Kelly Reilly told fans she was “sorry to hear my name was still on the list” after she told organizers in January she couldn’t attend the event, which several costars and Yellowstone’s creator skipped
Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly has shared her side of the story after fans were riled up at PaleyFest panel last month.
The 45-year-old actress, who plays Beth Dutton on the Peacock show, responded to a fan’s question on Instagram Sunday to explain why she was a no-show for the event, which was also unexpectedly skipped by her costars.
“I was filming in the UK at the time, and let them know in January I wouldn’t be able to attend,” she wrote. “I was sorry to hear my name was still on the list of attendees, as it is unfair to our fans. Xx”
The comment comes one month after Kevin Costner, who plays Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton, along with several other cast members and series creator Taylor Sheridan were noticeably absent from the Paleyfest panel.
The event — which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood — initially promised that Sheridan, EP David Glasser, Costner, Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver would all be part of the panel. However, the final panel lineup ended up consisting of Josh Lucas, Dawn Olivieri, Wendy Moniz and Mo Brings Plenty.
Raising eyebrows (and many questions) for Yellowstone fans, the panel took place not long after Deadline reported that Matthew McConaughey was in talks to star in a spinoff of the popular Western drama — and, separately, that Costner has been considering exiting Yellowstone to focus on directing and starring in his cinematic Western passion project Horizon.
During the fan event, Paramount president of development and production Keith Cox steered clear of providing a clear update about when production will resume on the second half of season 5, despite the network’s prior announcement that it was slated to return this summer.
Cox appeared optimistic, telling attendees: “What I can say is our star, the face of our show and the executive producer, are very confident he’s going to continue with our show.”
When asked at PaleyFest if he thinks the show could continue in a world without Costner’s character, Lucas — who plays Costner’s character John Dutton in flashbacks — said that he thinks Sheridan has “always planned on at some point, having Kevin die and having multiple characters die.”
“And so you know that that’s just … the evolution of what the ranch is. That’s why when you see the cemetery and you see the names of Elsa and you see the names of Jacob and you see these names, I think it’s of course going to evolve and change,” explained Lucas, 51. “And I think that’s what hopefully people will really like as it goes.”
In February, a spokesperson for Paramount told PEOPLE that they hoped to have both McConaughey, 53, and Costner be part of the Yellowstone family. “Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone, and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come.”
Since then, McConaughey’s spinoff involvement was revealed to be moving forward by ViacomCBS President Chris McCarthy. That series will be the latest spinoff inspired by the series — preceded by the prequel 1883, starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; the Helen Mirren- and Harrison Ford-led prequel 1923, plus the ominously titled 6666.
McCarthy also told THR that the franchise “wouldn’t be what it is today without Kevin, and we hope that that stays for a long time to come.”