Yellowstone Star Reflects On Series Ending After Season 5: ‘Nothing Will Ever Be The Same’

Luke Grimes is reflecting on the final part of Yellowstone, which will be released this fall. What did Luke Grimes say about Yellowstone ending? Read on to learn how the actor feels about saying goodbye to his character, Kayce Dutton.

Yellowstone is Paramount’s successful Western drama that follows the Dutton family, who own and operate the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest ranch in the state of Montana. The series first premiered in 2018 and stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton III, the six-generation patriarch of the Dutton family. Throughout the series, John and his family constantly protect the Yellowstone ranch from those attempting to take their land, including an Indian reservation and wealthy land developers.

Grimes has portrayed Kayce Dutton, one of John Dutton III’s sons, on Yellowstone since the series’ first season. Kayce is married to Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and they have a son named Tate (Brecken Merrill).

The network announced last year that Yellowstone was ending after Season 5, Part 2. The fifth and final season has been on hiatus since January 2023, while the final episodes are set to air in November 2024.

In a recent interview with People in March, Grimes discussed the future of Yellowstone. The actor admitted that he “doesn’t know” how he’ll react when it’s “actually said and done,” but it’s been “a huge part of my life.”

“For seven years, we’ve been doing this, and we started in 2017. That’s crazy. This cast and crew, they’re like a second family, we spend a lot of time together,” Grimes said of the final season. “It’s been one of the most intense experiences of my life. Also, one of the most rewarding. It’s changed my life in every way possible.”

He continued, “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. I mean, I think I’m ready to know how it ends. I’m ready to tell the end of the story.”

Grimes relocated to Montana to film the show, and once the show was done, he expressed his plans to stay. “My wife and I love it out there. I think it’d be a great place to raise a family. I never know what the future holds,” he explained. “Who knows where the next thing will be and how long I’ll have to be there. I’m always open to anything, but for the foreseeable future, I’ll be there. I really have fallen in love with it.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April 2022, Grimes revealed that Taylor Sheridan, the show’s creator, knows how the series ends for everyone, including his character. “He knows how it ends for Kayce, and he’s known since he wrote the beginning. He actually said that he knew the end first,” Grimes admitted. “I’ve actually really gotten into the idea of never knowing how this ends until I get to read that last script. Going through the journey’d be a great payoff as an actor. But Taylor and I sat down and he told me just enough about what those two paths looked like and just enough about that statement. It wasn’t enough that I know what’s going to happen or where he goes from here, but it was enough that I could say that line and have an idea of what I was talking about.”

Although Yellowstone is ending, Paramount announced that it has greenlit two Yellowstone spin-off series, 1994 and 2024, both of which will be produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. The spin-off 2024 is expected to be the Yellowstone sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey.

According to a February 2024 report from the industry newsletter Puck, main cast members Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes are all in talks to reprise their roles on the spin-off, though salary negotiations are still ongoing. Fans may have noticed that several other stars are not involved in the spin-off negotiations, including Wes Bentley, who stars as John Dutton’s adoptive son Jamie, and Kelsey Asbille as Monica.

Stay tuned to learn more about Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2.