Yellowstone has begun explaining John Dutton’s fate following Kevin Costner’s exit from the neo-Western with season 5, episode 9, entitled “Desire Is All You Need.” There had been widespread speculation about how the series would write John out following the news that Kevin Costner would not be part of the Yellowstone season 5 cast after the first half of the season. While it was expected that John would die, it wasn’t clear how that would happen or how it would spark a war between Beth and Jamie.

“Desire Is All You Need” sandwiched flashbacks of the past six weeks in between the gruesome discovery of John’s death and Beth’s declaration that she knew Jamie was responsible and would make him pay. The flashbacks that comprised most of the episode depicted the characters’ old way of life, suggesting that things will never be the same after John’s death. This exit sets up the series finale to be one of Yellowstone‘s best episodes, as it gives Beth and Jamie a strong reason to fight to the death and leaves the fate of John’s ranch up in the air.

Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 9 Reveals John Dutton Is Dead

Kayce Tries To Shield Beth From The More Gruesome Aspects Of His Ending

Yellowstone season 5, episode 9 wastes no time before establishing John’s death. The episode moves quickly from Beth being frightened when she is unable to get ahold of John by phone to Kayce walking her past police tape to find out John’s fate. Blood spattered on the wall and quick cuts of the cops looking at a body while the news reported that it is likely John is dead helped paint the picture of what happened without being overly graphic. The scene is followed up by Jamie, seemingly shocked, officially confirming the news of John’s death at a press conference.

John’s death does not include any scenes with Kevin Costner, who had already left the series. Instead, a stand-in is used to represent his body, and the audience does not see the dead man’s face. This has led to some speculation that John might have faked his death, but this is unlikely considering that Costner is not returning to the series. Thus, John’s death is likely real, and the lack of clarity about what the body looked like came from Costner not participating in his death scene. Instead, the remainder of Yellowstone will focus on the aftermath of John’s death.

Did John Really Kill Himself In Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 9?

His Death Appeared To Have Been Staged

John is found with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and the gun lying next to him. Thus, it is easy for the authorities to declare his death a suicide and close the case. However, there may be more to it. He is killed moments before he is due to appear at an impeachment hearing, which the authorities think is the motive for suicide. However, there is room for theories and other interpretations.

Although a state police officer working on the case tells Kayce that there was gunpowder residue on John’s hand, this detail could easily be faked. Furthermore, neither Kayce nor Beth believes that their father died at his own hand, and their belief is vindicated in the final scenes when Sarah Atwood tells Jamie that she hired a contract killer as a favor to him. Jamie claims he didn’t want this, yet he and Sarah had been talking about ways to permanently eliminate John, so it would be no shock if she was involved in his death.

Why Yellowstone Had To Kill John Dutton

Kevin Costner Decided Not To Return For The Second Half of Yellowstone Season 5

Custom Image by Yeider Chacon

Costner’s John Dutton has been central to Yellowstone since the beginning, making it difficult for the series to continue without him. Dutton seemed virtually indestructible as he beat a seemingly terminal cancer diagnosis, fought hard against the takeover of his ranch on several occasions, and survived an assassination attempt. However, the series had to write him out permanently because Costner confirmed in June 2024 that he was not going to return to Yellowstone for the second half of its fifth season. This decision came after months of behind-the-scenes conflicts that left Costner’s status in question.

Costner’s decision to leave Yellowstone came after months of back-and-forth negotiations and a rumored rift between him and Taylor Sheridan, who writes and produces the show. Costner’s attorney denies that there was a rift or that Costner refused to work for more than a week (via Puck). However, it has been confirmed that Costner wanted to work on his new project, Horizon, causing scheduling conflicts, and eventually, he decided to walk away from Yellowstone. Thus, he couldn’t have any type of cameo during the final part of Yellowstone season 5.

Given that Costner completely severed his relationship with Yellowstone, killing John off is the only ending that makes sense. John would not leave town in the middle of an impeachment trial. Furthermore, even if it were possible for him to go to Texas to help Rip or otherwise leave Montana, this would be an unsatisfying ending, especially if he were never seen again. Thus, the only surprise was that John was possibly murdered rather than dying of cancer or some other more mundane ending.

How John’s Death Sets Up The Rest Of Jamie & Beth’s War

Beth Is Convinced That Jamie Was Responsible For John’s Death

Beth does not believe that John ended his own life. From the moment she hears the news, she is convinced this is murder, and she resents Jamie announcing at a press conference that their father ended his own life. While Kayce doubts that Jamie could have had a hand in this, he doesn’t know the whole truth, which is that Jamie also killed his biological father. This is a fact that Beth has been using to blackmail Jamie ever since she found out about it.

Her [Sarah] hiring a contract killer makes it appear that she and Jamie engaged in a multi-layer coverup to ensure their hands were clean.

Beth’s knowledge of Jamie’s past crime and her awareness that he and John were at each other’s throats helps convince her that Jamie is guilty, and it doesn’t bode well for him that he is associated with Sarah, who has wanted John out of her way for a long time. Jamie’s claim that Sarah acted independently of him may or may not be true, but it doesn’t matter. She claims she did it for him, and her hiring a contract killer makes it appear that she and Jamie engaged in a multi-layer coverup to ensure their hands were clean.

Jamie was ready to go on the offensive against Beth before this happened, and he will fight back now against Beth’s attempts to prove he killed their father and exact revenge. Thus, Yellowstone will spend its remaining five episodes on the war between Beth and Jamie, and it will most likely be a fight to the death between the two siblings who never had any use for one another in the first place.