‘Yellowstone’ War Deepens: Cast, Crew & Executives ‘Frustrated’ By Kevin Costner’s Raging Ego As New Report Labels Him ‘An Unjustified Pain In The A--’
Feb. 21 2023, Updated 10:27 a.m. ET
Kevin Costner’s feud with the Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and the rest of the cast has intensified with a standoff over the filming of the actor’s remaining episodes, RadarOnline.com has learned.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the actor and the show producers have been arguing about the final episodes of season 5 that Costner has yet to finish.
Sources believe this will be Costner’s last season with Yellowstone as the tensions behind the scenes have gotten worse with time.
An insider told Puck that the cast and crew have grown “frustrated” by Costner’s “ego and unavailability for years.”
The outlet pointed to an incident a couple of months ago where Costner’s longtime assistant Glenn Kleczkowski publicly trashed Sheridan’s show Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone. He said, “Stick to westerns, bro. You don’t know S--- about THIS life. Stay in your lane, country boy. I’m actually embarrassed for you as a writer and creator.”
The post was deleted but not before Sheridan was made aware of it. Sources told Puck the post made the issues behind the scenes even worse.
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Sources told Puck that Costner, who has a history of being opinionated on set, tried giving Sheridan notes in the first couple of seasons but that didn’t “go over well.”
Another incident happened after Costner demanded a provision of his contract be enforced which led to the cast and crew having to take off and reassemble months later, which was expensive for production.
Costner, who is paid around $1.2 million per episode, has refused to commit to more than a couple of weeks for the remaining episodes but producers believe they need more time.
Costner’s side argued the season was expanded from 10 episodes to 16 episodes. The actor’s lawyer Marty Singer told Puck, “The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie.”
“It’s ridiculous—and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success,” he said.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, aside from the backstage drama, Costner’s wife has been urging him to leave Yellowstone since last year. A source said Christine Baumgartner wants Costner to spend more time at home with their family.