Yellowstone fans can rest assured that popular character Rip Wheeler won’t be going anywhere in upcoming episodes of the show.
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Cole Hauser, the 47-year-old actor who plays him, has responded to rumours that he is being killed off in season five.
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The TV star insisted that, not only will he survive, but he will continue to “do the killing” in the Paramount series. Speaking to the Today show about whether his character will meet a grizzly end, he said: “I think we’re ok. For now.”
Cole revealed that his family had asked him about the rumours. He said: “My mom’s told me a couple of them and I said: 'Mom, I do the killing. Don’t worry about it.'" What exactly he means will become clear in the upcoming series, the first episode of which premieres on Sunday.
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The rumours appear to have begun as a result of an Instagram post shared by the show in September. After they wrote “something big is coming”, fans starting theorising that Rip could be on his way out.
Yellowstone revolves around the Dutton family, headed up by patriarch John (Kevin Costner), who run a huge ranch in Montana. Rip is a ranch hand who is instructed by his boss to carry out multiple murders.
Cole Hauser plays Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone
Viewers will see his romance with John’s daughter Beth, played by Kelly Reilly, continue after the couple finally married at the end of season four. Of their relationship Cole said: “There's a darkness to him that I love. But there's also, kind of, this real passion and love that he has for Beth and I thought that's a really good juxtaposition as an actor to be able to play that.”
It was announced in February 2022 that Yellowstone would be returning for a fifth season, beginning on 13 November. While there are usually ten episodes per series, according to the Wall Street Journal this one will feature 14 installments.
The return of the series comes after soaring ratings. Deadline has reported that the season four finale drew 10 million viewers in January 2022, an increase of 79% from the previous season.
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