Lainey Wilson reveals she is not worried about the direction of Yellowstone’s fifth and final season

Lainey Wilson expressed her excitement for the fifth and final season of Yellowstone, which Paramount Network announced would end for good in November.

When asked if she was “worried” about what’s in store for her future on the show, the 30-year-old country singer said that “it doesn’t matter which way it goes, it’s going to be incredible.”

She explained that Taylor Sheridan, who co-wrote the popular Western drama series, “could do no wrong” in her “opinion.”

‘But yeah. I’m waiting for that call. I’m like, ‘Y’all let me know when to be there and I’ll be there,’ said the Hold My Halo crooner Entertainment tonight at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday.

The Louisiana native, who moved to Nashville to pursue her music career, made her acting debut in the series as a local and free-spirited musician named Abby.

Her character begins a passionate romance with Ian Bohen’s character, Ryan, who works for Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

While talking about filming her first on-screen kiss, Wilson joked that she “didn’t really know” what she was doing, but went “head first.”

“I started giving people value for their money,” she said earlier USA today. “I said to my mom and dad, ‘Maybe you don’t want to see this show.’ I don’t want to be on their prayer list.’

Prior to joining the cast, Wilson’s music was featured on the show several times.

‘[Taylor] had put a few of my songs on the show and then invited me to Vegas to play a horseback riding competition, and that’s where I met him,” she recalled to Us Weekly last month. ‘[We] became buddies and, you know, I knew the friendship would lead to something. I didn’t know it necessarily meant I was on the show.’

The actress also recalled how Sheridan told her last February that he wanted to “create a character just for her.”

She said Sheridan wanted her to wear her “bell bottoms” and sing her “own songs” but “go by a musician named Abby.”

Her comments come after a new report from the Wall Street Journal shed light on Sheridan’s allegedly high spending to create the wildly popular series.

Sheridan reportedly charges Paramount $50,000 a week to film Yellowstone on his own ranch in Texas, nearly $210,000 to train actors at a “Cowboy Camp” on his own property, and rents out herds of cattle for $25 per person.

All of this is on top of the money he’s already making as a writer, producer, and sometimes director of Yellowstone and its spin-offs.

Earlier this month, news broke that Yellowstone would end after five seasons as show star Kevin Costner begins divorce proceedings with his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner.

The report outlined the high costs Sheridan charged his production partners to create the series. He works with Paramount, which finances his series, and 101 Studios, the organization that makes his shows.

Sheridan declined a request from WSJ to be interviewed for the story.

In the ‘Cowboy Camps’, actors learn how to work with horses and how to realistically depict life on the farm. WSJ reported that Paramount was charged $214,979.61 for the camp prior to season five, which lasted about a week.

About $33,000 of that was for catering alone. Using his horses was also expensive – Paramount had to pay $2,000 per person.

In another example cited by WSJ, a wrestler thousands of miles away from the set also charged $3,000 on production. The wrestler explained to the skeptical production agency that she worked on one of Sheridan’s farms, preparing his horses for filming.

Sheridan also uses his favorite farrier to work with the horses.

May 2022, two of Sheridan’s farriers were flown from Texas to Montana, another expense that irked the head of the studio.

‘Are you joking? Can’t find a local person?’ David Glasser, head of 101 Studios, said in an email to production staff.

In addition, 24 horse saddles ordered by the prop master cost an overwhelming $23,519.19. The saddles were to be in the style of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“We’ve had 5 seasons of a show. And we’re just ordering saddles now?’ Glasser asked about the expenses in an email.

Another point of contention was the creation of $3,130 worth of prop jewelry made out of state despite being able to claim tax credits by using local suppliers.

The high cost also extends to Sheridan’s other popular Yellowstone spinoffs. According to WSJ, it costs at least $22 million to make a single episode of 1923, the prequel to Yellowstone.

While both Paramount and 101 Studios both admitted that his shows aren’t cheap to make, they are happy with their working relationship.

“Taylor’s shows are among our most successful and profitable,” a Paramount spokeswoman told WSJ.

As for 101 Studios, executives told WSJ they are trying to compromise with Sheridan when it comes to budgeting and creating a quality show. While they claimed to be cost-conscious, 101 Studios says the success of Sheridan’s shows proves they are worth the hefty price tag.

According to WSJ, it costs Paramount more than $500 million a year to make Sheridan’s programs. That figure also includes the first season of the 1923 Yellowstone spin-off, which cost nearly $200 million.

In contrast, an episode of HBO’s The Last of Us costs $16-$18 million per episode, while House of the Dragon usually costs less than $20 million per episode, according to WSJ sources.

The high costs come as investors scrutinize Paramount. On Thursday, they reported a first-quarter loss of $1.1 billion. The loss is partly due to more money being spent streaming content.

Last week, Paramount Network announced that Yellowstone would officially end with the final episodes of the fifth season launching in November.

The show has been a monster hit for the network, telling the story of the Dutton family and their struggle over their massive Montana ranch.

It’s still a ratings hit, but the atmosphere on set is said to have become fraught with Costner’s alleged insistence on only working part of the week. Costner also allegedly had a strained relationship with Sheridan.

Despite the cancellation, Yellowstone fans will likely be reassured by the news that a sequel has already received a full series order.

Matthew McConaughey has been tipped as a possible star, though producers have yet to confirm any new cast members.