Marshals fans now have a logical reason for why Monica Dutton was killed off between Season 5 of Yellowstone and the premiere of the sequel on CBS.
However the truth (if this is true) is no less frustrating.
- Marshals premiered on CBS earlier this month.
- The show follows Luke Grimes‘ character Kayce Dutton as he begins a new life as a single father in rural Montana.
- Kelsey Asbille’s Monica Dutton was revealed to be dead in Ep. 1. The actor has not commented.
Related: Yellowstone Franchise Children – Where Are They Now?
When Marshals was first announced, Yellowstone fans assumed that Kayce and Monica’s story would continue together. Their East Camp ranch was protected thanks to a series-ending deal the youngest Dutton son cut with Thomas Rainwater and the Broken Rock Reservation. During Season 4 and Season 5, Monica became a real source of strength and inspiration on the show.
Sure, she was a bit hard to love early on. That all changed by the finale. Asbille and Grimes’ on-screen chemistry was undeniable and Tate — their on-screen son played by Brecken Merrill — seemed most comfortable during scenes with his fictional parents.
As the new series drew closer, more actors were announced for Marshals but Asbille was never one of them. Executives and creators never addressed this. Instead they used the mystery to promote the premiere and media played a long to a certain degree. Instead, pre-show interviews and red carpet events suspiciously worked around the elephant in the room.
During the premiere, we learn that Monica died within the last year after a battle with cancer, likely caused by mining on the Broken Rock Reservation. Her death was shocking on two levels.
First, it was just surprising to see such a major character die. Second, it was also stunning to learn of another off-screen death so soon after John Dutton (Kevin Costner) was killed off between seasons of Yellowstone. Fans hated that plot twist — why do it again?
Why Did Monica Die On Marshals?
The first explanation for why Monica died on Marshals came from showrunner Spencer Hudnut who told EW they needed a reason for Kayce to reverse his position on joining law enforcement. This made sense to a certain degree; at the end of Yellowstone he chose family over badge and made a big deal of it. Why would he pivot?
Killing Monica seemed like a scorched earth solution to the problem, but later Hudnut would tell the Hollywood Reporter that Asbille wasn’t available.
At least that’s what fans thought he said. The actual quote was quite different and — with this new information — quite telling:
“Then, truthfully, as we were trying to figure it out, Monica was not one of the ingredients that was available to me.”
Odd phrasing, right? Hudnut talks about Asbille’s character Monica as if she’s just another jar in the spice rack, not a human making choices. Fans — and to a small degree, the Dutton Rules podcast — twisted this to indicate she didn’t make herself available, due to another acting gig, personal life etc … That’s not what he said.
The Real Reason Marshals Killed Off Monica Dutton
If you’re someone who believes lawyers ruin everything you’ll hate this. Puck’s Matthew Belloni has led the way with Yellowstone universe scoops and he suggests Monica was killed over streaming rights.
Read More: 17 Most Stunning Yellowstone Franchise Deaths
Yellowstone fans know that Seasons 1-5 stream on Peacock, not Paramount+ like every other Taylor Sheridan show. This weird little wrinkle is due to an agreement signed before the existence of P+.
As part of that deal, Belloni says, all continuations of the Yellowstone will also need to stream on Peacock. Paramount doesn’t want that so they needed to go to great lengths to ensure Marshals doesn’t feel like a Yellowstone continuation.
“Differentiation was partly why they killed her off in the pilot,” Belloni says.
This would also explain why the upcoming Dutton Ranch show featuring characters Beth and Rip moved from Montana to south Texas. If you recall, the couple had purchased land in Montana at the end of S5 Yellowstone but the new series finds them 1,500 miles away.
17 Most Stunning Yellowstone Franchise Deaths
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
