‘Yellowstone’: How Old Was Monica When She Had Tate? It’s Complicated…

Yellowstone’s Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) ended season 4 with a baby on the way and her marriage possibly in trouble. In her final scene of the season, Monica’s husband Kayce (Luke Grimes) told her “I saw the end of us.” What’s not clear, though, is the identity of the “us” Kayce was referring to.

As fans offer up their season 5 theories and guesses on social media ahead of the November premiere, the future of Monica, Kayce, and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill) is in doubt. But what about the family’s origin story? How old was Monica when she had Tate?

‘Yellowstone’s’ Monica and Kayce come from two different worlds

Kayce is a former Navy SEAL and the youngest son of cattle rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner), the owner of the largest ranch in the United States. He is a horseman and ranch hand-turned-Livestock Commissioner who was branded as a teenager by his father due to his relationship with Monica.

Monica Long, the granddaughter of Indian elder Felix Long (Rudy Ramos), grew up on a ranch on the Broken Rock Reservation with her brother Robert. When she was a teenager, Monica got pregnant after a night out that included a one-night stand with Kayce. 

They proceeded to get to know each other and both quickly caught feelings. So, Kayce made things official with a proposal and they got married as teenagers. But, this didn’t go over well with John Dutton — leading to Kayce’s brand. 

How old was Monica when she had Tate?

Specific details about Kayce and Monica’s relationship before Yellowstone began are a bit fuzzy. We know that the ranch and the reservation have been at odds for years, but Monica and Kayce’s marriage was supposed to remedy that.

Their complicated storyline has seen both Kayce and Monica torn between their own families and the ones they married into at different points throughout the series. But what’s really unclear is how old everyone is.

Yellowstone cannon indicates that Monica was born in 1993 and Kayce in 1990, making them currently 29 and 32, respectively. Tate’s age is a bit of question, but he is obviously a young teen heading into season 5. If Tate is 13 or 14, that would make Monica around 16 when she got pregnant. But, is this correct? Not according to the Yellowstone pilot.

‘Yellowstone’ has never been able to ‘calibrate’ the age difference between Brecken Merrill and Tate Dutton

In a Reddit thread about Tate’s age, a fan pointed out that the number was actually mentioned in the Yellowstone pilot. He was described as being six years old, while Merrill was actually eight IRL. And, as the fan noted, Yellowstone has “never really been able to calibrate it since.”

“In the first season, Monica refers to her and Kayce not being 18 anymore, suggesting they were the same age. And again this last episode made it seem like they got together when they were both 16. But in season 2, they said Kayce was born in 1990 (making him 29), and in the same season referred to Monica as 26,” another fan wrote.

Keeping with the original storyline that Tate is 11 in season 5 — while Merrill just turned 14 — that means Monica gave birth at 18 instead of 16. But with Merrill obviously a teenager, they might take the opportunity in season 5 to set all of this straight once and for all.

Either way, Monica was extremely young when she had Tate. And her marriage to Kayce caused problems in the Dutton family.

Yellowstone Season 5 premieres Sunday, November 13 on the Paramount Network.