Rip and Beth’s romance is an epic tale.
Yellowstone has delivered a lot of epic storytelling so far, but when it comes to the western series’ love stories and romances, there isn’t one more worthy of adoration than Rip and Beth’s. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s characters share a complex past and nuanced present, and it’s created a gorgeous tapestry of a romance.
Young Rip and Beth looking at each other.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth And Rip’s First Kiss
Long before Rip and Beth got together as adults, they fell for each other when they were teenagers. That history is slowly revealed throughout the show’s five seasons, with Season 2 delivering the pair’s first kiss. At the time, neither characters had locked lips with anyone else before, and they shared a tender initial smooch.
Young Jamie in Yellowstone.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth And Rip Had Sex As Teens, And Jamie Took Her To Get An Abortion
At the heart of Jamie and Beth’s feud is Jamie’s irreversible decision that made it so his sister couldn’t have kids.
After having sex with Rip when they were teens, Beth got pregnant and wanted to get an abortion. Kelly Reilly’s character then went to her brother to ask for help, and Jamie consented to a surgery that would make her infertile, but didn’t lay any of this out to his sibling until after the procedure was over, which is why Beth hates Jamie so much.
In terms of Rip and Beth’s relationship and this development, it’s important to note that Cole Hauser’s character still does not know why his partner can’t have kids, and that he actually played a part in that situation. That might change when the final episodes of Yellowstone come out.
Young Rip sitting in front of a fire on Yellowstone.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Rip Gets The Brand Because He Killed Rowdy Over Rude Comments About Beth
For a long time, we knew Rip wore the Y, but we didn’t find out why he was branded until a Season 5 flashback. When he was a teen, Hauser’s character got into a tiff with another ranch hand, Rowdy, because he spoke ill of Beth. This led to the death of Rowdy, and Rip ended up telling John the truth about why all this went down. Then, to fix the problem, the Dutton patriarch branded his most trusted hand, committing him to the ranch forever.
Rip looking at Beth in Yellowstone.
(Image credit: Paramount)
After Turning Down Rip’s Music Festival Idea, Beth Goes On A ‘Morbid’ First Date With Him
In Season 1, Episode 1, after an intimate moment, Rip asked Beth if she wanted to go to a music festival. She immediately turned that down. However, in Episode 2 they do have that date, and it’s “morbid” as Beth says, because they were sitting in Rip’s truck, drinking and watching wolves eat a dead animal.
Throughout the rest of Season 1, there’s 100% affection and chemistry between the two, however, their relationship is not even close to being serious.
Beth standing with Walker right behind her, he has a hand on her hip.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth Has A Romantic Moment With Walker (And Later Apologizes For It)
Lack of communication led to Rip and Beth getting into a fight, and Beth ended up having a conversation with Walker about how they’re both stuck on the ranch. She then made out with the singer, not because there were any real feelings, but because she needed a distraction.
That happened in Season 1, then in Season 2, Rip saw Beth crying while Walker sang her a song. She then apologized to Rip, and he forgave her, saying she never needed to apologize to him.
Beth leaning on Rip’s knee while they’re sitting on a roof.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth Asks Rip to Take Her On A Date, And She Tells Him Not To Say ‘I Love You.’ He Ends Up Telling Her Later That Episode
Finally, Rip and Beth are a serious couple, and they shared a romantic moment on the roof that helped solidify it when he almost told her he loves her.
Beth asked Rip to take her on a date, and they had a candid conversation about how Rip had honored his late mother and brother. After that, when he almost said the L-word, Beth stopped him, saying:
Tell me when it saves me.
Well, later in that episode the words saved her after Rip rescued her from a bunch of men who tried to assassinate her and her family.
Rip and Beth sitting at their kitchen table with the sun rising behind them.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Rip Made Beth Breakfast
We don’t see Beth get emotional often, but she did with Rip during that moving breakfast scene in Yellowstone’s third season. In the moment, Rip made Beth breakfast, and while simple, it also highlighted his unconditional love for her and her ability to be her unguarded, candid self with him.
Rip and Beth looking at each other.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth Accidently Says She Wants To Be Rip’s Wife
When Rip asked Beth what he should call her, she said “wife,” however, she took it back quickly, confessing that she was nervous she wasn’t enough for him because she couldn’t have kids (however, she did not say why she couldn’t).
Rip sweetly reassured her, saying that was perfectly fine, and that she’s “all” he needs. They might not have been engaged or married here, but they did confirm to each other that they are endgame.
Rip and Beth smiling while sitting on a step in Yellowstone.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth Asks John For Permission To Marry Rip, And Then She Proposes To Her Partner
Knowing that Rip would never ask John for permission to marry his daughter, Beth took matters into her own hands, as she always does. So, she asked her own father if she could marry the longtime ranch hand who the Dutton patriarch has always treated kind of like a son.
Then, Beth proposed to her partner after a long day. Rip didn’t exactly pick up on the proposal immediately until she said she didn’t think he was a “diamonds and gold kind of girl.” Eventually, she straight up told him that she wanted him forever and that he had to outlive her so she wouldn’t have to live a day without him, which led to the official popping of the question and the most romantic kiss.
Beth standing next to Carter in a hospital in Yellowstone.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Carter Comes Into Rip And Beth’s Lives
As we’ve established, Beth and Rip can’t have biological children. However, in Season 4, they ended up taking in Carter after his father died. Like Rip, the boy had nowhere to go, and so the Yellowstone took him. Now, he’s kind of like the couple’s kid and they’re both reluctantly committed to taking care of him.
Beth and Rip standing hand in hand at their wedding and John Dutton standing behind them.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Rip And Beth Get Married
It wouldn’t be Rip and Beth’s wedding if it wasn’t chaotic. In Rip’s words, it was “ass-backward,” as Beth decided to throw the impromptu ceremony because she thought she might be headed to jail. So, with a priest, John, Lloyd and Carter present, the couple got married on the Dutton’s lawn, and it was the most on-brand and romantic wedding for this ever-unconventional couple.
Beth and Rip looking at each other.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Beth Apologizes To Rip For Kissing Another Man When They Were Teenagers
As Rip and Beth adjusted to married life, Kelly Reilly’s character apologized to her husband for her past, and issued a “blanket” apology after being haunted by a dream about kissing other boys when she was a teen. She felt like she’d lost so much time with her partner because of how she acted as a kid. However, Rip reassured her that it’s all in the past and that he’s “happy” with her and life.
Beth smiling at Rip while sitting in a meadow.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Rip Takes Beth To The ‘Perfect’ Meadow
When Rip and Beth took a trip out to a meadow toward the mid-point of Season 5, he told her that he found the place for them to get married, since it had no tragic memories behind it. They took a moment to lay in the meadow and bask in the “perfect” place during this perfect moment.
Hopefully, they’ll find this peace long-term and eventually, they’ll get to live in their “perfect” meadow. However, the final episodes of Yellowstone are coming on the 2024 TV schedule, which means Rip and Beth are going to face more challenges and have romantic moments soon.
