Yellowstone season 5 stars explain premiere's heartbreaking death – and the impact it has going forward

Yellowstone season 5 has returned as the Dutton family enter the world of politics. However, away from John Dutton’s rise to Governor of Montana, the opening episodes also tackled a personal tragedy for Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and his wife Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille). 

At the end of episode one, pregnant Monica got into a car crash when driving herself to the hospital after going into labor early. Both she and her young son Tate (Brecken Merrill) survived, but Monica heartbreakingly lost her baby during the accident.

Following its release on Paramount Network and Paramount Plus, the cast has opened up about the scene, and the impact it will have on their characters going forward. "It’s such a tragic loss and you really see Monica at her rock bottom," Kelsey Asbille told The Hollywood Reporter. "Throughout the show, she just wants to be a good mother, a good wife. A good person to her community, as well. And this really shakes her beliefs with all of that."

However, her co-star Luke Grimes shared this will only see their characters grow stronger as the show progresses "They’ve chosen to lean on each other; they’re dealing with a common pain together," he added. "This season really tees up where this show is probably going to go and what could go wrong, and what they’re going to have to do to deal with it."

Check out our Yellowstone season 5 release schedule and our guide to how many episodes in Yellowstone season 5 to make sure you don’t miss a moment.