Kevin Costner Pocketed $1.25 Million Per Episode For Season 5 Of 'Yellowstone'

The divorce between actor Kevin Costner and his wife Christine Baumgartner continues to make headlines as the 68-year-old's salary for "Yellowstone" was revealed.

As The Blast previously reported, Christine denied that she pressured the father-of-three to quit his role in the critically acclaimed drama, which started in 2018. "Yellowstone" told the story of the Dutton family, in which Costner played the role of the Dutton patriarch, John Dutton. The series has proven to be such a success that it has spawned several spin-offs, including “1923,” which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

"Yellowstone" had five seasons total. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the "Waterworld" actor was paid $11,000,000 for season four,  which amounted to $1,100,000 per episode. That amount increased to $10,000,000 for season 5, or $1,250,000 per episode.

Just last year, Kevin announced that he was pursuing a project called "Horizon" which would consist of four different movies that were scheduled to be released within a short period of time. According to the court documents, he spent so much time filming the first two installments of "Horizon" that he did not have much time left to film "Yellowstone."

Kevin is also making a considerable sum from "Horizon." He is both acting, producing, and directing each installment. He was compensated approximately $12,000,000 for each installment, totaling roughly $24,000,000; however, he voluntarily deferred the hefty sum, believing that the money would "waterfall" back to him late next year.

Based on the calendar year 2021 and 2022, Kevin's cash flow is estimated to be at least $1,600,000 per month. He also is said to have at least $17,000,000 in cash sitting in his personal accounts. Kevin still makes a percentage of profit from "Yellowstone," which is counted as a source of both current and ongoing compensation for him.

Fans of "Yellowstone" will be disappointed to hear that Kevin refused to answer questions about whether he was offered the opportunity to star in season 6 or if he chose to quit the show, but Christine has claimed that she "did not pressure" the actor to quit the show.

As The Blast previously reported, Christine has insisted that she never forced the actor to quit his role in the award-winning show. In court documents obtained by The Blast in early June, she wrote, “I have avoided being public about the reasons for our divorce. I have done this to protect our family’s privacy. I did not pressure Kevin to leave the Yellowstone show.”

Fans were disappointed to see Kevin leave the show and they weren't alone. In June 2023, series creator Taylor Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter that he was “disappointed” with the actor's decision to leave the show. "I'm disappointed," Taylor said at the time, adding, "It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."

Some fans have speculated that a conflict between Taylor and Kevin led the "Dances With Wolves" actor to quit the series. However, Taylor insists that is not the case. "I've never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn't work out on the phone," he said. "But once lawyers get involved, then people don't get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren't true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting.”

“He took a lot of this on the chin and I don't know that anyone deserves it,” he continued before talking about the possibility of a spin-off series starring Matthew McConaughey. Taylor called the Texas-born actor a "natural fit" for the role, adding, “We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, 'I want to do that.' And by 'that' he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, 'Buddy, that we can do.'"

Meanwhile, it seems that Kevin Costner will still spend plenty of time outdoors, even if he does not return to "Yellowstone." According to court documents obtained by The Blast, "The Bodyguard" actor has a 160-acre ranch in Aspen, Colorado, that is located about ten minutes from the Aspen town center.

The family frequently vacations there during the spring and winter, as the area includes two large lakes and trails for several ATVs and snowmobiles through a national forest that is not allowed to be developed. It appears that the family rented the area out when they were out of town; the average rent charged to third parties in 2021 and 2022 for the Aspen ranch was $42,566 per night.