A Los Angeles jury found on Monday that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted Donna Motsinger, a former server at a Sausalito restaurant who was drugged by the disgraced comedian at one of his comedy shows in 1972.
The jury awarded Motsinger $19.25 million in damages as Cosby navigates financial woes caused by a series of lawsuits from women with rape accusations, many of which were filed under state laws that extended the window to sue for sexual assault alleged to have occurred decades ago. She could be paid more depending on whether jurors decide to grant punitive damages, meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious misconduct.
The decision is at least the second from a civil court finding Cosby liable for sexual assault after a California jury in 2022 concluded that he sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975.
According to the complaint, Motsinger met Cosby in her 30s when she worked as a waitress at then-celebrity hotspot The Trident, where the entertainer was a regular. On one occasion, Cosby followed her back to her Mill Valley home and asked to escort her to his show at the Circle Star Theater.
After picking her up in a limo, Cosby gave her a glass of wine, the lawsuit alleged. Once there, Motsinger said she felt sick and was given what she believed was an aspirin. She proceeded to drift in and out of consciousness before waking up at her house with all her clothes off except her underwear.
Cosby, who’s maintained across several cases that any sexual encounters were consensual, didn’t testify at the trial. Motsinger was among the anonymous accusers in the 2005 lawsuit filed by former Temple University athletics director Andrea Constand.
Witnesses at the trial included Constand and two other accusers, Janice Baker Kinney and Victoria Valentino. In a separate lawsuit, Valentino accused Cosby of raping her in 1969 after she auditioned for an acting role.
Cosby served more than two years of a prison sentence of up to ten years after he was convicted of aggravated indecent assault against Constand. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court later overturned the conviction due to a non-prosecution agreement with a previous district attorney.
Last year, Cosby was sued for defaulting on a $17.5 million mortgage for his Manhattan townhouse. He’s been accused of transferring property to his wife to hide assets.
Three individuals and two writing teams have been chosen to receive the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2025-2026 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, an international talent development program that supports non-professional screenwriters, the Academy announced on Monday. The recipients are Leo Aguirre of San Antonio, Texas; Lynn McKee of Queens, New York; Katla Sólnes of New York City; Omar Al Dakheel and Elie El Choufany of Los Angeles; and Sara Crow and David Rafailedes of Brooklyn.
Nicholl fellows receive direct support, ongoing resources and networking opportunities from the Academy; participate in events with Oscar nominees and winners, including pitch workshops, media training sessions, meet-and-greets and more; and receive ongoing career advancement support through the Gold Alumni Network Program, which provides continued access, opportunity, professional development and education for alumni of the Academy’s global talent development programs. All Nicholl fellowship recipient scripts are archived in the Academy Collection and are accessible through the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library.
To identify this year’s potential fellows, the Nicholl program exclusively partnered with 40 universities, screenwriting labs, film festivals and filmmaker programs (including The Black List, which served as a portal for public submissions). More than 500 Academy members from all 19 branches volunteered to read and evaluate the scripts to determine the 10 finalists — an increase in Academy member participation by 149 percent — and a group of 23 Academy members, who serve on the Nicholl Committee, selected the fellowship recipients from the finalists.
The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Program is governed by the Academy Foundation board of trustees. The 2025-2026 Nicholl Committee was co-chaired by Academy Foundation board president and Academy governor Kim Taylor-Coleman and producers branch member Julie Lynn.
“We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025-2026 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, a remarkable group of diverse and international new writers who represent the future of storytelling,” Taylor-Coleman said in a statement. “This continues the Academy’s longtime commitment to championing emerging talent from across the world. We extend our sincere thanks to all participating Academy members, to Franklin Leonard and The Black List for their collaboration, and to the universities, screenwriting labs, film festivals and filmmaker programs who submitted scripts to this year’s program.”
The 2025-2026 Nicholl fellows are (listed alphabetically by author):
Leo Aguirre (San Antonio, TX), “Verano” Nicholl partner: Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab During a sweltering summer in Texas, a withdrawn teen’s world is upended when his parents decide to foster an asylum seeker from Central America — what begins as resentment evolves into unexpected friendship as the threat of deportation forces both boys to confront loss, identity and belonging.
