Since 2017, Kevin Costner produced and starred in Yellowstone, a TV series that tells the story of conflicts between ranching families in Yellowstone National Park.

The 69-year-old cowpoke, who in the show plays the patriarch of the Dutton family, spent a lot of his time riding on horseback under the blazing sun in the fictional Broken Rock Indian Reservation.

But in June 2024, the newly divorced actor announced he was departing the ranch to be an Arizona homesteader in 2024’s Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1, a box office bomb that he stars and produces.

“After this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that that’s required and thinking about Yellowstone…I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue,” the Wyatt Earp star explains to his fans on social media.

“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.”

Weighing in on his announcement, fans expressed their disappointment in the comments section of his social media, some wishing him well and others saying he looks “worn out.”

One writes, “John Dutton was the GOAT; an absolute legend. It won’t be the same without you.” And a second pens, “I am so heartbroken over this.”

A third, noting that he looks burned out, shares “The show definitely won’t be the same without you… Still so handsome but you look [worn] out and older.”

That fan isn’t the only one who’s noticed that the star of Dancing with Wolves is looking a bit weathered.

‘A toad has better skin’

An insider warns that the star could be in for a health crisis if he isn’t more careful when it comes to filming under the sun.

The source tells a news outlet that Costner’s “face is spotty from all the suntanning and probably sunburning he’s been through.”

“And his forehead has many fine lines that tell a similar story plus more unsightly creases around the eyes.” The insider continues, “His neck is the worst. A toad has better skin than Kevin. But he seems oblivious to the harm all those UV rays can do, and that could come back to bite him.”

The source advises the actor and filmmaker “to lather on the sunscreen and cover up properly,” and warns that “he’ll be sorry. Skin cancer is a serious subject.”

Kevin Costner showing ‘damage’

Agreeing with that sentiment, Dr. Gabe Mirkin – who does not treat Costner – said the Field of Dreams star is already showing “damage”.

Mirkin urges Costner “to see a dermatologist yearly and have each successive basal cell removed before it becomes more extensive.”

Basal cell carcinoma is the “most common type of cancer, “According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD). The organization says that people with “a lighter skin tone” who seldom protect the “skin from the sun” or use tanning beds, are at “a greater risk of developing” skin cancers.

The AAD writes, “Before basal cell carcinoma develops, people with lighter skin tones often notice signs of sun damage on their skin, such as age spots, patches of discolored skin, and deep wrinkles. These signs can develop years before cancer.”

Explaining that the “majority of skin cancers are basal cells that usually do not spread to other parts of the body,” Mirkin says it is often not life-threatening.

But the doctor adds, “Once a person starts developing skin cancers, they usually have to go back to the dermatologist for the rest of their life because they keep on getting new ones.”

If you’re wondering how Costner’s character on Yellowstone makes his exit, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Costner has a “moral death” cause in his contract, which means “the actor has a say about how John Dutton can or can’t be killed on the show.”

At least we know that the likelihood of him dying of cancer in real life is low.

What advice would you offer Costner? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear from others!