When Yellowstone’s final episodes of Season 5 finally air on the 2024 TV schedule they’ll feel different, because the man

who was at the center of the series from day one won’t be there. However, the show will go on without Kevin Costner’s

John Dutton. Now, as the cast starts promoting the upcoming installment, they’re teasing how it will end and what it will

look like without the Dutton patriarch. And Cole Hauser’s comments on all this have me wondering how it will impact Rip’s story specifically.

Let’s just dive right into all this. When referencing what will go down this season, Hauser told TV Insider that Season 5B is about “picking up the pieces and putting them back together.” He also noted that both Rip and Beth’s storylines are “totally different.” So, that makes me wonder how Costner’s exit impacted the trajectory of their stories. Thankfully, the actor also got detailed about where his character’s story is headed this season, so let’s break it down.

What Cole Hauser Said About The End Of Yellowstone

Much like Ryan actor, Ian Bohen’s comments about Yellowstone’s ending, Hauser was quick to praise it. The Rip performer explained that Taylor Sheridan has crafted a conclusion that will bring the crew together, and he thinks fans will appreciate it:

Taylor [Sheridan has] done a great job again this year of bringing those people back together. It ends the right way, where everybody has a moment that he has given them to appreciate what has happened.

Along with these comments from Hauser, Kelly Reilly also said Yellowstone’s end wasn’t really impacted by Costner’s exit. She explained that his “absence was part of the ending,” so it sounds like John Dutton not making it to the end of the show was always in the cards.

However, the Oscar winner leaving early wasn’t, and it’s making me wonder how the complete absence of John will impact Rip’s story specifically.

Cole Hauser Also Opened Up About How Rip’s Story Will Move Forward Now That John Is Gone

While Rip isn’t one of John’s children, he might as well be. Cole Hauser’s character got to the Yellowstone when he was young, John saved his life, and he fell in love with the ranch owner’s daughter. As a grown man, he’s now the patriarch’s in-law, and he arguably has the most responsibility on the ranch as he oversees the bunkhouse boys and the day-to-day operations.

To that point, the actor behind the beloved ranch hand explained that without John, we’re going to see a new side of Rip this season:

You’re going to see a side of Rip you haven’t seen. He’s running the ranch, being supportive of Beth, helping Kayce, doing all the things that John would want. He takes the responsibility very seriously, and I love that about this year for him.

Of all the characters, I think Rip might actually be the closest to John. While his kids all have fairly tight and complex relationships with him, he also raised the ranch hand and trusted him to protect his land. Hauser’s character will do everything in his power to protect the property and the Dutton family, so I’m curious how that drive will be impacted by Costner’s character not being there.

Will he be lost because of it? Will it make him even more passionate about saving the land? Will he eventually take over everything? All these questions, and more, are what I’ve been pondering ever since it was made official that Kevin Costner wouldn’t be in the Yellowstone cast anymore.