Omar Al Dakheel and Elie El Choufany (Los Angeles, CA), “The Washroom” Nicholl partner: Urbanworld Festival In small-town Texas, a young imam fights for his community’s right to bury their dead while hiding a forbidden love that could cost him everything.
Sara Crow and David Rafailedes (Brooklyn, NY), “Satoshi” Nicholl partner: NYU Tisch School of the Arts After her family loses everything in the 2008 financial crisis, a teenaged anime-obsessed hacktivist realizes money isn’t fair…so she sets out to reinvent it with a new digital currency called Bitcoin.
Lynn McKee (Queens, NY), “I’m Ready to Go Anywhere” Nicholl partner: The Black List Desperate to escape the heat, chaos and danger of 1980s Phoenix, ten-year-old Patty must protect and parent her mom and little sister while crafting a plan to get them all out.
Katla Sólnes (New York, NY), “Eruption” Nicholl partner: Columbia University School of the Arts In the highlands of 1970s Iceland, a geologist’s wife finds her marriage tested when a wily American student arrives, stirring tensions as volatile as the surrounding volcanic landscape.
The 2025-2026 Nicholl finalists are (listed alphabetically by author):
Natalie Cutler, “Offside” (Nicholl partner: The Black List) Adrian Morphy, “The 300 Year Old Man” (Nicholl partner: MFA in Scriptwriting & Story Design at Toronto Metropolitan University) Benjamin Murphey, “Unconfirmed Bachelor” (Nicholl partner: The Black List) Michael Oosterom, “Giants” (Nicholl partner: The Black List) Shelley Patel, “With Her Hands Untied” (Nicholl partner: The Black List)
The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting program has awarded 191 fellowships since 1986. The program was endowed by Gladys “Gee” Nicholl in honor of her husband, writer-producer Don Nicholl. Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that recipients will complete feature-length screenplays during their fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself in any commercial way with their completed scripts.
As part of a push to expand partnerships with content-minded brands, Wavelength has hired advertising veteran Matt Kline as chief growth officer.
In this newly-recreated role, Kline will oversee Wavelength’s brand partnerships and growth strategy, working with marketers to develop projects across film, television, Broadway, sports and digital. The move comes as the company doubles down on its production capabilities, recently opening a 10,000-plus square foot creative campus in Los Angeles in an effort to expand creative and brand-facing capabilities and provide space for collaborating artists to work onsite.
“As brands look to connect more meaningfully with their audiences, their entertainment strategies and focus on great storytelling have never been more important,” says Kline, “Wavelength’s ability to harness the best talent and to craft stories in any format and medium — from the big screen to Broadway and YouTube — is rare in the branded space and makes us the perfect partner for ambitious brands and agencies looking to disrupt the traditional advertising mode.”
Founded by Jenifer Westphal, Wavelength has built a name across verticals with particular success in documentary features (Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Feels Good Man, Where’s My Roy Cohn?) and Broadway (Tony-winning The Outsiders).
Kline joins Wavelength during an expansion phase. The company added four senior executives in the last six months, including head of film Stacey Reiss and head of marketing Tiffany Wang. In 2026, Wavelength expanded into sports through the acquisition of Dan Bradley and Jon Weidman’s creative agency Duplex Deli.
Most recently serving as CMO at Publicis Groupe as CMO for two full-service creative agencies, The Community and Fallon, Kline previously worked at Anomaly New York, Kobe Bryant-founded Zambezi and CAA.
“I am thrilled to have Matt join us in this pivotal role as Wavelength continues to expand across every genre of entertainment,” Wavelength president and co-CEO Joe Plummer said of Kline’s hiring. “Matt brings the experience, thoughtful consideration and great instincts that characterize everything we do.”
Amid an extra hot heat wave in Los Angeles, Clarins kept the temperature high by hosting “A Night of Extra” at the Academy Museum on Friday night.
The beauty brand welcomed a long list of stars, influencers and Hollywood insiders to the scenic Dolby Terrace where Maroon 5 delivered a headline performance with frontman Adam Levine (joined at the bash by wife Behati Prinsloo) belting out the band’s “Sugar” to start the show. Maroon 5’s set also featured such tracks as “Sunday Morning,” “This Love” and “Moves Like Jagger.”
