He was then adopted by John into his ranch. Rip soon became the ranch's foreman, leading the men in their work. But aside from being John's ally, he is also linked romantically to John's only daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly). The two shared a mutual attraction ever since he started working there.
Rip Wheeler is an employee at Yellowstone. He is the "fixer" and sometimes the bruiser for the Dutton Family. He is also the husband of Bethany Dutton and John's son-in-law.
While Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) isn't officially one of John's children or adoptive children, the handler does see him as a father-figure. Much like Jamie, Rip was taken in by the Duttons as a youngster after killing his abusive father and given a fresh start.
Kayce John Dutton is a main character on Yellowstone. He is John and Evelyn Dutton's son.
Spencer Dutton is the younger son of James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) from the 1883 series. He is also the younger brother of John Dutton Sr (James Badge Dale). As James Dutton from 1883 was John Dutton's great-grandfather, this makes Spencer one of John's grandfathers.
Spencer Dutton
Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) is John and Elsa's brother in 1923, and the character who is currently hunting lions abroad. Spencer was apparently born sometime after James and Margaret settled in Montana and was not featured as a baby back in 1883.
Spencer is the son of James and Margaret Dutton, who you might remember from the prequel series, 1883, and he's the nephew of Jacob Dutton (played by Harrison Ford).
Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton
Brecken Merrill plays Tate, Kayce and Monica's son and John's only biological grandchild.
It was just Beth and Rip, finally tying the knot after years of sharing their love for one another amidst the beautiful scenery of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. There is no doubt that the relationship between Rip and Beth gave Yellowstone much more depth.
Tate Dutton is a main character on Yellowstone and the child of Monica and Kayce Dutton.
Being Chosen by John
John Dutton (Kevin Costner) adopted two boys when they were young: Rip and Jamie. The two have different roles in the Dutton family, but are both considered blood relatives to the head of the household.
Beth finally learns another deep family secret: John Dutton has been chucking corpses on the Montana border for years; in fact, the episode began with a young Rip (Kyle Red Silverstein), who at the urging of a young John Dutton (Josh Lucas), discards the body of a cowboy who got a little too lippy about his beloved ...
With Beth being unable to have children and Carter and recently orphaned, Yellowstone seemed to suggest that the young man was a surrogate son for the show's main couple. Beth even told Rip, "I think he's our kid," when she first brought Carter back to the ranch.
He is Very Loyal to the Duttons
Thanks to the opportunity John gave him after the tragic deaths of his mother and brother, Rip has been a loyal ranch hand.
The third season episode titled 'Cowboys and Dreamers' shows how Beth was about fifteen years old when she became pregnant. Beth was hooking up with Rip at that time and it is implied that the baby was his. She wasn't very sure of how her father would react so she reaches out to her brother, Jamie, for help.
Beth wanted to get married so that her life was complete, in anticipation of losing it all.
While she is scared that it may damage her relationship with Rip, Beth does tell him about her being sterile.
Does Beth Cheat on Rip? No, Beth does not cheat on Rip. In season 4, we see Beth go to Walker for comfort after she and her father fight. Fans speculated there might be something between Beth and Walker, who has a rocky relationship with Rip.
Spencer Dutton
The second son of James and Margaret Dutton, Spencer was born some time after the family settled in Montana.
John later explains to Monica that he branded Kayce for disobeying him when Kayce got Monica pregnant and Kayce refused John's demand to make Monica abort the child. John branded Kayce, which drove a wedge between the two and caused Kayce to enlist in the Navy where he became a SEAL.
WHO IS YELLOWSTONE'S MONICA DUTTON? The wife of Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), Monica is a Native American who lives with her family on the Dutton ranch. In Season 1, Monica serves as a teacher at the reservation's school, but in Season 2, she joins the University of Montana as a professor.
Jacob Dutton
He ends up taking over the Dutton Ranch in the 18th century from his brother when tragedy strikes and he raises James' two sons as his own. He's presumably the great-great-grand-uncle of John Dutton III.
If you've watched 1923 you know that the reason that Spencer is in Africa on a veritable sabbatical instead of with his family at the Yellowstone Ranch is because of the PTSD that plagues him from his time as a soldier in World War I.
Jacob Dutton
The 1923 patriarch of the Dutton's and owner of the ranch, Jacob is the brother of 1883's James Dutton. Jacob took over the Yellowstone Dutton ranch after James and his wife, Margaret died, taking in the couple's two surviving children as well.