The Massive Downside To Yellowstone Fame For Luke Grimes

For all five seasons of the hit neo-Western TV series "Yellowstone," Luke Grimes starred as the character Kayce Dutton. The show takes place against the backdrop of Montana — and during his time on set, Grimes apparently fell in love with the Treasure State, as he ended up moving there on a full-time basis just a few seasons in, leaving the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles behind. As he told Holler in March 2024, "You get in that Montana gear, and then L.A. seems like another planet, you know? I realized I fit in more here in Montana." Evidently, though, not all of his new neighbors agree. Indeed, Grimes' fame and the immense popularity of "Yellowstone" itself have their downsides, as the "Fifty Shades of Grey" alum has received anything but a hero's welcome from some Montana locals for his involvement in the show that has been credited with inspiring more people to move to the state.

From Glen Powell to Grimes' fellow "Sheridan-verse" star Ali Larter, it's becoming increasingly common for Hollywood stars to leave L.A. behind for a quieter life elsewhere. But as Grimes shared during a March 2026 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," some of the folks in Montana are "not happy" about the influx of transplants they've seen since "Yellowstone" took off. The actor recalled one incident where some friends drove out to visit him, and left their car with California license plates behind while they all went on a hike together. "We get off the hike, and someone had written 'go back' in the dust on their car. Like, people are super weird about it, so I don't tell anyone exactly where I'm at because they would get really mad at me," Grimes said.

Another apparent drawback to Luke Grimes status as a public figure is that when his fellow Montana residents get a little too zealous in their distaste for him, he's limited in the ways he can respond. As the actor told Joe Rogan, this has resulted in him being very choosy about when he leaves the house and where he goes. "I can't go to bars there anymore because whatever that one idiot is at the bar ... he can't wait to start a fight with me," Grimes said, adding, "Just like can't wait to do it because it's like a win-win for him, you know? He gets to sue me or something. I don't know. But it's a lose-lose for me."

Based on other accounts, the people of Montana do indeed seem to have a rather complicated relationship with "Yellowstone," and the attention it's brought to their state. While Realtor.com notes that the population boom Montana underwent throughout the 2010s and into the early 2020s actually started before "Yellowstone" premiered, outlets like Yardi do partially credit the show with the influx of people moving out there — and the larger price tags being slapped on houses and land as a result.

More than that, some Montanans also just seem to take issue with how the hit show depicts their state, and are more than happy to point out its less-than-accurate portrayal of life in Big Sky Country. As journalist and rancher Darby Minow Smith wrote for Ambrook Research (via Mountain Journal), "You can't make a quick drive from Billings to Canada, you don't need gloves for pulling calves, fly-fishing from the back of a horse is a terrible idea ... and you can't out-horse the horse-girls by quickly taming a mustang."