13 Biggest Yellowstone Offscreen Controversies Through the Years

Cole Hauser’s Coffee Company

In November, after Cole Hauser launched his coffee brand Free Rein, The Los Angeles Times revealed that his company was being sued by a company owned by Yellowstone showrunner Taylor Sheridan. 

Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch accused Hauser’s brand of “trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising” due to the similarities between their branding.

Kelsey Asbille’s Heritage

For those who don’t know, Kelsey Asbille plays the Native American character Monica, and she herself identified as being of Cherokee descent back in 2017. She identified herself a year later for W as “Chinese, English, and Cherokee.” Producer Sonny Skyhawk questioned this since the Cherokee Nation’s Tribal Enrollment Office had no record of her.

Per their website, they process “Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB), Dawes and Tribal Citizenship applications and issues CDIB, Citizenship, and Photo ID cards,” and Skyhawk had fans question after this detail came out.

She’s never publicly discussed this finding.

Christine Baumgartner & Kevin Costner’s Messy Divorce

Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner were together for nearly 20 years until Baumgartner filed for divorce in May of 2023. Their divorce consistently made headlines with the bitter details such as splitting up the house, assets, child support payments, and the Yellowstone drama. They finalized their divorce in Sept 2023.

Scheduling Conflicts at PaleyFest

Fans were quite displeased when numerous cast members dropped out of Paleyfest. Kevin Costner, Taylor, Sheridan, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver all dropped out last minute due to “scheduling conflicts,” so Josh Lucas, Wendy Moniz, Mo Brings Plenty and Dawn Olivieri took their place.

Luke Grimes’ Career Shift

Many were shocked when Luke Grimes exited True Bloods after a few episodes, especially since many liked his character. But he left the show and joined Yellowstone soon after. Despite the show creators saying he left for creative differences, and his team backing that up, BuzzFeed reported that he was uncomfortable playing a bisexual character who would later have a same-sex romance.

Q’orianka Kilcher’s Disability Fraud Controversy

Q’orianka Kilcher, who plays Angela Blue Thunder in Yellowstone, was charged with workers’ compensation fraud in July 2022, and was subsequently accused of collecting more than $90,000 in disability benefits. In February 2023, the charges were dropped.

The Never-Ending Production Delays

While some claimed Kevin Costner was the reason for the delays, in May 2023, an insider told Us Weekly that the production “holdup” was outside of the actor’s control. The SAG-AFTRA strike probably played a major hand in it, along with balancing other actor’s schedules since the longtime between seasons. 

Worry Over the Animal Living Conditions

Many activists were alarmed with how the animals in the show were being treated on and off set, with the biggest issue coming after reports of a horse being injured during filming came to light.

Kevin Costner’s Mysterious Future

For quite a couple of years, especially in those few months where his divorce from Christine Baumgartner was making headlines everywhere, people were convinced Kevin Costner would be leaving the show prematurely. Per Katie Couric Media, the official line has been that the show’s final season clashed with Costner’s filming schedule for his movie Horizon but there have also been rumors of a brewing feud between Costner’s and the show’s showrunners.

“Somewhere along the line, they wanted to change things,” Costner said in an interview about the conflict.

“They wanted to do 5A and 5B; [it] affected Horizon. I was going to do my movie Horizon and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.”

Taylor Sheridan’s Stance on Donald Trump

Before Yellowstone premiered, Taylor Sheridan blasted Donald Trump, but years later, he stepped back on that stance and said he didn’t “recall” saying those things, per The Wrap.

Plagiarism Accusations

Back in 2020, a playwright named J.C. Lee accused Yellowstone of plagiarizing key elements from his play Cowboy Church, per Teller99, but nothing came out of it except for online debates.

Kelly Reilly’s Alleged Off-Set Behavior with Cast Members

Insiders told RadarOnline that Kelly Reilly was allegedly standoffish to almost everyone on set, except for Kevin Costner, and that she allegedly refused to do joint interviews with the rest of the cast to stay private.

Sam Elliott’s ‘The Power of the Dog’ Criticisms

1883 star Sam Elliott found himself in hot water after criticizing Oscar-winning movie The Power of the Dog during a 2022 podcast. He described the film as a “piece of sh-t” and criticized its “allusions of homosexuality.”

He also commented on New Zealand-born filmmaker Jane Campion’s suitability to make a Western, asking: “What the f-ck does this woman from down there know about the American West?” 

He later apologized for the comments.