As ‘Yellowstone’ rides off into the sunset, here’s what’s next for its stars

Yellowstone rode off into the sunset on December 15 with a record-breaking series finale that drew 11.4 million viewers across Paramount Network and CMT – the most-watched live episode in the show’s five seasons.

The milestone followed the midseason premiere on November 10, which saw an even larger audience of 16.4 million viewers across an eight-network simulcast boosted by encores and a special CBS broadcast. Overall, the second half of Season 5 was deemed by Paramount Global as the show’s “most social” chapter to date, with a 103% increase in views and a 68% increase in engagement compared to the first half, which aired from November 2022 to January 2023.

But while the Dutton family saga has come to an end, the stars are far from done. From films and spin-offs to personal passion projects, here’s where viewers can watch them next.

Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton)

Grimes, who played Kayce Dutton, the youngest son caught between family loyalty and his own path, embraces a new chapter. Earlier this year, he released his debut album of country music, and recently performed The tonight show.

On the acting front, Grimes ventures into darker territory with Ari Aster’s new film Eddingtonstarring Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff in a small New Mexico town. Grimes told Men’s Health that the experience was “very, very, very different Yellowstone.”

Now a father, with the birth of his first child in October, Grimes is looking forward to starting a family and doing what he loves most: acting and writing music.

“I’m sure I’ll perform again and play more music,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I just don’t know in what capacity and in what context and what character. That’s what I like about it: that I don’t know. I have no idea.”

Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton)

As Beth Dutton, Reilly delivered one of television’s most complex and fiery performances, but she reportedly won’t be leaving Beth’s world behind just yet.

According to Variety, Reilly and her husband, Cole Hauser, will reprise their roles in an as-yet-unannounced film. Yellowstone spinoff. Although details are scarce, the actress hinted that she was willing to revisit the character.

“I’m definitely interested in Beth and who she is after some things happened,” she told Town & Country last month. “Wouldn’t it be fun to see Beth go to therapy?”

Apart from YellowstoneReilly stars in the British crime thriller Under Salt Marsh and the prison drama Last mealsnext to Samuel L. Jackson. She also embraces her love of whiskey as the creative visionary for Ammunition Wines and Whiskey’s “Soil to Spirit” campaign, celebrating women who love being part of the bourbon world.

Reflecting on her time on the show, Reilly shared a heartfelt message on Instagram: “The words I got to say and the woman I got to inhabit. It has changed me. It enlightened me. It has challenged me in every way and I will be forever grateful for it.”

Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton)

Jamie’s morally charged journey came to a brutal end in the finale, and Bentley is ready to move on.

In an Instagram video shared on Paramount Network’s official account, Bentley joked that while it was tempting to take a memento from the set with him, he ultimately chose to leave all things Jamie behind him to let.

“I’m kind of ready to drop it all,” he said. “I kind of felt with Jamie that he had so much bad energy and vibrations, and it was such a challenge to play him, I was unsure if I would really want to take anything with me into my normal life.”

Bentley now focuses on his personal passions, such as catching up on his favorite books and documentaries. Although his next project has not yet been announced, he is open to new challenges after playing Jamie for five seasons.

“It was really satisfying to play [someone with] no spine, weakness and emptiness,” he told Us Weekly. “It was a great challenge and one I really enjoyed taking on – and I hope I met it too – but that said, it’s a burden that will be fun to let go of one day.”

Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler)

Hauser played the stoic and fiercely loyal Rip Wheeler. He’s not riding off into the sunset yet. In addition to Reilly, Hauser will reportedly helm the upcoming series Yellowstone spin-off, by variety.

While remaining tight-lipped about Rip’s future, Hauser kept fans guessing. “We’ll see what happens in the next year and what’s next,” he told People. “Hopefully we can continue to get into people’s living rooms and entertain them like we have for the last seven years.”

With a new clothing collection in collaboration with Lucky Brand, Hauser’s band with Yellowstone runs deep. He even owns the horse he rode at the show, King, and makes sure he lives “the good life in Texas.”

Hauser is fully aware of that Yellowstone‘s impact on viewers, telling People, “Educating, enlightening and entertaining people is always the dream.”

Kelsey Asbille (Monica Dutton)

Asbille’s portrayal of Kayce’s wife, Monica, brought an emotional nature to the show. In a dual interview with Grimes, she told UPI, “I think it’s had a profound impact on both our careers and our lives.”

The actress joked about how Yellowstone also had an influence on her own family: “I have a lot of them Yellowstone cast iron pans,” she said. “I have all the merchandise. There is so much merchandise. My family has all the merchandise. That is life-changing.”

As well as the fact that he was featured in the campaign for the limited edition of Free People Yellowstone capsule collection, Asbille is ready for more challenging roles after leaving Monica behind, having recently helmed the horror thriller Don’t move next to Finn Wittrock.

In a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, Asbille thanked her on-air husband the day after the final episode aired: “It’s been such a dream to share the screen with Luke for the past seven years,” she wrote.

Gil Birmingham (Thomas Regenwater)

As tribal leader Thomas Rainwater, Birmingham brought strength and humanity to the screen. For him, Rainwater’s journey challenged Hollywood depictions of Native Americans as the “bloodthirsty warrior” or “needy destitute.”

“That’s ultimately the challenge, is to get people to see Indigenous people as human beings and not as they’ve been portrayed for the past few hundred years,” the Comanche actor told Yahoo Entertainment in November.

Birmingham will soon reprise his role as Martin Wind River: Risinga sequel to the 2017 film Wind River. He told Yahoo that he remains committed to telling Indigenous stories, urging the film industry to “develop more Indigenous writers, directors and actors” to tell them.

To that end, Birmingham said in an Instagram video shared by Paramount that he had the “most valuable” thing taken from him Yellowstone experience was working with “an amazing group of people and the opportunity to be part of television history.”