Rumors have been swirling in the Yellowstone universe, and the drama reached a new level when all of the show’s major stars pulled out of PaleyFest, seemingly at the last minute.
PaleyFest is an annual fan event hosted by the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. It bills itself as the “nation’s premiere television festival” and brings together fans and stars for a panel and Q&A. This year’s event has included Grey’s Anatomy, Yellowjackets, Abbott Elementary, and The Mandalorian. For the first time, Yellowstone was a part of the ticketed event.
The show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, and the stars of Yellowstone, were scheduled to attend. According to the PaleyFest website (which has not been updated), fans in attendance could expect to see “a special screening selected for this event by the producers followed by a conversation and Q&A” with Sheridan, executive producer David Glasser, Kevin Costner (John Dutton), Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton), Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler), Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton), Kelsey Asbille (Monica Dutton), Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton), Gil Birmingham (Thomas Rainwater), and Jacki Weaver (Caroline Warner).
None of those announced stars showed up, and, according to Deadline, fans were not notified until minutes before the event began. Instead, the panel was made up of four actors from the show: Josh Lucas (Young John Dutton), Wendy Moniz (Lynelle Perry), Mo Brings Plenty (Mo), and Dawn Olivieri (Sarah Atwood). Paramount Network development president Keith Cox also attended. The reason given for the last-minute change was “scheduling conflicts.”
Many who had purchased tickets for the event bombarded the Paley Center’s social media accounts with upset messages, while others demanded refunds. Here’s what some had to say:
- “Very disappointing evening. Thank you to the 4 Actors that did show up to represent the Yellowstone show. The others who were advertised to be attending are very disrespectful.”
- “We all felt horrible for the talented actors that did show up and put their best foot forward and were clearly uncomfortable. I mean it’s almost laughable that not one actor you promoted showed up tonight. How does that happen and when did you know about it?”
- “One or two actors not showing up I can deal with. But NOT ONE of the advertised actors were there, including the writer and director of the show.”
- “We walked out in disgust and disbelief that you would do this. You knew hours before they weren’t coming. You should have been transparent.”
Yellowstone has been a hot topic of discussion since reports began swirling that Kevin Costner was leaving the show due to contract disputes. According to Deadline, when Keith Cox was asked about Costner’s status, he referred to the actor as “our star, the face of our show, and the executive producer” and said, “we are very confident he will continue with the show.”
The show, which Paramount Network said will return in the summer, has not resumed filming.
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers gift guides, product reviews, crafts, and TV shows like Yellowstone. She’s currently stitching up a cross-stitch pattern for the magazine’s next issue
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