Do the Yellowstone actors’ salaries make them richer than the Duttons themselves? Just about, and especially in icon Kevin Costner‘s case.
It’s a muddy question, but one worth pondering considering the turmoil the Duttons consistently face to keep their land. Could Costner afford what John Dutton has in reality? Estimates for the worth of a real-life Yellowstone Dutton Ranch rest anywhere between $750 million and a whopping $7.5 billion. Yet these later seasons of the show have taught us that television’s #1 family is literally bleeding money – which is one thing Costner certainly isn’t doing.
Below, you’ll find full details on the Yellowstone cast’s salaries. But first, let’s break down the basics:
‘Yellowstone’ Actor Salaries
Role | Actor | $$ Per Episode | $$ Per Season |
John Dutton | Kevin Costner | $1.3 – 1.4 million | $18.2 – 19.4 million |
Beth Dutton | Kelly Reilly | $200,000 | $2.8 million |
Rip Wheeler | Cole Hauser | $200,000 | $2.8 million |
Kayce Dutton | Luke Grimes | $200,000 | $2.8 million |
Monica Dutton | Kelsey Asbille | $200,000 | $2.8 million |
Jamie Dutton | Wes Bentley | $200,000 | $2.8 million |
Cara Dutton | Helen Mirren | $1 million | $8 million |
Jacob Dutton | Harrison Ford | $1 million | $8 million |
How Much Does Kevin Costner Make as John Dutton on ‘Yellowstone’?
When Kevin Costner began filming the series, he was making $500,000 per episode. This was in 2018, a lifetime ago in Tinsel Town, but Costner had been a bankable film icon for decades prior.
Netting such iconic Hollywood stars used to be a unicorn scenario, too. Today, however, there’s little-to-no chance of securing profitable viewership without a megastar’s name attached to a new TV show. Yellowstone and Costner have certainly solidified this, too.
As a result, Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone salary is now an astounding $1.3 million per episode for Season 5. And with 14 episodes coming in this season alone, the actor is set to make a cool $18.2 million total, according to Variety‘s verified sources.
Counter-reports also cite Costner’s Yellowstone salary at an even larger $1.4 million. If this is the case, then he’s set to make a staggering $19.4 million on Season 5.
Even with prequel series 1923 in the works with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren starring, Yellowstone has become such a global phenomenon that it’s solely responsible for a television landscape in which Kevin Costner makes a larger salary than Harrison Ford. More on that later. First, let’s delve into the salaries of his Yellowstone co-stars.
What are Other ‘Yellowstone’ Stars’ Salaries Per Episode in Season 5?
Audiences would argue that Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler have become as essential to Yellowstone as John Dutton. So what are actors Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser making in comparison to Costner?
Glimpses into their Season 5 earnings are non-existent, but the remaining Yellowstone cast are estimated to make around $200,000 per episode. This is a number we’ve seen since the early seasons of the show, however, so we’d bet on it having increased by Season 5 (given the show’s astronomical success).
Lead co-stars Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, and Wes Bentley are estimated to make that same $200,000 per episode salary, too. But if this seems off-putting, it shouldn’t be. That totals a whopping $2 million per-season per-actor. Filming 14 episodes for Season 5 is a huge pay increase in itself at this scale.
Prequel ‘1923’ Nets Multi-Million-Dollar Paydays for Helen Mirren & Harrison Ford, Too
And then there’s the salaries of Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford for upcoming prequel series, 1923. Booking such iconic film stars for your next television project is no cheap feat, yet it’s exactly what Taylor Sheridan and Paramount have done.
That same 2022 report from Variety reveals their salaries for the Yellowstone prequel, too, and they’re as massive as you’d expect. According to their sources, both Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford will make $1 million per episode of 1923. With 10 episodes expected (i.e. 1883), the show will net each icon a staggering $10 million for the first season.
1923 has already been expanded to a two-season affair, too. So there’s a cool $2 million for each. Yet these salaries represent more than the stars themselves. These paydays for Yellowstone spinoffs come as streaming services combat one another over precious subscribers. And in today’s landscape, snagging movie stars for episodic series is a winning strategy for streamers like Paramount+.
Yet it’s also creating a massive pay disparity for cast members. Per Variety‘s report, actors coming second on call sheets see a salary that’s $200,000 less (or more) than leads. This number falls drastically (think hundreds of thousands) for actors further down the callsheet.
Such is the way of Hollywood, however. Become a bonified star, and get paid like a bonified star.