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‘Yellowstone’ Ends With This Shocking Major Character Death
Yellowstone concluded as dramatically as fans could expect.
The Dec. 15 series’ season five finale—whether there will be more has yet to be revealed by Paramount—saw yet another death.
But this time, fans were cheering as Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) carried out her revenge against step-brother Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) for his culpability in the murder of her father John Dutton (Kevin Costner).
While laying her father to rest on Yellowstone land alongside brother Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), Beth promises to John’s coffin, “I will avenge you.”
And what follows is just that—a brutal yet vengeful brawl in Jamie’s home, which almost sees the end of Beth before her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) arrives in time to help his wife. And she doesn’t waste the opportunity, stabbing Jamie through the heart as he looks her in the eyes.
Beth then asks her husband to take Jamie’s body to the train station, where Dutton enemies have disappeared without a trace throughout the series. Beth crafts her cover story, telling authorities that Jamie attacked her in an attempt to pin John’s murder on her and Warrants are issued for Jamie’s arrest—though his body will never be found.
The biggest loose end tied up in the season finale, however, is the fate of the family’s ranch. While John Dutton made keeping his land out of the hands of developers his life’s mission, burgeoning tax burdens made keeping the ranch impossible.
But in a clever move, Kayce allows Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the fictional Broken Rock Reservation to buy the Yellowstone for $1.25 an acre—the same price the Duttons originally purchased the land for. Among the stipulations are that they sell back the East Camp deed to Kayce (allowing him to create a home for his family) and that they never develop or sell the Yellowstone.
Paramount
As Beth tells her father at his funeral, “You made me promise not to sell an inch, and I hope you understand that this is me keeping it. There may not be cows on it, but there won’t be condos either. We won.”
And in a poignant final scene, the Broken Rock Tribe move onto the land, dismantling the family ranch. But when children begin toppling the headstone of Dutton family ancestors buried on the property, Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) stops them, telling them the area will always be hallowed land.
It’s then that viewers hear the voice of 1883’s Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), tying the entire franchise together.
“One-hundred-and-forty years ago, my father was told of this valley and here’s were we stayed, for seven generations,” she says. “My father was told they would come for this land, and he promised to return it. Nowhere was that promise written. It faded with my father’s death, but somehow lived in the spirit of this place. Men cannot truly own wild land.”
But what exactly becomes of Beth and Kayce? Kayce, finally relieved of the burden of his father’s beloved ranch, builds a new life ranching on his own terms with his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and son Tate (Brecken Merrill).
Paramount
Meanwhile, Beth buys land for her and Rip to begin again, far enough away from the hustle and bustle to ensure they’ll never be bothered by tourists and land developers. And it’s here that a possible spinoff series could be born.
But while the future of the franchise is unknown, Kelly did say goodbye to Yellowstone and Beth before the finale.
“Whatever the future holds this is the ending of the show we have been making for the past 7 years,” she wrote on Instagram Dec. 15. “The words I got to say and the woman I got to inhabit. It changed me. It lit me up. It challenged me in every way possible and I will forever be grateful for it.”
For more shocking TV exits like that of Kevin Costner in Yellowstone, keep reading.
Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max
Reneé Rapp, The Sex Lives of College Girls
Ahead of The Sex Lives of College Girls' third season, Reneé Rapp announced she would be leaving the Max series.
"College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people," she wrote on social media July 10. "2 and a half years later—it's given me y'all and this community."
The show's co-creator Mindy Kaling also confirmed Rapp's exit. "We love @reneerapp so much and of course will be so sad to say goodbye to Leighton Murray!" Kaling wrote on her Instagram Stories before referencing Rapp's thriving music career. "We can't wait to see our friend on tour!!"
Paramount Network
Kevin Costner, Yellowstone
More than a year after the actor was rumored to have unexpectedly walked away from the hit Paramount drama after four and a half seasons, he confirmed in June 2024 that he will not return to finish out the series' fifth and final season.
ABC
Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy
After 19 years as Meredith Grey, Ellen Pompeo scrubbed in for the last time as a series regular on the ABC drama in the Feb. 23 episode.
"I gotta mix it up a little bit," Pompeo explained on The Drew Barrymore Show in December of last year, though she has already returned for a May guest appearance and continues narrating the series. "I'm 53, my brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new. You can't do The New York Times crossword puzzle every single day."
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Henry Cavill, The Witcher
Batman vs. Superman star Henry Cavill revealed he would be stepping away from the Netflix fantasy drama after its third season—with the announcement that Liam Hemsworth will assume the role of Geralt for season four, and potentially beyond.
"My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures," Cavill wrote on Instagram in October of last year. "Alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4."
Matt Dinerstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
Jesse Lee Soffer, Chicago P.D.
Original castmember Jesse Lee Soffer turned in his badge in 2022, saying goodbye to his beloved character Detective Jay Halstead role after 10 seasons.
"To create this hour drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show," Soffer said in a statement after his final appearance in the NBC procedural's Oct. 5 episode. "I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead."
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Damian Lewis, Billions
After five seasons, Damian Lewis departed Showtime's Billions in Oct. 2021.
