Yellowstonestar Luke Grimes opens up about the negative fan reactions to John Dutton’s season 5 fate. The successful neo-Western show following the machinations of the Dutton family recently kicked off the second half of season 5.Yellowstoneboasts an ensemble cast, including Kevin Costner as patriarch John Dutton, as well as Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and Cole Hauser. Season 5, part 2 aired its premiere on November 10, and it featured a shocking plot point in whichJohn Dutton is found dead following a seemingly self-inflicted gunshot wound, prompting fan backlash.
In an interview withPeople, Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, reveals that the character’s fate was always planned to go down that way, and that it fits in with the series to remove the Dutton family patriarch so that the children have to learn to survive on their own. Check out the actor’s full comments below:
There’s been some negative reactions. I think they feel sort of cheated. And what I would say to that is, I think we were all lucky to have Kevin on the show as long as we did.It was always the plan for him to have to go awayfor the story to really ramp up, and that was the story. You lose a patriarch of the family. Can the kids do it on their own?
What This Means For Yellowstone’s Future
Yellowstone Is Still Going According To Plan
The nature of final seasons is that they invariably leave some fans dissatisfied, and creative choices have to be taken that might be at odds with what people envisage in their heads. Viewers have followed the story and characters for many years, and often become attached to them, which means there will always be a section of people unhappy with certain decisions. John’sYellowstonedeath could be an example of this. There was also the expectation thatsuch an important character would be written out of the show in a more satisfying way.
Though John’s death is being reported as suicide to the public,Yellowstonehas revealed that his son Jamie and Jamie’s girlfriend Sarah put a hit on the Dutton patriarch, meaning there is more to his demise than it seems.
Grimes’s comments feel a little like lip service to placate a fanbase that is starting to lose patience with the show, but there is cause for optimism. Creator and showrunnerTaylor Sheridan has built a reputation as a talented writer, and he is no stranger to dealing with epic narratives involving ensemble casts, as evidenced by his other projects likeTulsa KingandLioness.There is no question he has had a plan for the direction of the show for some time, and though Costner’s exit brought unexpected challenges, it sounds likeit is still going the way he expected.
Our Take On Yellowstone’s Controversial John Dutton Ending
The Show Was In A Difficult Situation Whatever It Did
While it is true that having the patriarch depart to leave his kids to face the struggles of the world alone is a well-trodden path in storytelling, it’s likely this wasn’t the exact storyline Sheridan had planned.Costner’s acrimonious departure fromYellowstonehas been well-documented, and this would almost certainly have forced Sheridan and his team into creative decisions they didn’t want to make.The show has enough goodwill to turn things aroundand win over viewers for the final episodes ofYellowstone, but the specter of John Dutton looms large.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on August 10, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
