“Yellowstone” Cast Then and Now: See the Evolution of the Western Drama’s Stars
“Yellowstone” Cast Then and Now: See the Evolution of the Western Drama’s Stars
Alex GurleySat, March 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kevin Costner in 'Yellowstone'Credit: Cam McLeod/Paramount Network/Courtesy Everett Collection
Yellowstone may have wrapped in 2024 but the Duttonverse is ever expanding. With numerous prequels, spinoffs and sequel series now streaming, the show’s dedicated fanbase won't have to say goodbye to their favorite characters.
The show that started it all premiered back in 2018 and spanned five seasons, chronicling the lives of John Dutton and his family as they fought to protect their Montana ranch against threats from land developers and other outsiders.
Helmed by Kevin Costner, who portrayed the patriarch until his departure in the middle of season 5, and breakout stars like Luke Grimes, the Western drama made television history and altered the lives of its cast forever.
“It’s been one of the most intense experiences of my life. Also, one of the most rewarding,” Grimes told PEOPLE in March 2024. “It’s changed my life in every way possible. Nothing will ever be the same because of this show in all sorts of ways, good and bad. I will miss it terribly. I know that.”
Although Yellowstone may no longer be filming, Grimes and other cast members, including Kelly Reilly and Gil Birmingham, haven’t yet had to bid their characters farewell. Reprising their roles in the recent CBS spinoff Marshals, they are continuing to play out the Dutton family drama.
Here’s a look at the Yellowstone cast, how they evolved alongside their characters and what they’re doing now.
Warning: Yellowstone franchise spoilers ahead!
01 of 09
Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner in 'Yellowstone' ; Kevin Costner on February 7, 2025 in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaCredit: Paramount; Tibrina Hobson/Getty
Coster starred on Yellowstone and served as an executive producer until he exited midway through the fifth season amid scheduling conflicts and production issues. (He remained an executive producer afterward.)
Although viewers later learned that Costner’s character John was killed via a murder-for-hire scheme at the hands of Sarah Atwood, his legacy has lived on in the Duttonverse. In March 2026, there were nods to John during the premiere of Marshals, which centers around his youngest son, Kayce Dutton.
Since his Yellowstone days, Costner has continued on other Westerns. After several years of development and filming of his epic multi-film series, Horizon: An American Saga, the first installment, Chapter 1, premiered in June 2024. The movie did not achieve commercial success and while Chapter 2 was set to premiere just six weeks later, those plans were scrapped.
Despite the setbacks, the Hollywood veteran says he has no plans to step away from the entertainment industry or retire in the near future.
Away from the cameras, Costner and his wife of 18 years wife, Christine Baumgartner, finalized their divorce in February 2024. Since then, he has been linked to singer Jewel and director Kelly Noonan.
02 of 09
Luke Grimes
Luke Grimes in 'Yellowstone' ; Luke Grimes on February 26, 2026 in Toronto, OntarioCredit: Emerson Miller/Paramount; Mathew Tsang/Getty
Yellowstone’s wrap happened as Grimes was making a foray into the world of music. Before the show’s finale, he released his self-titled debut album after spending years songwriting as a hobby. The actor shared that the work introduced him as an artist, influenced by his work on Yellowstone.
“Through these characters, I get to explore parts of life that I wouldn't before. Clearly in Yellowstone, exploring this Western lifestyle that I had never lived before," he told PEOPLE in March 2024. "I was never a cowboy. I'd never ridden horses. I’d never lived in the West. Now I live in Montana."
Grimes continued, “It really does inform a lot of things about who I am, which then informs the music. So I think they're related in a pretty strong way.”
He’s now getting ready to release his second album, Red Bird, set to hit streaming services on April 3, 2026.
In addition to music, Grimes has maintained his ties to Westerns, appearing in the 2025 film, Eddington. He also now stars in the Yellowstone spinoff, Marshals, where he is reprising his role as Kayce. The CBS series follows the character a year after the end of Yellowstone as he joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, blending his Montana lifestyle with his former experience as a Navy SEAL.
