Luke Grimes’ candid quotes about falling out with Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner

LUKE GRIMES OPENS UP ABOUT KEVIN COSTNER’S YELLOWSTONE EXIT — AND WHY THEY HAVEN’T SPOKEN SINCE

When Yellowstone first premiered in 2018, few people could have predicted just how massive the Dutton family saga would become.

The Paramount drama, created by Taylor Sheridan, pulled viewers into the violent, beautiful, and complicated world of the Dutton ranch — a Montana empire built on land, loyalty, power, and family secrets. At the center of it all was Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the powerful patriarch whose presence shaped almost every corner of the series.

But behind the scenes, things eventually became just as dramatic as anything happening on screen.

After five seasons of success, reports of tension surrounding Costner’s schedule, creative direction, and future with the show began making headlines. Eventually, his shocking departure changed the entire direction of Yellowstone, leaving fans wondering not only what would happen to John Dutton, but also what happened between Costner and the cast he had worked beside for years.

While many of the actors stayed quiet, Luke Grimes did not completely avoid the subject.

Grimes, who played Kayce Dutton, John Dutton’s youngest son, has spoken with unusual honesty about Costner’s absence and the fact that they have not stayed in contact since he left the show.

In a December 2024 interview with Men’s Health MH Flex, Grimes admitted plainly that he had not spoken to Costner since the actor’s exit.

But he made it clear that it was not because of bitterness.

“I haven’t talked to him since,” Grimes said. “It’s not a case of any hard feelings or anything. It’s just, he’s Kevin Costner.”

That sentence said more than it seemed to.

Grimes was not attacking him. He was not trying to create scandal. Instead, he seemed to be acknowledging the strange distance that can exist between actors after a major project ends — especially when one of them is a Hollywood legend with decades of fame, power, and history behind him.

“He’s a big deal,” Grimes continued. “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.”

For fans who loved the father-son dynamic between John and Kayce Dutton, that comment felt surprisingly sad. On screen, their relationship was intense, complicated, and emotional. Off screen, it appeared they had simply drifted apart.

Costner’s own response did not do much to soften the mystery.

When reporters later asked him about the Yellowstone finale, Costner said he was not thinking about it. He suggested he had not given it much thought and added that people should “let it go.” When asked about whether he was still in touch with Grimes, he avoided offering much warmth.

“No,” Costner reportedly said. “We are done talking.”

That blunt answer only made fans more curious.

Was there tension? Was it simply distance? Did the reported behind-the-scenes conflict affect cast relationships more than anyone wanted to admit?

Grimes has tried to keep his tone respectful, even while being honest. In November 2024, after John Dutton was written out of the story, Grimes told People that Costner’s absence was definitely felt.

“He’s a big presence,” Grimes said. “Man, guy’s an icon.”

That was not just polite praise. Costner was one of the biggest names attached to Yellowstone from the beginning. His involvement helped give the series credibility, star power, and a sense of cinematic weight. Removing him from the final stretch was never going to feel ordinary.

Grimes admitted the set felt different without him.

But he also emphasized that the cast had become a family in its own way. Even without Costner, he said the experience remained special, and he hoped fans would still connect with the story.

Still, one of Grimes’ most interesting comments came when he spoke about filming the final season. In an interview with Esquire, he suggested that Costner’s departure may have changed the atmosphere on set.

“To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone,” Grimes said.

That line immediately caught attention.

He did not go into dramatic detail. He did not accuse Costner of anything directly. But the implication was impossible to ignore: Costner’s exit may have made filming easier in some ways, even if his absence also left a major hole in the show.

That is what makes this story so complicated.

Luke Grimes clearly respects Kevin Costner. He calls him an icon. He acknowledges his massive presence. He does not frame their lack of contact as a personal feud.

But he also does not pretend everything stayed the same.

Costner leaving Yellowstone changed the show. It changed the energy. It changed the ending. And, at least for Grimes, it appears to have created a quiet distance that neither man has crossed.

Maybe there is no dramatic fight behind it.

Maybe there are no angry phone calls.

Maybe it is simply what happens when a huge television era ends badly, people move on, and silence fills the space where a working relationship used to be.

But for fans, the mystery remains.

Because Yellowstone was built on loyalty, family, and unfinished business.

And somehow, after the cameras stopped rolling, the real-life ending between Kevin Costner and Luke Grimes feels just as unresolved.