5 Best Celebrity Cameos In Yellowstone

On its surface, "Yellowstone" doesn't seem like the kind of show that would concern itself with celebrity cameos. This is, after all, the series Taylor Sheridan created after having left his acting career behind and, in many ways, represents a protracted attempt at sticking it to Hollywood. The man even said as much in a conversation with fellow multi-hyphenate Peter Berg for Gold Derby. "'Yellowstone' is a punk rock, rebellious teenage, both middle fingers at TV and at Hollywood, and at a bunch of different things," he said. "[...] It breaks so many storytelling rules. And it was part pandering, part horse porn at sunset, and then part Benny Hill."

Moving past the major bummer that is Taylor Sheridan referring to himself as punk rock, you can see why viewers might have expected the creator to shun the celebrity cameo. The very word "celebrity" seems somehow opposed to the Sheridan ethos. But "Yellowstone" frequently made little sense, and Sheridan seemed perfectly happy to welcome all manner of celeb guest. After all, how was he going to insert himself into his own show if he was already committed to shutting out everyone else?

So, across its five seasons, "Yellowstone" did indeed deliver several celebrity cameos, some more significant than others. While Sheridan wrangled a host of "celebrities" only recognizable to those in the so-called flyover states, he also drafted in some A-listers as well as several true country heroes. Now that "Yellowstone" has been off the air for a while, let's take a look back at this incongruous aspect of Sheridan's punk rock "up yours" to Hollywood.

Taylor Sheridan might not be a big fan of those Hollywood elites, but he loves himself a country songster. Heck, he filled the main cast of "Yellowstone" with 'em, from Ryan Bingham (who plays last-minute "Yellowstone" addition Walker) to Kayce Dutton himself, Luke Grimes. These days, however, country stars don't come much bigger than Zach Bryan.

In a way, Bryan's DIY approach to his early records captured a similarly irreverent view of the music industry establishment to Sheridan's "punk rock" approach to Hollywood. As such, he was always going to be at home on "Yellowstone." But while the show has helped many an up-and-coming artist gain more exposure, it seems "Yellowstone" music supervisor, Andrea von Foerster, actually went the extra mile for Bryan. As she told Music Row, Bryan's music was a little too lo-fi for use in the show, so she paired him with a colleague to record his song "Condemned" professionally and used it at the end of Season 3, Episode 2, "Freight Trains and Monsters."

It was only right, then, that "Yellowstone" bring him back for the final season, by which point he was a much bigger name — surely thanks, in part, to "Yellowstone." Season 5, Episode 7, entitled "The Dream is Not Me," features Bryan as himself, playing with his band at the county fair. Viewers were treated to renditions of "Motorcycle Drive-By," "Quittin' Time," and "Summertime Blues." He's not given any lines and doesn't figure into the story beyond performing for the "Yellowstone" crew. But it's a great little showcase for Bryan and a treat for fans of his music.

Fans debate when "Yellowstone" lost its way, but most can agree that things certainly didn't get any better when Taylor Sheridan's character Travis Wheatley started getting more screen time. By Season 5, Travis was seemingly just a manifestation of a personal Sheridan fantasy, wherein he gets to spin in circles on horses and play strip poker with models all day. If you weren't too invested in the show, then it was all just sort of funny. Fans who'd been religiously following the Dutton family saga from the beginning, however, didn't necessarily see it that way.

It was into this sort of amusing, sort of sad, and definitely bizarre situation that supermodel Bella Hadid stepped when she guest-starred in "Yellowstone" Season 5, Episode 13, "Give the World Away." This was the infamous episode in which Travis makes Kelly Reilly's Beth Dutton play strip poker with him for some reason. Prior to that indignity, however, Beth encounters Hadid's Sadie at Travis' front door. Turns out Sheridan cast her as his girlfriend, because of course he did.

As someone who is not all that familiar with Hadid's oeuvre, I consulted Elle, where writer Lauren Puckett-Pope put it thusly, "When supermodel Bella Hadid appeared onscreen [...] I knew Sheridan had officially lost the plot." Glad it wasn't just us, then. Hadid appears in the episode alongside her then real-life boyfriend and professional cowboy, Adan Banuelos, who oddly enough just sort of sits there while Hadid's character sings Travis' praises. The thing is, it's so wonderfully ridiculous that you can't help but be amused by the whole thing, especially if you actually enjoy Sheridan's silly side. If not, however, it was all just kind of sad, and even proved surprisingly controversial with fans.

