Yellowstone star Kevin Costner's contract has apparently increased to the point of earning him $1.2 million for season 4. Yellowstone, which was created by Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water) and John Linson (Sons of Anarchy), is a neo-Western that began airing on the Paramount Network in 2018. The show follows the Dutton family, who are trying to protect the Yellowstone Ranch from land developers in rural Montana. Yellowstone also stars Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Jefferson White, and Gil Birmingham.
Kevin Costner leads the series as the family's patriarch John Dutton (a character who is also played by Josh Lucas in flashback scenes). John is a widower and a member of the sixth generation of Duttons to own the ranch, which is the largest in the nation. He is also, for some time in the series, a Commissioner of the Montana Livestock Association, a position that gives him a great deal of leverage over certain situations. Without spoilers, John made an important decision during the season 4 finale, which aired on January 2, 2022, and became the highest-rated cable episode since 2017.
Per Puck, Kevin Costner has had an incredibly lucrative deal on Yellowstone that has only gotten better. Originally, when he was considering it to be a miniseries, he signed on for $500,000 per episode, a solid chunk of change that would be typical for an A-list actor helming a limited television series. However, he renegotiated his contract for each further season and by season 4 his deal has reached $1.2 million per episode, which may be upped even higher for the inevitable season 5.
Luckily for Costner's bank account, the caché of Yellowstone is only increasing. Each season has outperformed the last, with season 4 almost quadrupling the viewership of season 1. The show has also drawn a lot more eyeballs thanks to its expanding universe, which now includes the prequel series 1883, which stars Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill and premiered on December 19, 2021. The show is also garnering traction through its new companion podcast, which is hosted by actor Jefferson White and features stars and crew members from the series.
Yellowstone is such a runaway hit that it's shocking in the new television era, where even same-day ratings have been suffering across the board. Costner was worth a lot before signing onto the show, but he's probably thanking his lucky stars every day that the project came to him when it did. The type of money he's receiving is even more than what the cast of Friends was making per episode during their final season in the heyday of network television.
Source: Puck