The 10 Worst Things Yellowstone’s Main Characters Have Ever Done
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a year since Yellowstone left our screens. For five explosive seasons, Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western redefined television drama, blending family loyalty, corruption, and raw violence against the rugged beauty of Montana. At its core was the Dutton family — ranchers who blurred the line between justice and cruelty in their fight to protect the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
They were never heroes, but that’s what made them fascinating. Each of the main characters carried blood on their hands, whether from revenge, betrayal, or the desperate pursuit of power. From John Dutton’s political manipulation to Beth’s savage revenge and Jamie’s unforgivable crimes, the Dutton legacy is built on sin as much as soil.
Here’s a look back at the 10 worst things Yellowstone’s main characters have done, season by season.
1. Rainwater Sets the War in Motion (Season 1)
The very first episode sets the tone for everything that follows. Chief Thomas Rainwater’s political maneuvering leads to tragedy when John Dutton’s cattle stray onto Broken Rock land. A standoff turns deadly, resulting in the death of John’s eldest son, Lee. Rainwater may not have pulled the trigger, but his actions ignite the Duttons’ decades-long war with the Reservation — one that defines the entire series.
2. Jamie Kills a Reporter (Season 2)
No one embodies moral weakness like Jamie Dutton. In Season 2, Episode 6, his ambition and fear collide when he murders journalist Sarah Nguyen after confessing family secrets he later regrets. Her only crime was doing her job. Jamie’s brutal act — strangling her in a fit of panic — cements his transformation from insecure lawyer to true villain.
3. Kayce Executes Teal Beck (Season 2)
When the Beck brothers kidnap Kayce’s son, Tate, revenge takes over. Kayce storms into Teal Beck’s home, finds him on the toilet, and shoots him multiple times before delivering a final, cold-blooded kill shot. It’s understandable rage — but it’s also murder, carried out with chilling calm.
4. The Bunkhouse Crew Hangs Wade Morrow (Season 3)
The usually lovable ranch hands show their dark side when they execute former Yellowstone hand Wade Morrow for betraying John. Under Rip’s orders, they hang him and carve off his brand — a grotesque reminder that loyalty to the Duttons isn’t a choice; it’s a life sentence.
5. Jamie Secretly Sterilizes Beth (Season 3)
The root of Beth and Jamie’s lifelong hatred lies in this unthinkable act. As a teenager, Beth became pregnant with Rip’s child. Terrified, she asked Jamie for help. He took her to a clinic on the Reservation — knowing it required sterilization for abortions — and signed the consent form without telling her. The betrayal is permanent, robbing Beth of her ability to have children and any forgiveness for her brother.
6. John Hides Jamie’s Adoption (Season 3)
If Jamie’s life is a tragedy, John Dutton helped write it. For years, he kept the secret that Jamie was adopted, fostering a toxic bond built on lies and emotional abuse. When the truth finally surfaces, it shatters Jamie’s identity and pushes him further down a dark path. John’s silence isn’t just cruel — it’s the foundation of his family’s collapse.
7. Beth Blackmails Jamie (Season 4)
When Jamie kills his biological father, Garrett Randall, to protect the Duttons, Beth finds out — and weaponizes it. She photographs him disposing of the body and uses it to control him indefinitely. It’s one of Beth’s most ruthless moments, proving she’d rather break her brother completely than let him escape her father’s shadow.
8. Rip Kills Roarke with a Rattlesnake (Season 4)
Rip Wheeler has done terrible things in the name of love and loyalty, but few are as bizarre as his murder of Roarke Carter. In a moment that borders on dark comedy, Rip throws a live rattlesnake at Roarke while he’s fishing, killing him almost instantly. It’s brutal, absurd, and pure Yellowstone.
9. John Runs for Governor Against Jamie (Season 4)
Just when Jamie seems to find his footing in politics, John humiliates him publicly by entering the gubernatorial race himself. What could have been a father’s redemption arc turns into another power play — one that destroys any remaining trust between them. For John, family loyalty always takes a backseat to control.
10. Beth Kills Jamie (Season 5)
By the final season, the Duttons’ internal war reaches its breaking point. After John’s shocking death, Beth blames Jamie and confronts him in a violent fight. When Rip intervenes, Beth stabs Jamie in cold blood. The moment is meant to be justice, but it lands as tragedy — the final proof that Beth has become what she hated most: her father’s weapon.
The Price of Power
Across five seasons, Yellowstone explored how far people will go to protect what’s theirs — and what that protection costs. The Duttons’ legacy is soaked in violence and grief, their moral compass shattered by the myth of “family first.”
Whether it was Jamie’s cowardice, Beth’s vengeance, or John’s ruthless pragmatism, every major character eventually crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.
In the end, Yellowstone wasn’t just about a ranch. It was about the corrupting cost of holding onto power — and the people willing to burn everything, even family, to keep it.