Like Zach Bryan, Lainey Wilson had her songs appear on "Yellowstone" before she showed up in the flesh. When she did, however, it wasn't for a brief performance. After the show used her music in Season 2, Lainey was given a recurring role as Abby in Season 5, in what seems to have been the result of Taylor Sheridan being a fan of her music and wanting to give her more exposure.

Sheridan is known for writing shows for specific actors, including "Landman" and "Lioness" which he crafted especially for Billy Bob Thornton and Zoe Saldaña respectively. But it seems he uses the same approach for guest stars, too. Wilson told Variety that Sheridan approached her about appearing in "Yellowstone" and told her he wanted to create a character just for her. According to the singer, he even said, "I want you to wear your bell bottoms, sing your own songs, and pretty much be yourself." That's a pretty sweet deal. 

Abby was Wilson's first experience with acting, and while you can sort of tell in certain scenes, she did an otherwise admirable job holding her own against the main cast across the five episodes in which she was featured. During that time, she also fell for Ian Bohen's ranch hand Ryan, one of the few "Yellowstone" characters who got a happy ending when he left the ranch to work with Abby on tour.

Unfortunately, like the 6666 Ranch branding that Sheridan so conspicuously inserted into later "Yellowstone" episodes, many of Wilson's scenes were clearly promotional in nature. In the series finale, she performs as Abby wearing those bell bottoms Sheridan liked so much and a hat with "Whirlwind" branding, in what was a very obvious plug for her 2024 album of the same name.

Many might be unaware of the "Yellowstone"/"One Tree Hill" connection, but it's there. Kelsey Asbille, who played Kayce Dutton's wife, Monica Dutton before she was unceremoniously killed off in "Marshals," previously played former Tree Hill Ravens commentator and girlfriend of Mouth McFadden (Lee Norris), Gigi Silveri. Asbille isn't the only "One Tree Hill" alum in "Yellowstone," though. Coach Whitey Durham himself, Barry Corbin, showed up in a Season 5 episode to dole out some advice in a brief but quite touching scene that seemed designed to play to Corbin's strength as an elder statesman of Western movies and TV shows.

The veteran actor plays a wise old hand at the 6666 Ranch known only as "Ross" in Season 4, Episode 5, "Under a Blanket of Red." During his first scene, he counsels a newly-arrived Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) on the solitude that accompanies the life of the cowboy. "It's the most glorious work you can do," Ross tells Jimmy, "that nobody ever sees." Later, he shows up again alongside rodeo legend Buster Welch, in a scene that sees Corbin (himself an accomplished horse cutter) and Welch reminiscing on their glory days. It's clearly a candid, unscripted conversation and, like Corbin's earlier interaction with Jimmy, is sort of touching to witness.

Corbin was given a much more significant role on another Taylor Sheridan series, "Tulsa King," on which he plays recurring character Babe Keller. But given his Texas roots and horse cutting background — not to mention his esteemed acting career that includes roles on everything from "Dallas" and "Lonesome Dove" to his best-known role as Maurice Minnifield on "Northern Exposure" — it felt right that he show up on "Yellowstone" at least once.

Taylor Sheridan plays lots of characters in his own shows, and sometimes they're actually kind of cool. His veteran Delta Forces soldier Cody Spears in "Lioness," for instance, is always down for the kind of riveting, life-or-death military operation that makes the show's action so compelling. His horse trainer Travis Wheatley, however, is not exactly universally beloved by "Yellowstone" fans.

The thing is, you get the sense that Sheridan sees his presence on the show as the ultimate celebrity guest spot. If you're making a "punk rock" f-you to Hollywood then why not give yourself a prominent recurring role? Heck, back in his acting days, Sheridan was basically forced to leave the industry when the "Sons of Anarchy" producers refused to pay him a wage that would allow him to quit his day job. You get the sense that Travis was essentially his revenge.

The cocky cowboy who's super good at spinning around on horses and who frequently finds himself swarmed by models is the ultimate fulfilment of Sheridan's desire to stick it to an industry he clearly wasn't all that big a fan of. Love him or hate him, Travis is the very sentiment that fueled the creation of "Yellowstone" summed up in a single man. With Sheridan himself becoming as close to a celebrity as a prolific scenarist possibly can, it seems inarguable that he's the show's most significant "celebrity" cameo.