Who Does Lainey Wilson Play in Yellowstone? A Guide to Her Character & Episodes
The country star had "never acted a day" in her life before Yellowstone.
While Lainey Wilson has been part of Yellowstone ever since her music was first featured on the western drama series, she made her on-screen debut with the Duttons in the show’s final season. In fact, her role on Yellowstone was her first-ever acting job.
Even though Wilson had never acted before, the Opry member revealed to Hoda Kotb in a July 2024 TODAY appearance that Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan had created her character to reflect the country star herself. “Taylor Sheridan told me... ‘I want to create a character specifically for you, and I want you to sing your music and kind of be yourself, but go by a musician named Abby,'" Wilson recalled. “I said, ‘Well, you know, I’ve never acted a day in my life.’”
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With five albums under her belt, Wilson is a seasoned performer, taking the stage at NBC’s Opry 100: A Live Celebration alongside dozens of other country music stars on March 19. Still, she told Etalk she enjoyed being able “to stand side stage” and observe the cast “do their thing.” The “Watermelon Moonshine” singer added that, after her experience on Yellowstone, she’d “love to do some more” acting in the future.
So who exactly did Lainey Wilson play in Yellowstone, and which episodes did she appear in? Get all the details below, including how to stream Yellowstone on Peacock.
Who does Lainey Wilson play in Yellowstone?
The country singer plays Abby, making her debut in the Yellowstone Season 5 premiere episode, “One Hundred Years Is Nothing.” Abby is an aspiring country musician who eventually sparks a romance with cowboy and Dutton ranch hand Ryan (Ian Bohen).
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Wilson has said that she sees a lot of herself in her character. “I really had to kind of dive in there and try to figure out what my version of Abby is. Of course, there’s a lot of myself in her,” she shared during an interview on Sirius XM: The Highway. “I will say, I feel like she’s an artist that was maybe driving through Montana and found a niche of people who really loved her music. Then, you know, she knows she’s not supposed to be messing with cowboys, but she does it anyway.”
Bohen told CBS Mornings that he and Wilson “hit [it] off immediately” when she joined the Yellowstone cast. “She’s fantastic,” he said. “She’s phenomenally talented. We met, she came on board, she was incredibly eager. She listened, she was enthusiastic and we just hit [it] off immediately and, you know, are great friends to this day.”
What episodes of Yellowstone does Lainey Wilson’s character appear in?
Wilson’s Yellowstone character Abby appears in five episodes, all in the fifth and final season of the show.
Abby makes her first appearance in Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 1 (“One Hundred Years Is Nothing”), and returns in Episode 3 (“Tall Drink of Water”), Episode 6 (“Cigarettes, Whiskey, a Meadow and You”), Episode 7 (“The Dream Is Not Mine”), and Episode 14 (“Life Is A Promise”).
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Where can you stream Yellowstone Season 5?
Every season of Yellowstone, including Season 5: Part 2, is available to stream on Peacock right now.
