Does Jamie Dutton die in Yellowstone?

With tensions rising between the Dutton family in Yellowstone, some fans are wondering: does Jamie die in the series?

Taylor Sheridan’s hit Paramount series Yellowstone is officially coming to an end, with Season 5 Part 2 set to close the show for good. Right now, fans are waiting patiently for the final chapter to arrive on November 10.

Until then, there are plenty of people to worry about. John Dutton’s mysterious absence will have to be explained somehow, and because this is Sheridan’s world, we expect few people to get a happy ending. Namely, the black sheep of the family: Jamie Dutton.

Having been emotionally beaten and bruised by his adoptive family, Jamie has spent five and a half seasons trying to outsmart the Duttons out of revenge. Unfortunately, this makes him a target.

Does Jamie Dutton die in Yellowstone?

No, Jamie Dutton hasn’t died in Yellowstone and he’s still alive by the end of Season 5 Part 1 – but that’s not to say he’ll make it out alive in Part 2. 

Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) journey at the Dutton ranch hasn’t been straightforward. When the series starts, he is introduced as a lawyer and one of the trusted members of the Dutton family who deals with the legal aspects of the ranch’s operations.

But there’s ongoing tension between Jamie and his family. He often feels like an outsider and has a strained relationship with his father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner).

Jamie’s decisions, especially those related to the ranch, often lead to disagreements with John, as well as his siblings. One significant rift happens when Jamie gives an interview that paints John Dutton in a negative light, spilling his illegal activities out into the public eye. Ultimately, this leads to him killing the journalist responsible.

When Jamie runs for Montana’s Attorney General in Season 3, all of the family tensions start to make sense when he finds out he was adopted by John and Evelyn Dutton when he was just three months old.

It’s also uncovered that his biological father murdered his birth mother. This revelation shakes Jamie to his core and makes him question his identity and place within the Duttons.

Jamie has a particularly complicated relationship with his sister, Beth (Kelly Reilly). When they were younger, Jamie took Beth to a clinic for an abortion, but he also had her sterilized without her knowledge or consent, believing it was for her own good. This act, which Beth later discovers, leads to deep-seated resentment and hatred towards Jamie.

But the resentment goes both ways. You see, in Season 4, Jamie’s birth dad – notorious criminal Garrett Randall (Will Patton) – tries to worm his way back into his son’s life. Randall wants revenge on the Duttons and tries to convince Jamie not to let them manipulate him.

Things come to a head in the Season 4 finale. As the pair have a conversation, Jamie stands up and shoots his father in the head, killing him. We later find out that Beth backed him into a corner. As he’s getting rid of the body, she shows up and takes a picture, meaning she’s got him by the balls.

How Season 5 Part 1 sets up Jamie’s demise

In Season 5 Part 1, the two sides are going to war. Jamie’s trying to have John Dutton impeached as the governor of Montana, and it’s safe to say Beth’s not happy about it.

When she confronts him about the evidence she has that he killed his biological father, Jamie tells her that the family has been taking bodies to the “train station” for years – and that includes her husband Rip Wheeler, who Jamie doesn’t have the best relationship with.

“There are centuries worth of our family’s secrets at the bottom of that canyon,” Jamie explains to Beth, later adding: “Ask your husband where the Train Station is and how many times he’s been there.”

Beth confirms the secret with John, before suggesting that the Train Station – aka, the Dutton family’s dumping ground for enemies they’ve killed – is “the place for Jamie.” What’s more, Beth is yet to tell Rip about the sterilization, news which would further put a target on Jamie’s head.

While some fans believe Jamie might meet his death in Season 5 Part 2, others think it will be Beth. In the same episode, knowing that Beth’s out for blood, Jamie asks his girlfriend Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) to help him put out a hit on his sister and make it look like an accident.

One thing’s for certain: it ain’t going to be a happy ever after. As Wes Bentley told TVLine earlier this year: “It’s sort of like that quote George [R.R.] Martin gave about Game of Thrones: ‘If you think this has a happy ending, you’re not paying attention.’”

For more, check out all the shows to watch if you love Yellowstone. You can also learn more about 6666, 1923 Season 2, and Yellowstone Season 6. Don’t miss our breakdown of the Yellowstone cast, too.