“It’s good to be here on arguably one of the most beautiful nights of the year,” commented Levine as the sun had finally set to close out the steamy week. Standing on the terrace were stars like Brooks Nader, who was fresh from Venice Beach where she’d been filming Baywatch, telling People, “I know you’re going to love it.” A pregnant Samara Weaving, who had been busy promoting Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, huddled with Malin Akerman.
NFL breakout Jaxson Dart made the rounds at one of his first major Hollywood parties during the off-season. Tell Me Lies co-stars Thomas Doherty and Sonia Mena reunited. Model couple Nara Smith and Lucky Blue Smith chatted with friends and fellow models. Quenlin Blackwell walked the carpet and spoke to reporters on the heels of her livestream hosting gig with Jake Shane at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. Also there: Candice Swanepoel, Rudy Pankow, Branden Cook, Spencer House, Rainey Qualley, Paris Brosnan, Leven Rambin, Greta Onieogou, Leah Kateb, Miguel Harichi, Josh Richards, Sophia Culpo, Bachelor couple Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, Noah Fearnley, Lauren Perez, Pia Mance, Kayla Ewell, and Julie Benz and more.
The party had a purpose: Clarins rolled out the bright orange carpet to promote the launch of its new product, Extra-Firming Energy. The moisturizer is the latest addition to Clarins’ Extra-Firming line. See more from “A Night of Extra” below.
Levine and Behati Prinsloo
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Clarins)
Brooks Nader
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Clarins)
Quenlin Blackwell
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Clarins)
Samara Weaving and Malin Akerman
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Clarins)
Rudy Pankow and Thomas Doherty
Credit: BFA.com/Courtesy of Clarins
Lucky Blue Smith (in Dunhill) and Nara Smith
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Clarins)
Jaxson Dart
DJ Tay James performs during the bash.
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Clarins)
A group of Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm about foreign investors backing Paramount Skydance‘s $111 billion proposed deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
The senators, in a letter to the FCC on Monday, called for a “full and independent” probe of the merger, citing concerns that financing from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and Chinese gaming giant Tencent could give them influence over editorial decisions at CBS News and CNN.
“This constellation of foreign investment from China and from Gulf states, with complex and sometimes competing relationships with the United States, demands rigorous, not perfunctory, review,” the letter reads.
Saudia Arabi’s Public Investment Fund, the Qatar Investment Authority and Abud Dhabi Investment Authority are collectively providing roughly $24 billion in funds to help bankroll Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, according to SEC filings. For years, these funds have bankrolled global buyout firms, including Apollo Global Management, which is among the groups financing the offer. The deal was structured to provide capital through non-voting equity investments, meaning the financiers don’t have any governance rights.
In the letter, the senators said that the financing was purposely designed to avoid triggering mandatory review by the Committee on Foreign Investments (CFIUS) in the United States, which assesses investments in businesses that could pose a national security risk. The Middle Eastern funds could try to advance “conflicting interests” from those of the U.S. with influence over CNN’s editorial decisions and business priorities, they wrote. Of particular concern is Saudi prince crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to have ordered the murder of The Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, according to the letter.
“The $24 billion aggregate investment gives these governments a significant financial stake in the future content, licensing, and strategic decisions of a combined entity that includes some of the most-watched news and entertainment networks in America,” the senators, led by Cory Booker (D-N.J.), wrote.
These concerns extend to Tencent, which committed $1 billion in equity financing, reported Bloomberg in March. The lawmakers said that the Chinese government, through the company, can impact decisionmaking over major news outlets owned by the combined company through information rights, licensing deals and content output agreements, among other things that give Tencent implicit leverage. The letter points to Chinese laws requiring domestic tech companies to cooperate with state intelligence demands, saying that Tencent’s stake gives the government a “concrete avenue for potential foreign influence over the editorial independence of American broadcast journalism and content.”
