Are Kayce & Monica Still Together? A ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Marshals’ Relationship Guide
The Dutton family is entering a new era in Marshals. In the wake of tragedy, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) has left the Yellowstone ranch (and all the drama) behind for a fresh start. His new day job? An elite unit of U.S. Marshals.
But what about Kayce’s love life? When Yellowstone began, he was living away from the Duttons on the Broken Rock Reservation with his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and their son, Tate (Brecken Merrill). Over the course of Yellowstone, Kayce and Monica endured many devastating blows, but they always found their way back to each other.
Kayce and Monica’s future was unclear ahead of the Marshals premiere on March 1, but now we know the fate of their relationship. Swooon has your essential Kayce and Monica relationship guide as the Yellowstone spinoff continues.
Are Kayce and Monica together?
At the end of Yellowstone’s 5-season run, Kayce and Monica were still together. Leading up to the premiere of Marshals, there had been speculation about Monica’s fate in the new series because she hadn’t been seen in any promos, and Asbille was not listed as a series regular.
Marshals addressed Monica’s absence in the March 1 series premiere. When the show picked up, viewers learned that Monica had died of cancer.
“I was heartbroken for myself and for [Kelsey]. It felt like, ‘I don’t even know what that would look like doing it without her, what that would feel like.’ Kelsey’s become one of my best friends. She’s the coolest actor I’ve ever worked with. She’s down to earth, sweet, and kind to every other actor and the crew,” Grimes told TV Insider.
He called Asbille himself to discuss the end of Kayce and Monica. “We had a great conversation. In true Kelsey fashion, she handled it like a pro and totally understood,” he revealed. “She’s going to do just fine. She is so talented, gorgeous, and awesome. She’s going to work. That’s not an issue.”
Kayce and Monica first got together years before Yellowstone started. Kayce’s father, John (Kevin Costner), didn’t approve of his relationship with Monica, especially after she got pregnant with their son, Tate. Kayce went against his father’s wishes and chose Monica. They got married, and their relationship didn’t waver during Kayce’s tenure with the Navy SEALs.
The couple faced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. By the end of Yellowstone, Kayce and Monica were still married as Kayce took over as the new owner of the Dutton ranch after John’s death. Kayce and his sister, Beth (Kelly Reilly), sold the ranch to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Broken Rock Reservation, with Kayce and Monica keeping their home on the property.
Why was Monica written off Marshals?
Marshals series creator Spencer Hednut acknowledged that Kayce and Monica had “such a beautiful ending” in Yellowstone, but they had to “shake up” Kayce’s life in the spinoff and “get him off the ranch and into a new position.”
The impact of Monica’s death will continue to be felt over the course of the show. “We’re shining a light on an issue,” he told TV Insider. “She passes because of cancer. Reservations have a high rate of cancer because of all the toxins that have been dumped on them. We wanted to make her death about a bigger issue. We wanted to be very respectful of that character.”
He added, “Her spirit is with Kayce throughout the show.”
Why did Monica break up with Kayce on Yellowstone?
From the get-go, Monica was adamant about wanting to keep Tate away from the Dutton family. The way she looked at it, the closer they got to the Duttons, the more danger they faced. (She wasn’t wrong!) When Monica suffered a traumatic brain injury trying to break up a school fight in Season 1, she saw it as a sign.
She left Kayce and moved with Tate into an apartment. Monica had a brief relationship with her physical therapist, Martin (Martin Sensmeier), while Kayce continued to try to save their marriage. He never gave up hope, and Monica eventually came back to him. Kayce, Monica, and Tate then returned together to the Dutton Ranch.
What happened to Kayce and Monica’s baby?
At the beginning of Yellowstone Season 5, Monica was pregnant with her and Kayce’s second child. When she started to go into early labor, Monica took Tate and attempted to drive to the hospital. Monica’s car hit a buffalo in the middle of the road, which caused a crash with another vehicle.
Both Monica and Tate were injured in the accident. Monica gave birth to a baby boy named John, who died an hour later.
Marshals, Sundays, 8/7c, CBS
