‘Yellowstone’ Star Kevin Costner Makes Way More Per Episode Than He Used To

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan knew he needed a big name to lead his neo-Western when he pitched it to Paramount. The creator and the network also knew they would have to cough up the cash if they were going to get an A-list star. 

So, to let the industry know they were serious about producing original content, Sheridan and Paramount managed to snag two-time Oscar winner Kevin Costner to play John Dutton — with a paycheck of $500,000 per episode. Now that Yellowstone is the highest-rated show on TV, Costner makes even more than he used to.

The Paramount Network used ‘Yellowstone’ and Kevin Costner to ‘send a message’

Not long before Yellowstone debuted back in 2018, the Paramount Network went through a huge rebrand. They had transitioned from Spike TV, and the company’s streamer CBS All Access was getting ready for its own rebrand to Paramount+.

At the time, then-network president Kevin Kay told The Hollywood Reporter that they planned on making high-end original content to rival AMC and FX. To that end, Kay said they had to be willing to pay for A-list talent.

“The statement we wanted to make was that we’re open for business and we’re willing to pay top-tier actors whatever their quotes are. It sends a message and that’s what we want to do,” Kay said.

Even though Kay is no longer with Paramount, the network has continued sending that message. They’ve expanded the Sheridan-verse with big names like Jeremy Renner, Sylvester Stallone, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sam Elliott, Zoe Saldana, Harrison Ford, and Helen Mirren.

Kevin Costner makes way more per episode than he used to

Costner’s deal to earn $500,000 per episode definitely made a statement. And Variety is reporting that TV’s “great talent economic divide” has only grown wider in recent years. Actors making a million dollars or more per episode used to be extremely rare, and was reserved for long-running megahits like Friends or The Big Bang Theory.

But now, earning seven figures per episode is becoming commonplace for A-list talent — and Costner is leading the way. The 67-year-old now earns a whopping $1.3 million per episode. And since the upcoming season is super-sized with 14 episodes in total, Costner will be taking home a cool $18.2 million overall.

The ‘Yellowstone’ star isn’t the only actor in the Sheridan-verse making seven figures per episode

With a $1.3 million per episode rate, Kevin Costner is currently the highest earner on TV along with The Pilot’s Mahershala Ali. But there are other actors in the Sheridan-verse that are also earning seven figures per episode.

Sylvester Stallone will soon star in the mob drama The Tulsa King, and his salary is $1 million per episode. Earning that exact same rate is 1923 stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

“They’re launching a network, so they have to,” a Hollywood talent rep says of Paramount and streamer Paramount+. “HBO, if they’re not competing for movie stars, they have to pay more too. Netflix is also starting to catch up.”

Season 5 of Yellowstone premieres Sunday, November 13 on the Paramount Network.