Kevin Costner breaks his silence on John Dutton's tragic fate during Yellowstone's final season premiere

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Season 5 Episode 9 of Yellowstone, which premiered November 11 only on Stan.

Yellowstone star Kevin Costner has broken his silence after his beloved character John Dutton III was killed off in the new season premiere.

Costner, 69, had announced he wouldn't be returning for the show's final instalment earlier this year, but just how he'd be written out remained a mystery.

The only place you can stream every episode of Yellowstone is on Stan.

But during the opening scene of Season 5 Part 2's first episode, Dutton's tragic fate was confirmed – a move that left fans across the world in shock.

No one was more surprised than Costner himself, however.

He told The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM this week that he didn't even realise it was airing.

"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'." he explained.

"I'm not in this season. But I didn't realise yesterday was the thing. Somebody said, 'It played last night?' And I said, 'Hmm, okay.' So no, I found out about it this morning actually."

Costner said he had heard how John had died through other people.

YELLOWSTONE SEASON 5 PART 2 EPISODE 9 RECAP: John Dutton's fate is finally revealed in gut-wrenching premiere

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The cast of Yellowstone hit the red carpet for the Season 5, Part 2 premiere in New York

"I didn't see it. I heard it's a suicide. That doesn't make me wanna rush to go see it," he continued.

"They're pretty smart people. Maybe it's a red herring. They're very good. They'll figure that out.'"

Regarding Dutton's death, Costner was right that the suicide was a red herring.

It's been basically confirmed that Sarah (Dawn Olivieri), who is romantically involved with John's power-hungry son Jamie (Wes Bentley), called a hitman on him via a shady professional organisation.

In June, Costner, who starred as patriarch John Dutton III for five seasons, revealed his exit from the series' final instalment during promotion of his passion movie project, Horizon: An American Saga.

"Hi, everyone. I just wanted 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, the beloved series that I love and that I know you love..." he wrote.

"I just realised that I'm not be able to continue Season 5 B or into the future," he shared in a video to Instagram.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2

Costner continued: "[Yellowstone] 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. I love the relationship we've been able to develop, and I'll see you at the movies."

The brand new series of Yellowstone continues next week, only on Stan.

EXCLUSIVE: Luke Grimes admits his 'still processing' Yellowstone's shock ending

Can't get enough of Yellowstone? Go behind the scenes of Season 5 Part 2 and catch an explosive first look in the video below:

The only place you can stream every episode of Yellowstone is on Stan.

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