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Kevin Costner finally breaks his silence on ‘Yellowstone’s finale backlash: "What a disaster…"

One critic slammed, “It is official. Game of Thrones is no longer the worst final season of any TV show ever. Yellowstone has taken that award..."

After six years of dramatic storytelling, Yellowstone has come to an end—but not without controversy. The finale of the hit neo-Western series has ignited a wave of backlash from fans, with many branding it the "worst in television history." Kevin Costner, who famously played the Dutton family patriarch, John Dutton, has finally broken his silence, addressing both the show’s tumultuous ending and his controversial and infamous exit from the series. The series finale, which aired last week, attempted to tie up loose ends with major storylines. 

Kayce Dutton(Luke Grimes) made the shocking decision to save the family ranch by selling it to the Broken Rock Indians, while Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly)  murdered her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) and started a new chapter with her husband, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). However, viewers were not happy with the ending. They shared their disappointment on social media. One user wrote, "Dumb ending #Yellowstone #YellowstoneTV." Another critic fumed, "That was probably the worst final season in television history." In agreement, another user wrote,  “It is official. Game of Thrones is no longer the worst final season of any TV show ever. Yellowstone has taken that award. What a disaster of a final season. #Yellowstone #YellowstoneTV,” as reported by Irish Star.

Someone else echoed a similar sentiment, "I felt like it was entirely too rushed. The whole season, the guys leaving, everything. The plot with Jamie and the kill for hire was way to rushed, it ended way too quickly and easily. Just all around felt like it was a lazy, last minute put together." Costner’s character, John, was written out of the series earlier in the final season through a staged suicide, a development that left fans disappointed. His absence in the finale amplified the negative sentiment around the series finale.

In an interview, Costner admitted, "I'm not thinking about [the Yellowstone finale], I don't think I've given it any thoughts, we'll just let it go." Costner’s departure from the show in June had already created ripples, with rumors of behind-the-scenes tension with showrunner Taylor Sheridan. Costner attributed his exit to scheduling conflicts, though speculation about strained relationships persisted.

As per Mirror, in another chaotic rumor Luke Grimes, who played John’s son Kayce, recently hinted at the hurdles behind the scenes. In an interview, he remarked, "To be honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone…Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we've filmed." Costner when asked about Grimes’ remarks, gave a pointed response; “We’re done talking.” Grimes later acknowledged that he hadn’t reached out to Costner since his departure, saying, "I do have his phone number – I just don’t feel like it’s my place to reach out. He can reach out to me if he wants to."