“We definitely wanted to make sure to give it a real story and make it interesting and make it believable,” he told PEOPLE in June 2025. “If it was just like, ‘Well, he’s happy’ — we’re just going to watch him be happy? That’s not very cool.”
Meanwhile, Grimes has gotten his own happy ending in his personal life, welcoming his son with his wife Bianca Rodrigues Grimes in October 2024.
03 of 09
Kelly Reilly
Kelly Reilly in 'Yellowstone' ; Kelly Reilly on January 19, 2026 in London, EnglandCredit: Paramount; Mike Marsland/Getty
Reilly, who portrayed John's wildcard but fiercely loyal daughter Beth Dutton, said goodbye to the series at the end of season 5 amid rumors that she wouldn’t be straying too far from the Yellowstone universe.
“Whatever the future holds this is the ending of the show we have been making for the past 7 years,” Reilly wrote on Instagram. “The words I got to say and the woman I got to inhabit. It changed me. It lit me up. It challenged me in every way possible and I will forever be grateful for it.”
Less than a year after the show wrapped, Reilly was confirmed to star in Dutton Ranch alongside her on-screen husband, Cole Hauser, Annette Bening and Ed Harris. The Paramount+ series will also see Finn Little return to play Carter.
Dutton Ranch is set to pick up after the Dutton's fight to keep their 7,000-acre ranch, with Beth and Rip picking up the pieces. According to an official logline, the couple “do what they must to survive, all while ensuring Carter becomes the man he's supposed to be.”
Ahead of the show’s May 2026 premiere, Reilly is starring on the Sky Atlantic crime thriller Under Salt Marsh.
04 of 09
Cole Hauser
Cole Hauser in 'Yellowstone' ; Cole Hauser on November 3, 2022 in New York CityCredit: Cam McLeod/Paramount; Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Following the conclusion of Yellowstone, Hauser was ready to continue sharing Rip Wheeler’s story. At the time, Hauser told PEOPLE that he believed the audience was still eager to see more of the Duttons.
“I think America has spoken. They still love the show. There’s obviously just tons of people that every Sunday get together with their families, and we give them the experience of taking ’em out of their own living rooms and putting ’em in Montana and entertaining them,” he said in December 2024. “And I think ultimately it's just that simple.”
Hauser continued, “Hopefully, we can continue to get in people's living rooms and entertain them the way we have over the last seven years.”
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In August 2025, it was confirmed that Hauser would be joining the cast of Dutton Ranch alongside Reilly.
The actor is also set to appear in the upcoming series Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion and an untitled Netflix football drama alongside Matthew McConaughey, per Variety.
05 of 09
Wes Bentley
Wes Bentley in 'Yellowstone' ; Wes Bentley on April 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Paramount; Randy Shropshire/Deadline via Getty
Wes Bentley’s character Jamie Dutton was killed during the series finale of Yellowstone, although he admittedly celebrated the show’s conclusion as it was a “challenge” to play a complex and “heartless” character like Jamie.
“I’m going to miss the challenge. Every single scene is literally the hardest scene I’ve ever had to do,” the actor told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023. “It will always be there as one of the hardest things I’ve ever accomplished, or tried to accomplish, bringing out all the facets and nuances of this complicated character. So I will miss it, but I will also celebrate it being over.”
He continued, “Jamie stays with me. I don’t always want him there! When I see people talking about Method acting, my experience is that I’m trying as hard as I can to shake him. ... I try not to judge my characters, but it’s been enough years that it’s hard not to at this point. It’s very hard to play him. And at the same time, I love it.”
Bentley is now set to appear in The Shards, Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, Variety reported.
06 of 09
Kelsey Asbille
Kelsey Asbille in 'Yellowstone' ; Kelsey Asbille on March 5, 2026 in Paris, FranceCredit: Kevin Lynch Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock; Peter White/Getty
Kelsey Asbille, who portrayed Monica Long Dutton on Yellowstone, saw the series through to the final episode. While fans may have expected her to return for the CBS spinoff Marshals, viewers learned during the premiere that Monica had died of cancer — an illness believed to be linked to toxic waste dumped by a nearby mine on the Broken Rock Reservation.
