Fans of the drama series Yellowstone on Paramount Network have been speculating about why Beth Dutton hates her brother Jamie so much. Beth’s open display of hatred for her sibling goes back to Season 1 but it has intensified lately in Season 2.
We see her repeatedly lashing out at Jamie (Wes Bentley) and saying nasty things to him, such as when she tells him that she thinks he should consider killing himself.
The two clashed again on Wednesday’s episode 8, titled Behind US Only Grey, and the persistent pattern has led many fans to believe there must be a deep-seated reason why Beth is so hostile to her brother.
Actress Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth, recently addressed the question in a Behind the Story video that Paramount recently uploaded YouTube. In the video, members of the cast of the drama series share insights about Season 2, Episode 7, titled Resurrection Day, which aired on August 7.
In the video (see below), actress Kelly Reilly comments on the scene in the Resurrection Day episode where Beth comes down hard on her brother, saying he should consider killing himself.
“To say that someone there must have been some deep, deep betrayal,” Reilly says.
She also explains that Beth believes Jamie is selfish and disloyal to the family.
“Understand what’s important to Beth, which is loyalty and selflessness, and they are two things that Jamie doesn’t hold within himself,” Reilly says. “He’s incapable of it, in her mind.”
But Reilly’s comments in the video did not answer all the questions that fans have been asking about the cause of Beth’s hostility towards Jamie. Why is she so strongly convinced that her brother is selfish and disloyal to the family?
The fact that she has shown feelings of hostility towards Jamie since early in Season 1 indicates that the hostility was not due to recent incidents such as the interview Jamie gave in Season 1 after he fell out with John (Kevin Costner). The incident led to Jamie and Beth getting into a confrontation that turned physical (see video below).
“There’s obviously something big for Beth that Jamie did that I’m not fully certain Jamie’s aware of,” says Wes Bentley in the Behind the Story video. “I get the feeling that what Beth feels happened Jamie might not even have any idea that it had this kind of impact.”
After Wednesday’s episode 8, titled Behind Us Only Grey, aired on Paramount Network, Yellowstone’s official Twitter account tweeted a comment that has left fans hoping that with only two episodes left in the season, the mystery behind Beth and Jamie’s past relationship will soon be revealed.
A lot of you are asking about their history. We can't say!! (Fear of the Duttons and all.) But there IS more to the story. Bear with us on this one. https://t.co/vccunQnMq5
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) August 15, 2019
But meanwhile, fans have been speculating and there are quite a number of fans theories to consider.
Why does Beth hate Jamie: Fan theories
One theory suggests that Beth’s hatred for Jamie is due to an unhealthy sibling rivalry that dates back to early in their lives. A longstanding sibling rivalry could explain why Jamie — according to Wes Bentley — apparently doesn’t know exactly what he has done to provoke his sister’s hatred.
It might also explain why he has never asked him why she hates him so much: he simply realizes that the hatred goes back to their childhood and that there is nothing he can do to stop his sister from feeling the way she does about him.
Another fan theory suggests that Jamie knows exactly why his sister hates him but the issue is so sensitive that he does not want to bring it up. Alternatively, Jamie might have a secret that his sister stumbled upon but he doesn’t know that his sister knows his secret so he is unable to link her sister’s hatred to it.
A popular fan theory suggests that the hostility could be linked to the circumstances of the death of their mother Evelyn Dutton. Evelyn died after falling off a horse while riding with Beth and Kayce (Luke Grimes).
Jamie has done everything his father asked, and he's not responsible for his mother's death, (neither is Beth) but they all blame her except Kayce…but Jamie sees John treat Beth as an important asset, not John exploiting her guilt..and Jamie's jealous.
— Lynn DiDiano (@LynnDiDiano) July 25, 2019
More recently, fans have suggested that the emotional scene in which a battered Beth tears up as she watches the tender moment between Rip and Tate (Brecken Merrill) carries a hint that the hostility could have something to do with Beth’s relationship with Rip (Cole Hauser).
According to the theory, Rip and Beth had a relationship when they were younger and Beth got pregnant with Rip’s baby but lost the baby due to something that Jamie did. Some fans speculate that Beth never told Rip that she was pregnant with his baby.
I believe Beth hates Jamie so much, because he did something to her and Rip's relationship when they were younger. She got way too emotional looking at Rip and Tate! I think she got pregnant young and something happened to the baby. ? #YellowstoneTV
— trikkie1 (@trikkie1) August 15, 2019
My theory is that he did something that physically hurt Beth and she can't have children.
— Arden Liotta (@LiottaArden) August 15, 2019
Watching Beth watch #Rip & #Tate I'm having the feeling at one time #BethDutton was pregnant w/Rip's baby. She hadn't told him yet & Jamie caused her to lose the baby & her ability to have any more. #JustAThought #TheDuttons #YellowstoneTV
— Connie Marie (@1sweet_WI) August 15, 2019
Jamie was driving the truck that injured Beth and caused her to miscarry her baby with Rip?
— Sallie Porter DNP PhD APN (@DrSalliePNP) August 15, 2019
Some suggest that Jamie did something that physically hurt Beth and that it caused her to lose her baby. Others believe that whatever Jamie did to Beth also made her to lose her ability to have a baby.
Yellowstone airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Paramount.