Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Suing Show Star (& It’s Not Kevin Costner)

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has filed a lawsuit against Cole Hauser, the enigmatic actor who plays Rip Wheeler in the hit Neo-western drama. Since it initially premiered back in 2018, the show has quickly grown to become one of Paramount’s most popular shows ever, as it revolves around the central character John Dutton and his family as they navigate different encounters trying to protect their family ranch. In recent years, however, the popular show has been mired in various controversies, namely that of Kevin Costner’s infamous exit.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan’s company, Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch, is bringing a lawsuit against Cole Hauser’s coffee company Free Rein in a Texas federal court. Sheridan claims Hauser’s coffee company’s logo looks identical to his, and to make matters even more complicated, the brand logos both look like literal cattle brands. According to the suit that was filed, Sheridan’s company is claiming “trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising” and it goes further to claim that Free Rein is trying to “mistake or to deceive as to the affiliation, connection, or association” with the ranch.

Hauser Is Not The Only Yellowstone Star Sheridan’s Conflicting With

Sheridan, the experienced 54-year-old, who has worked on other shows and movies, including the highly regarded Hell or High Water, Sicario: Day of The Soldado and Mayor Of Kingstown, is one of the most sought-after creatives in the Western genre in recent years. This is, however, not the first time he has gotten into a dispute with one of Yellowstone‘s cast members. Earlier in the year, there were several reports of the filmmaker also clashing with Kevin Costner, who plays John Dutton, the show’s central character.

The initial reports about Sheridan and Costner’s conflicts stated that the two were clashing over Costner’s inability to commit to filming the remainder of Season 5. Costner and his lawyer, however, denied these claims, with Costner later clarifying that the tensions between him and the production team, Sheridan included, involved differences over unpaid salary and the creative direction of the show. Shortly after these claims, it was reported that Kevin Costner would be leaving the show and Yellowstone season 5 part 2 would be the final part of the long-running show.

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As of right now, neither Sheridan nor Hauser has commented on their ongoing legal battle. Filming for Yellowstone season 5, which is also the last season, started in June 2022. It was, however, put on an indefinite hold about a year later during the SAG-AFTRA strike earlier in the year. Seeing that Hauser’s character Rip Wheeler remains an important fixture in the Yellowstone universe, it’ll be interesting to see how this ongoing conflict affects the show as a whole.