While Asbille has not spoken directly about stepping away from the series, creator Spencer Hudnut explained that the actress was simply not available.
“It wasn’t like Luke and I were sitting there saying, ‘We should kill Monica,’ ” Hudnut told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was more like, ‘If she’s not available for this, then what’s the best way to move on from that character in the least exploitive way?’ ”
Grimes later revealed that he reached out to Asbille personally to discuss the creative direction for her character.
“I worked up the courage to call. I didn’t know how she was going to feel about it,” he told TV Insider in March 2026. “We had a great conversation. In true Kelsey fashion, she handled it like a pro and totally understood. She’s going to do just fine. She is so talented, gorgeous and awesome. She’s going to work. That’s not an issue.”
Instead of continuing on in the Duttonverse, Grimes has starred in the Netflix film Don’t Move and will take on the lead in psychological thriller The Technique as well as indie rom-com Adulting.
07 of 09
Brecken Merrill
Brecken Merrill in 'Yellowstone' ; Brecken Merrill on February 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Cam McLeod/Paramount; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage
When Brecken Merrill joined the cast of Yellowstone as Kayce and Monica's son Tate, he was just 8 years old and had only ever appeared in a few commercials. Over the next several years, Merrill grew up on camera and realized that he wanted to take acting seriously as a career — a decision he made with the help of his on-screen grandfather, Costner.
“Kevin says, ‘Do you really, like, wanna do this? Is this what you really wanna do?’ ” Merrill recalled to Entertainment Tonight in January 2026. “I thought about it for the next month, and he kind of guided me to that area of, yeah, this is what I wanna do."
He continued, "This is my career. This is my passion. ... I’m loving it. I wanna be here. I just wanna thank Kevin. I'm so blessed to work with such an amazing cast.”
Since then, Merrill has appeared on This is Us, portraying Justin Hartley's teen son, as well as a role in the movie Lifeline. He’s also now reprising his role as Tate in the Yellowstone spinoff, Marshals.
“I was just so thankful to have another opportunity to play Tate,” Merrill said in a video for CBS. “Being back on set with Luke is a dream. I mean, I’ve never left. Tate’s always been a part of me."
The actor added, "He’s dealing with his dad becoming a marshal and beginning to reject authority from his dad and all these crazy storylines are back. Everyone loved Yellowstone, everyone’s gonna love Marshals.”
08 of 09
Gil Birmingham
Gil Birmingham in 'Yellowstone' ; Gil Birmingham on February 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Emerson Miller/Paramount; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage
Birmingham played Chief Thomas Rainwater on all five seasons of Yellowstone and he revealed that he knew how the show would end from the beginning.
For Birmingham, who has worked with series creator Taylor Sheridan on several different projects, it only made sense that the pair would continue working together.
Birmingham is now reprising his role in the CBS spinoff Marshals, calling the new show “two different genres” that are mixing together.
“We’ve got the tactical, badass team of marshals. We’re still in the backdrop of Montana and Kayce’s still carrying over all the knowledge that he has as a rancher so he knows the community and that’ll still sustain itself. But we’ve got the additional element of justice and law in the west,” Birmingham told Fox News in March 2026.
In addition to Marshals, Birmingham is set to reprise his role as Martin Hanson in Wind River: The Next Chapter.
09 of 09
Mo Brings Plenty
Mo Brings Plenty in 'Yellowstone' ; Mo Brings Plenty on February 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Paramount; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage
After Yellowstone wrapped, Mo Brings Plenty appeared in several films, including Topper and Buffalo Daze, before it was announced that he would be reprising his role on the CBS spinoff Marshals.
“Luke’s part of the family. That’s what we had built,” he shared in a video with CBS on continuing to work with his Yellowstone costar. “Marshals, there’s new characters involved. There’s still a lot of the old elements and iconic characters involved in this story. I don’t just play an Indian on TV, I live it every single day of my life.”
The actor is also set to appear on the upcoming series Mystery Box as well as the film, Under the Painted Sky.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
