Yellowstone Cast Salaries Exposed! Costner’s Massive Pay Compared to Co-Stars Will Shock You
The salaries of Yellowstone cast members, including Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, and Kelly Reilly, along with the highest-paid actor revelation.
Since its premiere back in 2018, Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount series Yellowstone has been making waves and has been busy becoming wildly popular among viewers. This is all thanks to the gripping storyline penned by the mastermind, a commendably authentic shoot, and an exceptional cast that included Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, and Wes Bentley.
With its unique blend of drama, politics, and ranching, the ranch-y lore has become a cultural Western phenomenon, sparking conversations about family dynamics, power struggles, and loyalty. That said, the show’s tremendous success has led to an influential increase in its viewership as well, and this continues to grow with the currently ongoing part B of season 5.
Over the years, besides the offscreen controversy that was Costner’s infamous exit, the show’s well-developed characters and outstanding performances have all garnered quite a lot of attention along with numerous award nominations and wins. And as the cast’s popularity continues to soar, their salaries have become a topic of interest among fans and industry insiders alike as well.
That being said, while the show continues to break records, fans are curious about the cast’s salaries, especially if Costner, who played the family head John Dutton III, was the highest-paid actor on set. For the same, here’s a breakdown of the main cast members’ salaries and a surprise reveal about who’s actually the highest-paid actor on the star-studded show.
The Yellowstone Cast’s Salary Breakdown
1. Kevin Costner
Though his outstanding performance as John Dutton in the fan-favorite saga raged for over four and a half decades, it was met with an unexpected turn of events as Kevin Costner ended up leaving Yellowstone to pursue his own goals of tackling the Western world with his Horizon saga. But that doesn’t change that, throughout the time he was there, he served as a lead actor on the show.
This is why Costner’s salary for the series was as eye-popping as his performance. Puck reports (per Parade), that the Dances with Wolves actor made $500,000 per episode when the saga initially premiered in 2018. This changed with a substantial rise with the ever-increasing popularity of the show, as it went on to become one of the highest-rated shows on cable.
According to the numbers listed by Taste of Country, Costner’s salary elevated to reach up to $1.3 million per episode by the time the fifth season started, making him one of the highest-paid actors on cable television. That said, it’s unarguable that, being one of the biggest names attached to the saga and being paid in millions, Costner was, in fact, the highest-paid actor in Yellowstone.
2. Luke Grimes
Besides being one of the hottest heartthrobs in Hollywood, Luke Grimes found his fame further boosted to extraordinary heights with his iconic portrayal of Kayce Dutton in the Western saga. This has been going on for around seven years now, and Grimes’ salary for his performance has been nothing short of sweet either.
Per Taste of Country, by 2021, Grimes was making around $200,000 per episode for playing the youngest Dutton brother in Taylor Sheridan‘s series. Since then, he may have had a raise. Of course, this is considerably less than what Costner made, but then again, Costner is also an Oscar winner in ever-increasing demand, so his greater salary is more or less understandable.
3. Kelly Reilly
Bringing the ever-so-fierce Beth Dutton to life over the course of around seven years must not have been easy for Kelly Reilly, but it wasn’t like she wasn’t being compensated handsomely for the same. While her reported salary, of course, couldn’t be as high as her onscreen father’s, it is still significantly more than her onscreen youngest brother’s.
As per Taste of Country, considering how she’s one of the most important characters of the series, Reilly is reportedly expected to have made $700,000 per episode for Season 5, or just a smidge more. Additionally, she also reportedly asked for a $1.5 million an episode paycheck for the new franchise. However, Paramount countered this request with $1.2 million, so that’s that.
4. Wes Bentley
If playing Beth must have been hard for Kelly Reilly, then playing Jamie must have been even harder for Wes Bentley, slipping into a character that is ever-so-bullied by his older siblings and even father. Despite that and besides the fact that his image has been painted in the antagonist light in the minds of many, Bentley’s salary hasn’t been too glorious for his role.
Reportedly, as per Taste of Country, Bentley has been on the same reported paycheck as Grimes, making around $200,000 per episode. But of course, considering how the other members were met with a raise too, Bentley could have had the numbers on his paycheck increased as well.
5. Cole Hauser
Yet another major supporting character of the saga, Cole Hauser perfectly brought to life Reilly’s Beth’s love interest Rip Wheeler. For the same, he has been getting paid fairly well, with his salary numbers well elevating with the Western’s praiseworthy success.Taking in the digits listed by Taste of Country, Hauser reportedly made around $200,000 per episode at the start of Yellowstone. However, this seems to have changed and substantially increased with the show’s progress as Hauser’s salary reportedly bumped to $700,000 per episode for Season 5.
Other Cast Members’ Respective Salaries
Besides all of them, Kelsey Asbille has also been a significant player in the Yellowstone race. Playing Grimes’ Kayce’s love interest Monica Dutton, she has gone from being a supporting member at the beginning of the series to a more prominent one. Per Taste of Country, her salary for the same has been the same as Grimes, making her another member of the $200,000 club.Other cast members’ salaries, in the meanwhile — like Gil Birmingham’s, who plays Chief Thomas Rainwater in the saga, or Forrie J. Smith‘s, who embodies Lloyd Pierce — are yet to be publicly disclosed.
Yellowstone Cast Members Are Asking for Pay Raises
While Kevin Costner’s infamous exit from the Western drama was one thing, it isn’t the only thing that has been playing in the offscreen drama. According to reports, the Yellowstone cast members are reportedly dissatisfied with their current salaries and are vying for a bigger slice of the pie.
According to Puck News (via The New York Post), prominent actors Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes are reportedly throwing a potential twist into the plans for the new series – which is reportedly in the making – by demanding large salary increases to reflect the popularity of their characters. Further details from Taste of Country reveal that while Reilly originally asked for $1.5 million per episode for the new franchise and is currently pushing hard for at least $1.2 million, Hauser is reportedly trying to settle his game at $1.25 million per episode. Grimes, meanwhile, is reportedly “much more mellow” about the paycheck situation than his co-stars.
