Grimes – who plays Kayce Dutton – said of Costner's exit: “Whatever happened there, it's unfortunate if it changed anything about how the show would turn out. I know, [Costner] got busy with his films, which were like passion projects. At some point you gotta do what you gotta do, man; You have to do what you love.”

Costner remains the first cast member credited in the opening credits and appears in the closing credits in his role as executive producer.

Yellowstone airs weekly at 8pm ET on Paramount Plus.