Paramount Skydance has maintained that the FCC’s role in the deal is “minimal,” describing the foreign investment component as warranting only a cursory review. The senators urged the agency to reject that premise and conduct a full probe under the Communications Act, which bars foreign entities from owning more than 25 percent of the equity in a U.S. entity that has an FCC-issued license. For approval to be granted, the agency must determine that the arrangement serves the public interests. They also called for the FCC to coordinate with the Justice Department, CFIUS and intelligence agencies before concluding that the financing is risk-free.
Booker was joined by Sens. Chuck Schumer, Mazie Hirono, Dick Durbin, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse.
Leonid Radvinsky, owner of the adult content platform OnlyFans, has died. He was 43 years of age.
“Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer. His family have requested privacy at this difficult time,” OnlyFans said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday after Radvinsky’s death on March 20.
Born in the Ukraine, he grew up in Chicago and graduated with an economics degree from Northwestern University. With a specialty in open source software development, Radvinsky bought Fenix International Limited, the company that owns and runs OnlyFans, in 2018.
OnlyFans was launched in 2016, the same year as TikTok, and started out by connecting models directly with fans to sell them photos and videos. Where pornography had mostly been viewed for free on online sites, OnlyFans developed a subscription-based model for creators with their own OnlyFans accounts, with most being sex workers. In 2021, OnlyFans banned sexually explicit video content on its site as it looked to bring on outside investors and responded to requests from banking partners and payment providers, including major credit card suppliers.
After the deal with Fenix International, Radvinsky became a director and the majority shareholder of the company. The audience for OnlyFans has risen to around 300 million users.
Radvinsky, who was a billionaire through his ownership of OnlyFans, was also an investor in other business ventures. Since 2024, his shares in Fenix International had been held in the LR Fenix Trust.
Distributors across Europe have snatched up Grant Gee’s experimental biopic Everybody Digs Bill Evans, starring Sentimental Value actor Anders Danielsen Lie as the legendary jazz pianist, following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won best directing honors for Gee.
Mister Smith Entertainment, which is handling international sales on the project, inked deals for the film with UFO in France, Cinemaran in Spain, Wanted Cinema in Italy, Paradiso in Benelux, and Another World Entertainment in Scandinavia. Break Out Pictures previously acquired the title for release in the UK and Ireland.
Other international deals for the film include with Green Narae Media for South Korea, Front Row Entertainment for the Middle East, Shaw Organization in Singapore, Blitz in Ex-Yugoslavia, and The Film Group in Greece.
Everybody Digs Bill Evans traces Evans’ story from June 1961, when, after recording two seminal live albums with his original trio, tragedy struck. Evans’ beloved bassist and musical soulmate Scott LaFaro died in a car crash. Unable to imagine performing without him, Evans cancelled all his tour dates and sought refuge with his retired parents in Florida, where he struggled to get off drugs (he was a heroin addict) and find a reason to play again.
Centered on that period in Evans’ life, when he was unable to play, Gee’s film flashes forward to the 70s and 80s highlighting other moments of tragedy in the musician’s life. The 60s scenes are shot in stark black and white, the more modern sequences in garish color. Bill Pullman and Laurie Metcalf play Evans’ parents.
Everybody Digs Bill Evansis Gee’s feature debut, after acclaimed music documentaries Meeting People is Easy (1998) and Joy Division (2007). He co-wrote the script with Mark O’Halloran (Conversations with Friends), based on the book Intermission by Owen Martell. Janine Marmot of Hot Property Films produced the movie together with Alan Maher for Cowtown Pictures.
Everybody Digs Bill Evans is still searching for a U.S. distributor. Mister Smith Entertainment is co-repping U.S. rights with CAA.
The nominations for the Banff World Media Festival‘s Rockie Awards have been unveiled, with American TV shows nabbing 55 nominations, followed by U.K. series with 39 mentions.
This year’s juried competition also sees the BBC leading the field with 26 nominations for its series, with National Geographic earning another 10 nominations and Hulu picking up eight nominations of its own. The Rockies, which sees U.S. TV shows compete against international series, in the best English language drama category will see Canada’s Heated Rivalry and Plan B series go up against the American shows The Handmaid’s Tale and The Pitt and the British drama Reckless.