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Emily VanCamp, The Resident
In Aug. 2021, it was reported that Emily VanCamp hung up her stethoscope for good as she had exited Fox's The Resident.
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Madeleine Mantock, Charmed
One of the Charmed ones is saying goodbye. Madeleine Mantock, who has played eldest sister Macy for three seasons, is exiting the CW's Charmed reboot ahead of season four. She said it was her "difficult decision" to leave and thanked producers for supporting her choice.
NBC
Megan Boone, The Blacklist
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LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Rege-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Season two of Bridgerton will be down one duke. Rege-Jean Page became the breakout star of Netflix's massive hit drama, and then broke hearts all over the place when it was announced that he would not be returning for the second season. However, fans can rest a little easier knowing he wouldn't have been the star anyway, as the second season is shifting focus (as the books do) to Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey. Meanwhile, Page is starring in high-profile Netflix movie The Grey Man with Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling, so we'll be seeing him again soon no matter what.
CW
Ruby Rose, Batwoman
Rose played the titular role of Batwoman, aka Kate Kane, in the CW drama. She made her debut in 2018's Arrowverse crossover and then starred in one season of the series—making history as the first lesbian superhero to headline their own show, as Batwoman came out of the closet in a major TV moment—before announcing her exit just two days after the season one finale aired. The role was eventually replaced with Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, a new character set to take control of the Batcave in season two.
Later on in season two, Kate got a bit of a face swap and returned played by Wallis Day.
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America Ferrera, Superstore
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Jason Ralph, The Magicians
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Emily Bett Rickards, Arrow
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"Felicity and I
are a very tight two
But after one through seven
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AMC
Lauren Cohan, The Walking Dead
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AMC
Danai Gurira, The Walking Dead
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Nicollette Sheridan, Dynasty
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George Eads, MacGyver
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Fox
Damon Wayans, Lethal Weapon
Fox's Lethal Weapon is no stranger to cast exit drama. Clayne Crawford was fired from the series after the second season and his former TV partner Wayans announced his plans to exit the hit drama after the 13-episode third season. "I'm going to be quitting the show in December after we finish the initial 13, so I really don't know what they're planning, but that's what I'm planning," he said. "I'm a 58-year-old diabetic and I'm working 16-hour days… Murtaugh said, ‘too old for this.'"
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Showtime
Cameron Monaghan, Shameless
Ian Gallagher went to the slammer. When Monaghan left Shameless during its ninth season, his character was locked up. In reality, Monaghan was ready to explore new projects after nine years on the show. But, in a true TV twist, he went ahead and signed on to return for season 10 anyway. He'll be present and accounted for when the show returns for its 11th and final season in December 2020.
Showtime
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
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NBC
Chelsea Peretti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Peretti appeared in Brooklyn Nine-Nine when it made its NBC debut, but she didn't stick around for the whole run. In a series of tweets in 2018, the actress announced her plans to leave the comedy, but maintained she would be back. She even used Emmy Rossum's farewell letter to Shameless as the basis of her own. Peretti welcomed a son with husband Jordan Peele in 2017. Her character was on maternity leave and sat out several episodes in season five.
AMC
Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead
Andrew Lincoln said goodbye to the blood, sweat and dirt of the zombie apocalypse and left The Walking Dead during season nine. "These guys have been the best surrogate family I could have hoped for. But I do have a real family and it is time for me to go home," Lincoln said at San Diego Comic-Con. He is, however, due to reprise the role in a film trilogy sometime in the future.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Pauley Perrette, NCIS
After 15 years, Pauley Perrette hung up her lab coat and left NCIS in 2018. "I believe in God and the universe so firmly, and it just suddenly became blindingly apparent that now was the time," she said. "After a lot of thought, I decided to announce it myself on Twitter because I didn't want it to be turned into anything 'shocking. Abby leaving is more than a cheap TV ploy."
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Willa Holland, Arrow
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Grace Park, Hawaii Five-0
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CBS
Daniel Dae Kim, Hawaii Five-0
Kim and his costar Grace Park left the CBS drama in between seasons seven and eight. In a Facebook post, Kim said the choice to leave was difficult, and that he made himself available to come back, but "CBS and I weren't able to agree to terms on a new contract."
NBC
Sophia Bush, Chicago PD
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HBO
T.J. Miller, Silicon Valley
After four seasons on the HBO comedy, Miller departed, calling it an "organic ending." He told Entertainment Weekly, "Also, in a weird way, it's interesting to me to leave a show at its height. It's interesting to me to see how the show will grow and change with the exit of this character."
CBS
Erinn Hayes, Kevin Can Wait
After just one season on the CBS comedy, there was quite a shakeup afoot. Hayes, who played wife to Kevin James, left as part of a creative shakeup. However, from the sounds of her tweet, it wasn't a mutual decision. "True, I've been let go from the show. Very sad, I had a great experience season 1," Hayes said on Twitter. "Thank you for all the support from our wonderful fans."
Kevin then moved on, in a way, with former King of Queens costar Leah Remini. CBS then moved on and canceled the show altogether.
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