Yellowstone's Kelly Reilly Defends Beth On Social Media With A Rare Statement

Fans of Paramount Network's "Yellowstone" have been continuously deconstructing the show's Season 4 finale since it aired on January 2. From Beth Dutton's (Kelly Reilly) risky mission to get revenge on her adopted brother Jamie (Wes Bentley), to Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) eerie vision quest which portends oncoming doom for his family, the show has given its audience plenty to think about in the upcoming months as they wait for Season 5.

Recently, Reilly posted a picture to her Instagram of another event from the Season 4 finale — Beth's wedding to Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). "Thank you, you the fans !! For all the support, the passion for the show and these characters. For watching every Sunday! We are so lucky we get to do it, now we do it for you... See you season 5 x @colehauser22," the post, which is still up as of press time, reads. 

But in the comments section, a fan left behind a statement about another, more controversial moment which occurred during the season finale — causing Reilly to defend her character. Eventually, the parent comment and Reilly's statement both vanished from the post, though discussion about the statement lingers in the comment section. What did the actress say in her now-deleted Instagram comment?

A fan posted a comment to Kelly Reilly's Instagram post which read in part, "I love ya Beth, truly, but you have to be nicer to Carter... you broke my heart last week when you made him cry." Continuing by stating that the character is "just a kid," the fan added, "Tell those writers to stop 🛑and get it right" (via Country Living). The person is referring to a scene which takes place during the Season 4 finale in which Carter (Finn Little) refers to Beth as "mama." Beth ruthlessly rejects Carter's attempt at bonding, telling him that his mother's dead, saying, "You don't get another. I lost mine. Same goes for me. And I'm nobody's mother. Ever. Got it?" 

Reilly replied to the viewer's post by saying, "I understand." The actress said that the scene is "supposed to be brutal and heartbreaking." Admitting that she doesn't generally respond to fans who post to her Instagram, she wanted to explain Beth's state of mind, stating that "She is about to go into a prison and kill the man that she thinks attacked her family. She knows there is a chance she will not come back. She can't tell this kid she is his mother and then leave him abandoned again."

The actress said that she felt the same kind of emotions the fan did when first reading the scene, while also noting that Beth looks visibly conflicted before her outburst. "I think the heart wants it but she has to protect that kid from herself," she concludes, but adds that fans will have to wait and see where the show's writers take Beth's story in Season 5.