Y: Marshals’ premiere on the 2026 TV schedule will mark the return of Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton. Alongside him, other original Yellowstone cast members will reprise their roles. However, one notable missing actor is Kelsey Asbille, who played Kayce’s wife, Monica. Now, after hearing how Kayce and his son Tate’s relationship will play into this new series, I have more fuel for my theory about where his partner went.
What Y: Marshals’ Showrunner Said About Kayce And Tate
This Yellowstone spinoff will mark our first look at the Duttons’ life since the flagship series ended in 2024. Along with Grimes, Gil Birmingham, Mo Brings Plenty and Brecken Merrill will reprise their roles as Rainwater, Mo and Tate, respectively. Speaking specifically to Kayce’s relationship with his son, Tate, in this new series, showrunner Spencer Hudnut told EW that in the year between the end of Yellowstone and the start of Y: Marshals, a lot has changed. He said:
This downtime that he's had between the end of that show and the start of ours has forced him to confront some of his demons and really focus on being a father. He's a changed man.
Hudnut revealed that Y: Marshals will pick up about a year after Yellowsone ended. Kayce will still be living at East Camp and spending more time with Tate than normal, as the showrunner explained:
Kayce having this opportunity to spend more time at home and be more focused on continuing to evolve as a father is definitely one of the big storylines. I think Kayce primarily always saw himself as a provider and a protector to his son, but maybe left the parenting to his wife. But as he's had a little more time on the home front, one of the things we get to see is the bond between Kayce and his son and also just seeing Kayce beginning to see a lot more of himself in his son as well.
I don’t know about you, but when I read this quote, I immediately thought about the fact that Kelsey Asbille isn’t a confirmed member of the cast. I also thought about how Monica-less the Y: Marshals trailer was. And when you put all this together, it’s got me wondering if Kayce’s wife isn’t in this show because she’s dead.
My Theory Is That Monica Died
As Luke Grimes has talked about Y: Marshals, he’s noted that familiar faces will appear; however, he’s also been clear that this series will “free [Kayce] up.” Add all that to Hudnut’s comments about how Kayce will really start parenting Tate more, and all arrows seem to point to Monica being permanently out of the picture.
Considering how close she was with Tate and Kayce, if the couple broke up, I’d assume that co-parenting would still be part of the story. Plus, for the Dutton to make such a drastic life-change by taking on this new career, something big needs to have happened to force it all, I think.
Therefore, I'm operating on the theory that Monica died. Hudnut’s comments make it sound like Kayce is solo-parenting and is far more focused on his son than he has been before. As the showrunner said, Grimes’ character has always cared deeply for Tate; however, Monica did do most of the parenting. So, I’m assuming she’s totally out of the picture in this show.
Now, if that’s what happens, it will be interesting to see how Kayce and Tate deal with this loss. It will certainly change their lives and their relationship. So, I’m very curious to see if my theory turns out to be true or not.
To find out if I’m right, and to watch how Kayce Dutton’s story continues, you can tune into the premiere of Y: Marshals on CBS at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 1 or stream it the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
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