Mystery Surrounding 'Yellowstone' Spinoff Explodes After New Information Released

The mystery and intrigue surrounding "Y: Marshals" isn't slowing down ahead of its premiere.

The latest "Yellowstone" spinoff will focus on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) following the events of Taylor Sheridan's original neo-Western saga.

There's plenty of excitement and buzz heading into the March 1, 2026 premiere. There's also one major question fans want answered:

Is Kelsey Asbille returning as Monica?

Kelsey Asbille starred as Kayce Dutton's wife Monica in the hit series "Yellowstone." Her status for "Y: Marshals" remains unknown. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

'Y: Marshals" mystery grows.

As I've written before, there is literally zero evidence that Asbille is reprising her role as Kayce Dutton's wife. That's incredibly odd because "Yellowstone" ended with Kayce, Monica and Tate finally finding peace and moving past the ranch.

How can Kayce's arc continue without Monica in it? I have a theory, but more on that later. What we do know is more information about the show has been released, and Monica is MIA.

Fans want to know if Kelsey Asbille is returning for the Yellowstone spinoff "Y: Marshals." (Credit: Paramount Network)

Showrunner Spencer Hudnut spoke with Entertainment Weekly about what fans can expect from the show, and stated the following, in part:

"[Kayce] is a cowboy, but he is also a Navy Seal, so he has this incredible toolkit of skills to put to the test. He's a guy who excels running into the fire. As we saw all through Yellowstone, he is really the essence of being a protector, so it felt very natural for him to end up in a position like this where he's putting others first…Protecting the ranch and all he got up to in Yellowstone kept him very busy. This downtime that he's had between the end of that show and the start of ours has forced him to confront some of his demons and really focus on being a father. He's a changed man."

Hudnut further added, "I think Kayce primarily always saw himself as a provider and a protector to his son, but maybe left the parenting to his wife. But as he's had a little more time on the home front, one of the things we get to see is the bond between Kayce and his son and also just seeing Kayce beginning to see a lot more of himself in his son as well."

Luke Grimes is returning to play Kayce Dutton in the new "Yellowstone" spinoff "Y: Marshals." (Credit: Paramount Network)

These comments will only pour gasoline on belief that Kelsey Asbille's time in the "Yellowstone" universe has come to an end.

So, how does the show proceed? I think it might have been in front of us the entire time. The preview for the series shows Kayce at a gravestone mourning someone, and the narration indicates it could be a brother.

However, it's not the gravesite where Lee Dutton was buried after being killed in the "Yellowstone" series premiere. Lee is buried in the private family cemetery.

So, who is buried at this mysterious and previously unknown site? Seems like it's a good bet that it's Monica, and her death sparks the events of Kayce's new path of violence and action.

It's going to be one hell of a bummer if Asbille is truly not returning. I've been holding out hope that her return is just being kept secret. It's starting to look like that's a false hope, and the reality is just that Monica has been killed off in the "Yellowstone" universe. We'll find out March 1, 2026 when "Y: Marshals" premieres. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.