Why Taylor Sheridan’s Travis Wheatley Wasn’t in Season 3 of Yellowstone

Yellowstone remains one of the most popular television franchises of all time. Created by actor-turned-writer Taylor Sheridan, the original 2018 series ran for five acclaimed seasons before finally ending in late 2024. Even after its conclusion, Yellowstone remains popular, expanding into a full-blown television universe with prequels like 1883 and 1923 and spinoffs starring some of the most popular characters from the original series.

While the Yellowstone franchise primarily focuses on the Dutton family, certain supporting characters have also managed to steal viewers’ attention to become fan favorites. Among these is Travis Wheatley, a recurring character played by Sheridan himself. The rootin’ tootin’ Texas cowboy appears in every season of Yellowstone but one. Why didn’t Sheridan return to play Travis in Season 3?

Who is Travis Wheatley in Yellowstone?

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Character Is Very Controversial

Taylor Sheridan began his career in Hollywood as an actor, working on projects like Sons of Anarchy and even appearing in a guest role on Star Trek: Enterprise. Eventually, Sheridan transitioned to more behind-the-scenes roles, culminating in his work on the hit neo-Western Yellowstone franchise. Even so, the actor-turned-showrunner never lost his love of acting and found a way to write himself into his popular new series. Sheridan made his first appearance as Travis Wheatley in Season 1, Episode 5, “Coming Home.” Travis is introduced as an old ally of the Duttons. The cowboy hails from the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, where young men go to become real cowboys. The head horse trainer at the Four Sixes, Travis is known for his tough attitude, sour disposition, and skill on horseback. Though he often comes off as a jerk, most of the Duttons hold him in high regard.

Travis makes sporadic but memorable appearances through the rest of Yellowstone‘s run. He typically makes the long journey up from Texas to Montana when the Duttons intend to buy or sell horses, which only happens every once in a while. Despite his limited appearances, Yellowstone finds a way to expand Travis’s character. It is eventually revealed that he and Rip Wheeler were friends as young men, leading to their magnanimous working relationship in the modern day. Rip seems to respect Travis a great deal, which can only be said of a precious few individuals. Eventually, Jimmy Hurdstrom, a young man working on the Yellowstone Ranch, is sent to the Four Sixes Ranch to work under Travis, who teaches him how to become a real cowboy. Season 5 later sees Travis become a more prominent recurring character when Rip and a group of ranch hands from the Yellowstone make the trip down to the Four Sixes for an extended stay.

Why Travis Wheatley Doesn’t Return in Yellowstone Season 3

Taylor Sheridan Has Never Confirmed Why His Character Doesn’t Appear In This Season

Though he isn’t a member of the main cast, Travis Wheatley appears in almost every season of Yellowstone. Strangely, Travis isn’t featured in any episodes of Season 3, despite showing up in both previous seasons. Taylor Sheridan has never officially confirmed why his character doesn’t show up in the season, but there are several clues as to why Travis is briefly absent from the series. After Yellowstone‘s massive success in its first two seasons, Sheridan’s work became increasingly in demand. While still serving as showrunner for Yellowstone, Sheridan began working on new projects both within and outside of the show’s universe. Season 3 of Yellowstone would have been in development at the same time as Sheridan began involving himself in numerous other television projects. It may be that the creator was simply too busy to develop each of these new shows and make another guest appearance as Travis Wheatley.

Just one year after Yellowstone Season 3 aired, multiple new Taylor Sheridan-developed series debuted, including the prequel 1883 and the all-new series Mayor of Kingstown. The year after saw the launches of 1923 and Tulsa King. These, in turn, were followed by Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Special Ops: Lioness, and most recently, Landman. With all these irons in the fire, in addition to working on current episodes of Yellowstone, it makes sense that Taylor Sheridan wouldn’t have had the time or the energy to reprise his role as Travis Wheatley. Even so, he found a way to return in Seasons 4 and 5. It is also important to note that Travis is only a recurring character in Yellowstone. His absence in Season 3 is not particularly notable, considering his character lives several states away from the Dutton Ranch. It may simply be that Sheridan had no plans to include Wheatley in Yellowstone‘s third season.

Travis Whealtey Is One of Yellowstone’s Most Controversial Characters

Some Fans Take Issue With How Sheridan Writes His Character

Even with only a limited number of appearances, Travis Wheatley is one of Yellowstone‘s most controversial characters. What began as a harmless, gratuitous cameo gradually progressed to what many fans deemed to be an ego trip on Sheridan’s part. With each new appearance of his character, Sheridan seemed to find new excuses to compliment himself. From casual mentions of just how great a guy he is to extended sequences that allowed Sheridan to show off his horseriding skills, many fans came to despise Travis Wheatley’s character. Nevertheless, Sheridan only doubled down on Wheatley’s portrayal by the end of the series. Season 5 saw the character’s most controversial storylines, particularly concerning his scenes with Beth Dutton.

In Yellowstone‘s fifth and final season, Beth makes a trip down to the Four Sixes Ranch to visit her husband, Rip, who has been working there for the last several weeks. There, she encounters Travis, who just so happens to be surrounded by beautiful, scantily clad women who fawn all over him and have nothing but complimentary things to say about him. Moreover, one of these women is revealed to be Travis’s girlfriend and is played by a real-life supermodel. The entire sequence adds very little to the story and seems to be a cheap excuse for Sheridan to boost his own self-esteem in a gratuitous move that rubbed many Yellowstone fans the wrong way. Despite the controversy surrounding the character, however, there may be more of Travis Wheatley yet to come. The upcoming Yellowstone spinoff 6666 is set to take place on the Four Sixes Ranch and could very well include many more scenes with Sheridan’s most controversial character.