Yellowstone may be done, but Kayce Dutton sure isn’t. Luke Grimes returned to his beloved role on the 2026 TV schedule for the new CBS spinoff, Marshals, and he wasn’t alone. He was joined by Brecken Merrill, who returned to play his son, Tate Dutton, and more. Unfortunately, Kayce’s wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) did not come back, and it was revealed early on that she had died. Now, with Season 2 set to premiere soon, a Marshals star is weighing in on the fan reactions to Monica’s death and whether Kayce could move on with Dre.
Marshals' Ash Santos Opens Up About The Reactions To Monica's Death
When Marshals was announced, Asbille was surprisingly absent from the casting updates. It was eventually revealed in the series premiere that Monica died from cancer caused by toxic pollution on the Broken Rock Reservation. No one saw it coming, and Grimes himself was upset about the death. Plenty of fans shared Grimes’ feelings over it, especially given the fact that it happened off-screen. However, there were also critics of Asbille and her work on Yellowstone.
Now, with Kayce's relationship with Dre developing, Marshals star Ash Santos opened up to CinemaBlend about the reactions to Monica’s death and her adoration for Asbille:
Yeah, Yellowstone fans, while they're very loyal and a lot of them are very wonderful, there's some that can be very harsh and very mean. And I've never met Kelsey [Asbille], but I think the world of her as an actress, and I've only heard the loveliest things about her as a person, and it made me really sad to see all the comments, you know, regarding her standing with our show and what have you. Then yeah, definitely I wasn't ready once Season 1 came out for all of that vitriol to come onto me. So it's one of those things where you just kind of have to have thick skin, and you just know that it's gonna be there and you can't change it, and it is what it is.
Not surprisingly, those who weren’t fans of Monica have been wanting Kayce to be with someone else, such as Santos’ Andrea “Dre” Cruz. However, considering Kayce is still mourning his late wife and trying to raise their son while also still getting used to his new job, it might be a while before he even thinks about moving on.
Even though Dre and Kayce are seemingly getting closer, for Santos, what's going on is more about building their friendship and respecting his boundaries:
I think it's part of building the relationship. I think she very much respects, you know, that he was married to the love of his life, and that's very difficult to now live with that grief. So she's very respectful of that. You know, almost every time they speak, she's asking him about Tate. She really cares about him not only as like a person and a coworker, but as a father too. So yeah, Dre's very understanding of that.
Having a friend be there for Kayce and his son is definitely what he needs the most, at least right now. And Santos is as understanding about that as ever, as is Dre. Whether or not either will eventually act on their supposedly blossoming feelings for each other is unknown. If that does happen, it may not be for a while.
How Ash Santos Feels About Workplace Relationships And Kayce And Dre's Potential
That being said, workplace relationships can be a bit complicated, as shown in basically every movie and TV show ever. Of course, sometimes it works out, and other times it stays complicated. So, if Kayce and Dre were to take that next step, they'd also have to navigate the fact that they work together.
Marshals has already started building up a workplace romance with Cal (Logan Marshall-Green) and Belle (Arielle Kebbel). Whether or not the same could happen to Kayce and Dre down the line remains to be seen. However, Santos shared her take on their potential relationship:
Dre isn't aware of what's happening with Cal and Belle, you know. We don't know what's in the future yet for Kayce and Dre, but there's definitely a really strong friendship and a beautiful connection forming there. I think it's one of those things where, really, it's sometimes hard to avoid because you do spend so much time together and you do understand each other in a way that other people don't. I have so many friends that met their partner or their spouse because they were working together. So you know, it's one of those things that's very natural.
Marshals is only heading into its second season, and with the series doing so well already, it’s likely to stick around for at least a little while. That probably means the show will have time to build up a romantic relationship between Kayce and Dre, if that’s the way it’s going to go.
For now, fans will just have to settle for their friendship and work relationship as Kayce continues getting used to life without Monica. The Season 2 premiere of Marshals airs on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS, it will stream the next day for those with a Paramount+ subscription.