Also in the scripted competitions, the best English language comedy category is filled by American entrants: Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Chair Company and The Rehearsal. The competition and game show competition includes nominations for Destination X, Next Level Baker and Shark Tank as they go up against The Box and The Traitors Canada.
The Rockies’ animated series competition is dominated again by 20th Television Animation shows with nominations for American Dad!, Bob’s Burgers, Futurama and The Simpsons, alongside another mention for Taiwan’s Brave Animated Series.
In the acting categories, there’s nominations in the best drama performance competition for Malin Akerman (The Hunting Wives), Jacob Elordi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), James Nelson-Joyce (This City is Ours), Narges Rashidi (Prisoner 951) and Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River).
And the best comedy performance category has nominations for Nabhaan Rizwan, Suranne Jones and Aimee Lou Wood, each for the Film Club rom-com, and others for Mawaan Rizwan (Juice) and Timothy Spall (Death Valley).
Allana Harkin (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) will host the Rockie Awards ceremony on June 16. A full list of 2026 Banff Rockies Awards nominations is available on the festival website ahead of the Banff World Media Festival set to run June 14-17.
Carrie Anne Fleming, an actress best known for her recurring roles in iZombie and Supernatural, has died. She was 51.
Jim Beaver, who played her husband on Supernatural, announced the news in a Facebook post, saying she died Feb. 26 of cancer. He relayed how they first “met cute” on the set of Supernatural and bonded over having daughters with the exact same names (and slightly different spellings), among other things.
“She was a powerhouse of vitality and goodwill and amazingly good nature, with a rapturous laugh and an utterly adorable personality that didn’t seem to have an off switch,” he wrote.
Fleming’s rep Simona Crone at Integral Artists confirmed the news.
Born on Aug. 16, 1974, in Nova Scotia, Canada, Fleming had a passion for the arts early in her career, deciding to study drama at the Kaleidoscope Theatre and dance at Kidco theatre dance group.
After graduating and working as a model for some time, she landed her first onscreen role in the 1994 TV movie Viper. A few years later, she got an uncredited appearance in the 1996 beloved comedy, Happy Gilmore, starring Adam Sandler.
As for Fleming’s most notable roles, she played Candy in iZombie from 2015-19. The series, starring Rose McIver, centered on a medical resident who finds that being a zombie has its perks, which she uses to assist the police. As for Supernatural, she appeared in three episodes as Karen Singer.
Her other TV credits included Supergirl, UnREAL, Continuum, Alice, Knights of Bloodsteel, The 4400, The L Word, Smallville, The Dead Zone, Stargate SG-1 and Secret Agent Man.
On the film side, Fleming appeared in 14 Hours, Edison, Good Luck Chuck, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness, Married Life, The Christmas Consultant, That Burning Feeling, Like Sunday, Like Rain, Along Came a Nanny, Rememory and Heart of Clay.
Mo Brings Plenty, an enrolled member of the Lakota Nations, was frustrated with the cultural misappropriation that he saw onscreen until Yellowstone came along. Thanks to a collaboration with prolific hit-maker Taylor Sheridan, not only did Plenty land a role in the mega-hit series as the right-hand man to Broken Rock Tribe chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), he was also hired behind the scenes as the show’s American Indian Affairs coordinator. And it’s a role he’s now continuing on the CBS Yellowstone spinoff Marshals, which follows Kayce Dutton (played by Luke Grimes).
Marshals has become a huge success for the network, repeating as the top series — network or streaming — two weeks in a row. Below, when chatting about Sunday’s fourth episode of the hit season (it’s already been renewed for season two), Plenty speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about both his onscreen role — as Mo (also the name of his character) — and the authentic input he gave behind the scenes in season one.
He also opens up, for the first time in an interview, about the untimely death of his nephew, Cole Brings Plenty, a star in the Yellowstone-verse who was found dead between seasons one and two of the prequel series 1923. “For his murder to go uninvestigated, and for it to be written off as ‘no foul play,’ because they didn’t want to invest anything into it? It’s heartbreaking,” he says. “We’re not letting it go.”
***
When were you first approached about being a part of Marshals?
