The Worst Thing Every Yellowstone Character Has Done, Ranked

At its heart, “Yellowstone” is the story of the Dutton family and its fight to hold on to its legacy. There is nothing more important than the Yellowstone Ranch to John Dutton, whose ancestors settled the land and built a home in the harsh Montana mountains all the way back in 1883. But more than the ranch itself, John often talks about the importance of family, which is why his worst moment isn’t the murder of an enemy or retribution against a rival, but a betrayal of his own kin.

Though we never see this moment on screen, as it happens before the first episode begins, we eventually learn why at the outset of the series John is estranged from his son Kayce. We’re initially led to believe that it was a mutual falling out, or even the result of the rebel son’s defiance, but it’s actually John’s doing. As a teenager, Kayce was dating Monica, who his father John never approved of, and when the young lovers surprised him with the news that they were expecting a baby, he demanded she get an abortion.

When Kayce refused, John did the unthinkable, kicking Kayce out of the home and off the Yellowstone Ranch. The irony is, when “Yellowstone” begins, John is distraught that he has no relationship with that very child, his grandson Tate. Of course, Kayce and John would eventually hash things out, and John would become a doting grandpa and repentant father.