Wes Bentley’s Telling Remarks on Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan Before the Alleged Rift Went Public

Yellowstone has enough chaos on screen. Off screen? Apparently messier. A new report claims Kevin Costner’s so-called 'diva-like' behavior didn’t just rattle the ranch — it allegedly boiled over into a physical dust-up with his on-screen son, Wes Bentley. Layer in Costner’s passion project, Horizon: An American Saga, and you’ve got a full plate of behind-the-scenes drama with two very different versions of what actually happened.

Before the blowup: Bentley was saying nice things

In November 2024, Bentley (Jamie Dutton) told ExtraTV he missed Costner (John Dutton) and called his exit big and dramatic. He also said Taylor Sheridan handled John’s final chapter well and praised Sheridan for caring about the fans and the story. So the public-facing vibe was cordial — at least at that point.

What reportedly went down on set

According to The Hollywood Reporter, before Costner left the series, he and Bentley got into it during production. The claim: Costner pushed Bentley to play scenes Costner’s way, not strictly as written by Sheridan. Bentley pushed back, essentially telling him he signed on for a 'Taylor Sheridan show,' not a 'Kevin Costner production.'

Per THR’s on-set source, Costner didn’t take that well and 'lunged' at Bentley. No punches, but there was shoving, face-to-face yelling, and crew had to pull them apart. Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) was reportedly in tears, and production paused for a bit. THR also framed Bentley as hardly the first big name to clash with Costner over the years, mentioning Clint Eastwood among others.

The Horizon factor

THR’s story also ties a lot of the tension to Horizon: An American Saga, Costner’s four-part Western he’s been championing forever. Things allegedly got awkward around the time Paramount unveiled the prequel 1883. Costner was shopping the first Horizon script then, but, as THR puts it, buyers weren’t exactly lining up. After 1883 hit, he reportedly became determined to prove people wrong and went all-in on Horizon. Once he scraped together early financing, THR says he only wanted to give about a week to Yellowstone for its final episodes.

Costner’s version

Costner pushed back in a Deadline interview. He says he actually left Horizon to show up for Yellowstone — and then discovered there wasn’t a script ready. He also argues the 'one week' narrative got twisted by the media.

What you read in the end was that I said, 'Well, look, I’m doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week. I really didn’t have that week to give them, but I said, I’ll do that.' And then they spun that into, I only wanted to work a week.

Costner insists Yellowstone was his first priority, not the other way around. That is very different from THR’s picture of a star prioritizing Horizon while the Dutton empire waited.

Timeline at a glance

• Paramount announces 1883; around then, Costner circulates the first Horizon script but, per THR, gets little traction.
• Costner doubles down on Horizon; eventually secures seed funding.
• Before Costner exits Yellowstone, THR says he and Bentley clash on set; shoving, no punches; Kelly Reilly reportedly in tears; brief shutdown.
• Reports claim Costner only wanted to give about a week for the show’s final episodes.
• November 2024: Bentley publicly praises Costner and Sheridan on ExtraTV.
• Costner tells Deadline he left Horizon to be on Yellowstone, found no script waiting, and says the 'one week' thing was misrepresented.

So where does that leave the Duttons?

Two stories, one messy end. THR paints a star digging in on his own movie and clashing with cast; Costner says he showed up ready to work and got sandbagged by logistics. Either way, it sounds like a rough final stretch for the flagship that turned into a TV phenomenon.

If you want to revisit the calmer days of the ranch: Yellowstone streams on Peacock Premium. The prequels and spin-offs live on Paramount+.