I received a call from my team, and I said, “Absolutely. If Luke [Grimes] and Gil [Birmingham] are involved, I’m in.” It was an easy yes to carry on these characters. These are such iconic characters and I so desired to carry them on. I was kind of sad when we were finishing up Yellowstone. Those were some amazing guys. And then all of a sudden, here we are. We’re back. It was just great news to me. I was doing cartwheels in my mind and a happy dance that I would not want the world to see (laughs).
We spoke to star Luke Grimes and your showrunner Spencer Hudnut about how they had to find the right way to reopen Kayce Dutton’s story since Yellowstone gave him such a beautiful ending, especially involving your character with the Duttons giving the land back to the Broken Rock Reservation. Did you have any hesitations about revisiting that ending?
I didn’t have any reservations, especially knowing that Luke was going to be involved, and Gil. Obviously, Luke isn’t going to just sign up for something that wasn’t going to be good for those characters, and Spencer too. Getting the opportunity to work with him, I can’t say enough good things about him. It’s like I never left. It’s like being back home. I’m just so thankful for this opportunity to carry him on.
Mo Brings Plenty (left) with Gil Birmingham and Luke Grimes in Marshals.
Boy. At first, I was like, “Why?!” Because that was our connection to the Duttons. There’s always been a connection between the Dutton family and Broken Rock, but Monica was more of a connection. So to lose that, at first, my reaction was like, “No.” But we gotta tell a story. And the blessing of that occurring is that Kayce has to fill that void now. So that connection is still there. Not just for the fact that Rainwater adopted and took him in as a brother, but I think the warriors that Mo and Kayce are, that brotherhood has always been there, but it’s become even stronger.
They could have continued this story without Broken Rock. How happy are you that they went this way?
I’m ecstatic. I’m so extremely grateful that they didn’t leave Broken Rock out of it, and that they didn’t leave Indian Country out of it. They could do whatever they want. But if you want layers and diversity, what better way than to incorporate the original inhabitants?
Spencer said that Kelsey Asbille wasn’t available for Marshals, so he wasn’t involved in the conversations about her not being a part of the show. Have you spoken to her at all?
You know, no. I haven’t spoken to her. I thought about reaching out to her at the very beginning. But that was before I found out [the plot]. I just left it alone. I mind my business and do my job to the best of my abilities.
Spencer said Monica’s death, obviously, serves two purposes. It’s the hook for the show, but it also shines a light on something real happening on reservations. Did you have any input in this storyline, or did they come to you with this idea? [Note: Monica died after battling cancer due to toxic levels in the water on the reservation.]
This was already there. And I’m glad we’re going to be able to bring this to light, not just with the reservation, but water is life for everyone. And when I say “everyone,” I’m talking from the vegetation all the way to the human race. I’m thankful that we’re bringing this to light.
I’m sure you were thrilled that Mo would be a character on the show. When they said, “We also want you behind the scenes to help us keep telling res stories,” how did that conversation go? Was their goal to continue what Taylor Sheridan had started with Yellowstone in that respect?
I’m so filled with gratitude for the opportunity, not just to carry on the role of Mo, but to be able to continue on in the American Indian Affairs coordinator role, and have input in storylines. There was a time when our ceremonies were never hidden. It wasn’t until they were banned that they went into hiding. And then in 1976, when President Jimmy Carter signed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, it gave us the ability to practice our ceremonial ways again. It’s been trying over the years to allow that part to exist in everyday life. Now we’re bringing different elements to the forefront and showing the world that we, as American Indian people, still have our traditional ways. We still have our way of prayer. We still have different things we can do to help us through grieving and through different aspects that continue to inspire.
Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton, honoring his mother, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille), on Marshals.
Spencer said the mine story will continue throughout the season, and that there will be other episodes, including when children go missing from reservations. What were some storylines you contributed to or authentic changes you made?
I contributed to a particular moment in the grieving process for [Monica] for Kayce and [son] Tate. I contributed, along with my younger brother, in providing a moment. It hasn’t aired yet, so I don’t want to describe it yet. It’s a beautiful moment. So to be able to contribute in that way — even in songs. My brother composes a lot of the songs that we utilize not just in Yellowstone, but also on Marshals, that fit a particular scene that we’re going. To be able to carry that on is so important. I’m thankful to Spencer, who’s open and understanding. It’s like working with Taylor again. Spencer and I are kicking around ideas that I don’t even want to reveal yet. But there are going to be some beautiful things coming up.
