5 Biggest Controversies Yellowstone Has Stirred Over the Years

Certainly the best Western series of our time, Yellowstone has seen a number of scandals since its premiere in 2018. From insurance fraud charges and unfounded claims to Indian ancestry to homophobic statements and a major feud between the show's creator and its main star, Yellowstone offers plenty of controversy material.

Here are the series' five biggest controversies.

5. Q'orianka Kilcher's fraud charges

Kilcher injured her neck while starring in one of her movies in 2018 and received benefits a year later, shortly after filming in Yellowstone. This raised questions about the legitimacy of her claim for benefits, and she was charged with felonies. However, all charges against the actress were dropped this year.

4. Luke Grimes was reluctant to play a bisexual character

The Kayce Dutton actor was involved in a controversial episode back in early 2010s, which resurfaced again in recent years and ruined the experience of seeing him in Yellowstone for many viewers.

In 2013, the actor landed a role in the horror drama True Blood but left the project after just six episodes. According to several sources, the reason was that his character was bisexual, and the actor refused to participate in kissing and sex scenes with another man.

3. Kelsey Asbille being 'part Cherokee'

A major scandal erupted over the casting of Kelsey Asbille Chow as Monica, the Native American who became a member of the Dutton family after marrying Kayce. While the actress herself claimed to be of Eastern Band Cherokee descent, the tribe representatives argued that she never was a member of the group. Kelsey Asbille never responded to this criticism, and many people felt that her casting as Monica was racist.

2. Sam Elliott being homophobic

The star of 1883 made a wrong move in an episode of WTF with Marc Maron, as he panned Jane Campion's Western drama film The Power of the Dog. Elliott said that New Zealanders don't understand American Westerns and therefore have no right to make them, and he also criticized the movie's references to homosexuality.

The actor later issued a formal apology to the LGBTQ+ community as well as the film's cast and crew.

1. Sheridan and Costner feud

In recent years, the biggest controversy around the show was the feud between Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner, who played the patriarch of the Dutton family. According to numerous reports, the show's main star was so busy directing his own Western, Horizon, that he demanded a much shorter shooting schedule for Season 5.

Although the actor's agents denied the rumors, it looks like the conflict between Costner and the show's creative team, including Sheridan himself, was the main reason why Yellowstone got canceled after its fifth season.