Yellowstone ended 2022 as arguably the biggest show on TV, boasting a huge viewership on Paramount Network (and on Peacock) while also serving as the mothership for co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding universe of spinoffs and prequels. While its future was never meant to stretch beyond the horizon, with Sheridan previously saying it wouldn’t hit double-digit seasons, rumors have pointed to Yellowstone potentially concluding earlier than expected due to issues stemming from scheduling conflicts with star Kevin Costner. The Oscar winner himself hasn’t spoken about the issue but co-stars Piper Perabo and Lainey Wilson have shared what they’re aware of.
The two women, whose careers were noteworthy long before their Yellowstone acting skills were put to the test, were on hand at the red carpet for 2023’s Billboard Women in Music awards ceremony. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Piper Perabo once again gushed about Kevin Costner, calling him “so amazing” and saying it’s been inspiring to work with him so closely on the show. As far as the rumor mill output about the esteemed actor’s possible feud over filming, Perabo hinted at such reports being more overblown than not. In her words:
I mean there's always a lot of drama when it comes to Yellowstone. Don't believe everything you hear!
Obviously that’s not a hard “The rumors are totally false,” any more than it is an agreement that the allegations about Costner’s schedule requests are legit. Perabo’s bullied activist on house arrest character Summer Higgins is closest with Costner’s John Dutton within the storyline, so she would possibly be as aware as anyone about what his schedule looks like. That said, she’s not necessarily one of the show’s core anchors, so she may not be in that particular loop. Going into Season 5's winter finale, Perabo talked about not having any idea what was happening next for Summer, which seemed ominous at the time until it became clear that Sheridan hadn't finished scripting the back half of the season yet.
When it comes to the idea that we shouldn't believe everything we hear about Yellowstone, I'm of two minds, since this isn't the kind of show that gets targeted with a lot of fake, over-the-top rumors. Plot speculation can reach such ridiculous levels, certainly, but not so much when it comes to what's happening behind the scenes. It's hard enough just trying to figure out if anything is happening with the 6666 spinoff, much less learning further details.
Lainey Wilson, meanwhile, was already having a huge year in 2022 in putting together her latest studio album, Bell Bottom Country, and she ended up winning CMA Awards for both Female Vocalist and Best New Artist. But she branched away from her comfort zone entirely by joining Yellowstone's fifth season as Abby, even if the character's day job matched her own. Fans are no doubt expecting to see her return in the back half of Season 5 to continue her adorbs romance with Ryan, but that's of course assuming the whole shebang doesn't implode.
When asked what she could say about the rumors, Wilson responded with:
You know what, I don't know much, but I have a feeling they're going to end it the right way, and there's gonna be more of it. And I'm hoping I'm gonna be back in it.
For those who aren't so caught up, the alleged behind-the-scenes kerfuffle comes from claims that Kevin Costner attemted to demand a vastly limited filming window for the back half of Season 5 so that he would be able to film the second feature of his next western epic, Horizon, with a cast that includes several former Yellowstone stars. Those claims were denied by the actor's reps, with the actor thereafter filming an acceptance video for his Golden Globe win that didn't mention Yellowstone once, but did touch upon his love of movies.
Wes Bentley also shared his thoughts about the rumors recently, and also implied that a mountain is being made out of a molehill. But also didn't speak on it so specifically that anything was cleared up, so it's still just a matter of waiting to see how Season 5 shakes out, and whether or not the rumors about Matthew McConaughey being tapped for a future spinoff are true, or if they're all wrong, all wrong, all wrong.
