In Houston, TX and around the country, “Yellowstone” has become a cultural phenomenon, one of the biggest in recent television history. And just when fans thought behind-the-scenes couldn’t possibly get weirder, it has.
Show creator Taylor Sheridan is suing one of his biggest stars, though it has nothing to do directly with the show. Cole Hauser, who plays arguably the shows most favorite character, Rip Wheeler, launched a new brand of coffee this year, and Sheridan is not happy about it.
Let’s hope this doesn’t push back production of the series finale again, right?
According to a report from San Angelo Live, Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch has filed a lawsuit against Hauser’s coffee brand, Free Rein Coffee Company.
Hauser’s Free Rein’s marketing cites his appreciation for “the life of a working cowboy” as the inspiration behind the coffee company, and that the coffee “embodies t he dreamer’s mindset and callused hands of those cowboys he admired.”
In October, Bosque Ranch filed suit for trademark infringement and cited unfair competition and false advertising, per San Angelo Live. The company has an issue with Free Rein’s “FR” logo, that does look a lot like Bosque Ranch’s “BR” logo, a design that that they’ve used since 2004. And it should be noted that Bosque Ranch, does also have its own line of coffee.
Specifically, Bosque Ranch’s lawsuit contends that the similarity will cause customer confusion, and is seeking “permanent injunctive relief, damages and profits from the defendants under the Lanham Act and Texas law.”
As far as the show goes, the first half of the Season Five series finale wrapped on Jan. 1, 2023. And after multiple delays, Paramount recently announced that the show would resume in November 2024. Fingers crossed, after this little hiccup, that’s still the case.