This week’s episode introduces a possible romantic interest for Kayce. Spencer hinted about exploring new relationships with Kayce as the season moves on. How will the show, even as it goes on to season two, continue to honor what Monica and Kayce had as such a core Yellowstone couple?
What Kayce and Monica had, that relationship, is going to be carried on. That relationship existed so strongly. It wasn’t just about a husband and wife. It was also a relationship between the Duttons and Broken Rock. I feel that Rianwater and Mo are going to be able to carry on that relationship and build upon what they have established. Monica was a strong warrior. She made great sacrifices to protect people. Even jumping back to Yellowstone with the individual who was the rapist, Monica set that up. She was the bait, so to speak, and was able to help seize that individual. The spirit of her is always going to remain.
Yellowstone skeletons haunt Kayce. The sins of his family have been a big part of these first episodes. Spencer said Yellowstone will continue to be a part of this show. How would you say the Dutton name continues to loom over Kayce, or will he be able to get out from the shadow?
I think Kayce is such an amazing individual that the Dutton family will end up existing within his shadow. I believe he will crawl out from underneath the shadow of his family, and he will cast his own shadow. He’s a strong individual, a great warrior. Bottom line. But he thinks differently. He has a different mind. And so I believe he’s going to be able to cast his own place so that will no longer be in the Dutton family shadow.
How big a role will Mo have as the season goes on? Anything you can tease?
People are going to get to see a little bit more of who my character is. Just about who he is to the people, to Broken Rock. We filmed the first season. I have no idea [beyond season one]. It’s entirely up to the writers. I would like to hope that the character will grow some more. I respect every decision that is made, and I respect the story. It’s about the audience. It’s not about my character.
Cole Brings Plenty as Pete Plenty Clouds in season one of 1923.
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
I was so sorry to hear about your nephew, Cole Brings Plenty [who died in 2024 at age 27], and I want to share my condolences with you and your family. He had such a beautiful role in 1923. Is there anything you’d want to say to pay tribute to him?
Absolutely. He was our future. He knew our ceremonies. I was teaching him more and more, so was my brother, his father. He was my nephew, but he was like a son to me. And for his murder to go uninvestigated, and for it to be written off as “no foul play,” because they didn’t want to invest anything into it? It’s heartbreaking. Because we’re taxpaying people as well. So for them to not work for us, no different than how they work for anyone else is, is pretty sad.
I hope that we continue on to talk about that in our storylines — that there are a lot of families such as mine that are going through this right now, and we still have a lot of unanswered questions. Because I saw his body, I saw the evidence that is there that someone caught him. So for them to say that there was nothing, I can’t believe that. I still can’t.
I didn’t know that. There hasn’t been much released about that.
The departments didn’t put much effort into it. In fact, they weren’t even really looking for him. They were hunting him. They weren’t searching for him. They were hunting him until the day when a good friend of mine and I rented a helicopter and told the Lawrence Police Department [in Kansas] that we were going to go and search from the air, and that day, they were out in full force.
Is there anything you’re still doing to bring him some justice?
Just spread the message. We’ve been in talks with several different people. We’re not letting it go. It was a hard loss for us because this was an individual who was speaking our language, singing our songs and carrying on our traditions. He was the future for us. We want more and more of our young people to be inspired to pick up who we are from a cultural perspective.
You have a large audience on Marshals. I’m sure you saw the ratings and the early renewal. Will you feed some of this into the storylines?
I hope so. We’ve kind of already touched on it, and if it weren’t for Kayce being with the U.S. Marshals, it just goes to show the importance of working together. And how vital that is and how meaningful, and how helpful that would be to the families.
Taylor Sheridan has created a large platform for these stories to be told. Since you’ve been in this role since Yellowstone started, do you feel like you’ve seen more or less of others doing similarly?
I think Taylor was a catalyst to more people having the courage to tell those stories. And so I’m thankful for that.
