It was his last ride.

“Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner left the show after the first half of the fifth and final season.

As the second half of Season 5 is about to premiere (Sunday, November 10 at 8pm on Paramount), the show’s stars are reflecting on his departure.

“He’s such a big part of this show. I feel so lucky to have been able to work with him,” Wes Bentley told The Post.

The “American Beauty” actor added, “And I learned a lot from him as an actor.” But he is also a storyteller, a director, and he is also a very interesting man who knows a lot about history. We had a lot of great conversations. So I am grateful that I ever had the opportunity to work with him.”

The hit cowboy drama, which premiered in 2018 and attracted more than 17 million viewers, follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana, including patriarch John (Costner) and his adult children Kayce (Luke Grimes), Jamie (Wes Bentley ), Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Beth’s husband, Rip (Cole Hauser).

Costner’s departure came amid a firestorm of behind-the-scenes drama and rumors of a feud with creator Taylor Sheridan.

In May 2023, news broke that Costner would not return to “Yellowstone” after season 5. (This was before Paramount said that season 5 would be the show’s last.) That same month, it was announced that the show would end with season 5, leading to speculation that the show ended in part because Costner left.

“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had a passion project he wanted to direct,” Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter in June, referring to Costner’s film “Horizon.”

Sheridan’s account made it sound as if Costner was prioritizing “Horizon” over “Yellowstone.”

Costner, however, had a different story.

In May 2024, Costner told Deadline that “Yellowstone” was “first position” on his priority list. “I didn’t do ‘Horizon’ because I was tired of doing ‘Yellowstone.’ That’s bullshit. I didn’t create ‘Horizon’ to compete with ‘Yellowstone.’ This (project) is something I have been working on for a long time,” he said.

Costner added that the continued speculation about what happened behind the scenes “was not truthful.”

The ‘Dances with Wolves’ star said his film ‘Horizon’ had to fit ‘in the gaps’ between the filming of ‘Yellowstone’, but he said: ‘They just kept moving their gaps.’

“I was honest with Taylor Sheridan, and he said what we would do, and I believed him,” Costner said. “And we didn’t get there.”

In June, Costner also addressed his fans in an Instagram video.

“I think of Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love. I just realized that I can’t continue, season five or into the future,” said the Oscar winner.

“I loved it and I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not coming back,” he said.

Grimes told The Post about Costner’s departure: “When you lose such a big presence… it carries weight in the story as well. You know, he’s John Dutton. He is the patriarch. He’s the movie star on our set… So if he leaves, of course that changes,” he said.

He added: “But art imitates life and that’s how it will feel in the story. I think in return you take that weight and turn it into something really compelling for the story.

Ian Bohen, who plays Ryan, one of the ranch hands in “Yellowstone,” told The Post, “As they say, the show must go on. You have to do your part, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Denim Richards, who plays another ranch worker, Colby, said that between the drama over Costner’s departure and the long wait between the first and second half of season 5, he wasn’t even sure if the second half of season 5 would happen.

“For many of us, maybe 18 months ago, we thought this would probably be the end.”

But after Costner left the show, “it’s the next guy, right?” he said.

“He’s been a juggernaut for over four decades,” Richards said of Costner. “I had the opportunity to learn so much from him. Of course, there will be some gaps that you feel. But I think (creator Taylor Sheridan) has written characters that have so much depth, and they’ve been able to fill in those gaps.

Richards acknowledged that there has been “a lot of speculation over the past year” about what was going on with Costner.

“But I mean, it’s entertainment, right? Things change so often…at some point you just have to show up and do your job because there are so many people making other decisions that are beyond our control.”

Wendy Moniz, who plays John’s girlfriend and sometime love interest, Sen. Lynelle Perry, told The Post, “I feel a little sad, a little bittersweet, but it feels like it’s time,” about the show’s ending.

Filming the final batch of episodes without Costner “was a little different, but mostly because we’re such a strong ensemble, and it’s so much about family storytelling.”

John Emmet Tracy, who plays Ellis Steele – one of the characters who wants to turn the Dutton Ranch into an airport – said of Costner: “Obviously he’s a Hollywood legend. And I think his involvement in the show played a huge role in making the show legendary. But I would just say that ultimately people will enjoy the way this series plays out.