Kevin Costner isn’t quite ready to visit the Dutton Ranch after his character’s shocking fate was revealed.

On the Yellowstone During the season 5B premiere, which aired on Sunday, November 10, Costner’s character John Dutton was found dead of a gunshot wound. It was initially thought to be a suicide, but it was later revealed that John died as part of Sarah Atwood’s (Dawn Olivieri) murder-for-hire plot, which was intended to give the impression that John had committed suicide.

The 69-year-old actor admitted during an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Michael Smerconish Program that he has yet to see the premiere and says, “Well, I’m going to be completely honest. I didn’t know it actually aired last night. That is a moment of swearing to God. I swear to God.”

“I mean, I see ads with my face everywhere and I think, ‘Gosh, that’s not me.’ I am not participating this season,” he continued. “But I looked, but I didn’t know it had to happen yesterday. I really did that, my focus was on what I had to do, and I still have a few more calls to make. So you think, sometimes I’m just a passenger in my life, you know, there’s a lot going on. And someone said, you know, it played last night? And I said, ‘Hmm, okay.’ So no, I found out this morning.”

Costner explained that he had no immediate plans to watch the hit series after learning of John’s fate.

“I heard it was suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush out and see it,” he said.

Host Michael Smerconish then noted that the character didn’t seem like “some kind of suicide man,” to which Costner responded, “Well, they’re pretty smart people.” Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They are very good. And they are going to find out.”

Costner also claimed that he “did not leave the show”, but left due to other contractual obligations after playing John Dutton III for five seasons from 2018 to 2022.

In June, Costner shared with PEOPLE that he “loved the show” and would be open to reprising his role. He explained: “I’ve always felt that… It could be an interesting moment to come back and wrap up the mythology of this modern family. And if that happens, I’d get in if I agreed was with the way it was done.” .”

Series director Christina Voros said The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Season 5B premiere that John Dutton’s “presence is integral” as the series comes to a close despite Costner’s departure.

“I think if I said more it might jeopardize the work that went into editing the scripts,” she shared, adding that “he is the patriarch and his presence is an essential part of the story .’

Voros told me later The Hollywood Reporter that “Taylor’s decision to start (the season) this way was incredibly brave” after John’s fate was revealed.

“I think it’s a testament to his trust in the characters and the actors who embody them to say, ‘Let’s not make this about the incident. Let’s make this about how these people exist in the aftermath,'” he added them to it. . “That was more interesting to Taylor than the incident itself.”

“Death and birth are the two constants in our human experience. These are the most crucial moments in our lives, and yet they are the most mundane elements of being human. What is interesting about birth and death is not birth and death themselves. , but the way it affects us as people, I think that was the driving force to tell the story this way. He asked, ‘How do everyone else survive and what do they do?’ And that’s where the mystery lies. That’s where the story is.’

Never miss a story: Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Yellowstone air Sundays at 8pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.