We finally know how Kevin Costner exits Yellowstone, and we have so many questions.

It's the question that's hung on everybody's lips since hunky silver fox Kevin Costner announced he was abandoning the Yellowstone project for his own film Horizon… what are they going to do to John Dutton? 

Costner had played the gruff, take-no-nonsense head of the family, and owner of Montana's Yellowstone ranch, since the first season came out in June 2018. 

However, six years later, in June 2024, he announced that he was finally hanging up his chaps. 

He shared the news in a video posted to Instagram, saying, "I want 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's required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realised that I'm not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future."

He added, "It was something that really changed me. I loved it. And I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won't be returning."

Image: Stan.

In the five months since the announcement was made, fans have had many theories on the demise of John Dutton. 

Maybe he would forget all the ranch drama and move to a cushy ski resort in Whistler, ala Samantha Jones' London-exit in Sex And The City? Potentially, they would only write him out for a season in hopes he'd return? 

But as we found out, the likelihood was that they were *SPOILER ALERT* going to kill him off. 

ED'S NOTE: If you have not watched episode nine of season five of Yellowstone and do not want it spoiled for you, do not keep reading. You've been warned. 

Watch the trailer for Yellowstone on Stan Season 5, Part 2. Post continues below.

Ok, so he dies. 

And in the least John Dutton way ever. 

The man was basically a weed that could never be killed and yet, at the beginning of episode nine we see family members Kayce and Beth Dutton called to a family emergency at the governor's mansion (not the Dutton ranch). 

There's a few 'F-You's' as they push past the cops and 'Do Not Enter' tape to run up the stairs. In the ensuite bathroom, they see their father's dead body on the ground, brain matter on the walls from an obvious bullet wound. 

As Kevin Costner did not appear in a single minute of season 5B, the body was not shown in its entirety. We get close ups of a bloodied corpse, but it's clear that there will be no chance of return for the steely elder cowboy. 

Kayce comes across the crime scene. Image: Yellowstone.

As the episode goes on we see the family battle with the reality of what has happened, while they wait for an official COD (cause of death). 

Beth calls her husband Rip home from his cowboy foray in Texas and there's a heart-wrenching moment as she runs into his arms and howls into his shoulder.

Those two sure make great TV. 

We also see Kayce grappling with the reality that the patriarch is dead and the future of the ranch now lies in their hands. 

While he isn't sure who did it, Beth intuitively guesses that their traitor brother Jamie (who is actually adopted and thus not technically a blood relative) is to blame.

While Beth acknowledges that he may not have had the mettle to pull the trigger himself, she is determined that he is behind it.

And, of course, she is right. Mostly. 

Image: Stan.

In season 5A, we saw corporate predator Sarah Atwood arrive in Montana. She was brought in by Market Equities' chairman Caroline Warner, with the company aiming to build an airport and resort where the Yellowstone Ranch lies. 

Atwood quickly becomes a Trojan horse — luring family reject Jamie Dutton, Montana's attorney general, into a romantic tryst. Whether or not the relationship is real from Atwood's side is unknown; but when Jamie expresses how much he wants to rid the world of his father, she obliges him. 

While watching a news report about John Dutton's death, Jamie appears visibly shaken. At first, he believes John Dutton took his own life due to the impeachment trial he was facing. However, he soon discovers that Sarah was the one responsible for his death.

Sarah had met with an unknown man named 'Grant' who had a video of her and Jamie having sex. With that collateral in hand, he agreed to take the hit on Dutton, knowing Sarah and Jamie couldn't blame him.

"This is your kingdom now," Atwood tells Jamie. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

"No," he says simply and starts to cry. 

Atwood reiterates that lions "don't die of old age, they die in the jaws of younger lions." She has just made him that. 

Caroline Weaver is the head of Market Equities, and Sarah's boss. Image: Stan.

Then we move back to the other Dutton siblings.

Eventually, Kayce, commissioner of the Livestock Association, calls his friends in law enforcement to ask for the cause of death. 

He was reluctant to do it and be too involved in the investigation. However, Beth reminds him that their father is no longer there to make the hard calls. It's a poignant moment — John is really gone.

The police confirm that the evidence shows their father John Dutton 'died by suicide'. 

The suicide plot had fans rioting online — it is rather unconventional to kill off the most badass character in such a way. 

There was no fatal shootout scene. No deadly punch-up outside a courthouse. No epic battle. These things could not have been filmed without Costner's presence. 

And yet, it's kind of a brilliant way to write out the character.

Beth is devastated about her father's death. Image: Stan.

Even with his impeachment trial coming up, fans know that John Dutton would never put an end to his own life. Not when the future of the ranch and his legacy relied on him living. 

It sets up the next plotline — will those who framed John Dutton's murder as a suicide get away with it? 

Even the siblings suspect it is framed, as Kayce learns from the police that a transponder was down during the time of death meaning there was no security footage. "Well, isn't that convenient," Beth joked.

Despite Costner's absence from the show, his character is still the central part of the storyline.

Will his killers walk free? In what condition did he leave the Yellowstone estate? Has he trained the children enough to carry on his legacy when the vultures are circling to nip at every part of it? 

It echoes what director Christina Voros told The Hollywood Reporter before the season began airing, that John Dutton would continue to be a 'main character' despite not being shown on screen. 

"To say any more than that would potentially compromise all the work that went into redacting the scripts," she explained.

"But I think the reason people are wondering, 'Is he, isn't he? Where is he, where is he not?' is because he is the patriarch, and his presence is an essential component to the story. John Dutton is still central."

What will happen next in Yellowstone Season 5B? 

Now lead heart-throb on the show, Kayce will have a big role in the new season. Image: Getty.

There was a lot to digest in Yellowstone season five, episode nine. 

From here on in we can only imagine that it will get uglier. Beth will figure out what happened to her father, and will ultimately look to exact her punishment on Jamie and the wider Market Equities team. But will she be able to do so without getting into trouble in the eyes of the law?

Kayce will certainly struggle with the responsibility of protecting Yellowstone financially, and we can only guess that there will be a surprise or two in John Dutton's wills and paperwork that will send them scrambling. 

The scene is set, and we can't wait to see how these characters traverse it. 

Yellowstone Season 5B is now streaming, same day as the U.S., only on Stan. Watch seasons 1-5 now, only on Stan.

Featured image: Yellowstone.