Kevin Costner Accused of Lunging at Yellowstone Co-Star Wes Bentley in On-Set Clash

Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit was reportedly far messier than fans ever knew, with one shocking on-set confrontation reportedly leading to production briefly shutting down.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, multiple insiders claimed tensions between the two-time Oscar winner, 70, and his co-stars reached a breaking point when he allegedly ‘lunged’ at Wes Bentley during a heated altercation.

The father-of-seven is said to have lost his temper after Bentley, 47, refused to ‘ditch Taylor Sheridan’s script’ and try doing the scene ‘his way.’

One insider claims Bentley ‘told Costner that he had signed up for a Taylor Sheridan show, not a Kevin Costner production.’

‘Kevin didn’t like that, and he lunged at him,’ one source who was present described to the outlet. ‘No fists were thrown, but they were in each other’s faces, pushing and shoving and just getting hot until they had to be separated.’

This reportedly left actress Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, in tears and forced the hit Paramount series to briefly halt production.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Paramount as well as representatives for Costner, Bentley, Reilly and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, but have not heard back at this time.

The alleged incident was described as ‘a tipping point on a set already cracking from creative power struggles and bruised egos.’

For the Dances With Wolves star, insiders alleged, the dispute was just another example of him being ‘impossible.’

‘There’s a long list of people in Hollywood who swear they’ll never work with Costner again,’ the outlet claimed.

In December 2024, Luke Grimes admitted to Esquire that Costner’s absence from the second half of season 5 made filming a lot easier.

‘To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone,’ Grimes explained. ‘Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.’

That same month, Grimes acknowledged the off-screen drama during a chat with Men’s Health as he spoke about the ‘news about possible blowups behind the scenes [of Yellowstone].’

Other complaints about Costner, over the years, include his alleged inability to follow directions, tendency to rewrite ‘scripts without warning’ and frequent clashes with costars.

Costner’s former agent Rick Nicita, who represented him from 2002 to 2008, however, hit back at claims of his former client being challenging.

‘The word difficult gets used a lot,’ Nicita explained to THR. ‘It can mean someone who won’t come out of their trailer, or someone who doesn’t know their lines, or is rude. That’s not Kevin.’

He continued: ‘He wanted what he wanted and knew what he wanted and if he didn’t get it … well, he was never a great compromiser. It’s a firm belief in himself and a confidence that to some can play as arrogance.’

In recent months, Costner has raised eyebrows for giving paid keynote speeches at unconventional events, like bakery and veterinarian conventions.

Insiders have claimed to THR that the chaos surrounding him extends far beyond Yellowstone, pointing to potential power struggles in Costner’s personal life that have left him ‘in the dark.’

‘It’s sad, and that’s the only thing I can think of,’ said one longtime collaborator told THR. ‘I think he got lost in the ether and to this day, I just don’t get it.’

News first started to spread about Costner potentially leaving Yellowstone in 2023, amid rumors of a rift between the actor and series creator.

Costner’s attorney Marty Singer denied rumors that Costner refused to film on the show for more than just one week in Season 5 Part 2.

‘The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie,’ Singer said, at the time.

‘It’s ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second,’ he added.

The filming conflicted with Costner’s plans to direct his first movie in 20 years – Horizon – the first in a planned four-part Western movie series.

Costner ultimately confirmed in June 2024 that he would not appear at all in Season 5 Part 2, in a video he posted to Instagram.

‘I want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future,’ Costner said.

‘It was something that really changed me. I loved it. And I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning and I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop and I’ll see you at the movies,’ he added.

Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter that he had been ‘disappointed’ by Costner’s exit, feeling that it impacted the show creatively for the worse.

‘It truncates the closure of his character,’ Sheridan said. ‘It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.’

Sheridan said that his ‘opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered’ as result of his leaving, calling his ‘creation of John Dutton … symbolic and powerful.’

Sheridan downplayed about their alleged tension and creative differences: ‘I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone.

‘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.’

Sheridan said Costner ‘took a lot of this on the chin’ in terms of the saga playing out publicly, adding, ‘I don’t know that anyone deserves it.’