Is John Dutton dead? The Yellowstone character's fate explained

Yellowstone fans are shocked at the abrupt way Kevin Costner's character was apparently dispatched in the show - but is John Dutton really dead?

Yellowstone season 5 Part 2 exploded onto our screens this week, leaving shocked fans and a series of questions in its wake. There's questions about which year Yellowstone is set in and whether the series is based on a true story, but there's one almighty answer viewers need - is John Dutton dead?

There's been a lot of chat about Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone, but after the series creators giving a strong message that he'd be an 'integral' part of the latest episodes, fans thought John Dutton would be sticking around. So exactly what's going on? John was apparently killed off at the start of season 5 part 2, so let's explore whether it's true or all a red herring.

Is John Dutton dead?

Yes, it appears that John Dutton really is dead. At the start of the ninth episode, John Dutton is found dead in the bathroom of the Montana governor’s mansion, with a gunshot wound to the head. As Kevin Costner’s face wasn't shown directly, fans not wanting to believe he could be dead thought this could be a misdirection.

This is largely because Yellowstone director Christina Voros, previously suggested the character of John Dutton would remain an "essential component" of the show’s final episodes. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said, "John Dutton is still central, his presence is integral. I think to say any more than that would potentially compromise all the work that went into redacting the scripts!"

However, following John's apparent body being found in the bathroom in the show, John’s son Jamie called a press conference to announce his father's death by suicide. Costner himself has also confirmed the fate of his character, and sadly, he won't be returning and John Dutton is no more.

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According to Variety, not only has Costner spoken about the fate of his character, he didn't even want to watch his exit from the show. He said, "I’m going to be perfectly honest. I didn’t know it was actually airing last night," Costner said in an interview the following morning. He continued "That’s a swear to God moment. I swear to God. I mean, I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place and I’m thinking, 'Gee, I’m not in that one.' I’m not in this season."

The actor wasn't even aware John Dutton's death would initially be presented as a suicide - it appears the only red herring in not seeing John's face during the scene where his body was discovered, was because Costner wasn't available to film it and a double was used. It does however come to light that John hasn't in fact taken his own life, but was killed by Sarah, who is sleeping with his son, Jamie.

Costner also weighed in not wanting to exit the series, but feeling forced into it. He'd wanted to take on other projects around his Yellowstone commitments, and had been told this was possible. However, with filming on the series often running over, he was finding this impossible.

The actor concluded, "There was contractual things that would allow for both things to be done, but because both things were contractual, you had to make room for the other thing. There was room, but it was difficult for them to keep their schedule. It seemed to be, it was just too difficult for them to do it. I didn’t leave. I didn’t quit."

John Dutton might be integral to the remainder of the series, but this will only be through repercussions following his death, and not because the character will physically be present in the show - sorry to disappoint fans who were desperate for the character to stay.