Rip Wheeler is one of the most popular and beloved characters on Yellowstone, a hit television show that follows the lives of ranching families as they grapple with love, loss and the unrelenting brutality of nature. Rip, played by actor Cole Hauser, is often touted for his rugged good looks and no-nonsense demeanor – but how old is he supposed to be on Yellowstone?
First things first: Yellowstone does not explicitly state Rip’s age in any episode or season. Therefore we cannot say definitively just how old he was when he made his first appearance on screen.
However, there are a few clues scattered throughout the show that can help us piece together an approximate age range for him. Based off information from those clues we could estimate Rip’s age is somewhere between 40-50 years old.
For instance, it has been mentioned a couple times throughout many seasons that Rip worked for John Dutton (Kevin Costner) since he was very young. In Season 3 Episode 1 “You’re The Indian Now”, after Young Beth tells Child Beth about her dad John took care of another boy which comes out to actually being Rip at eight years old.
Assuming “very young” means around ten years old (however again this only remains speculation), this would mean that Rip has been working for John for over three decades now.
Additionally, it’s important to mention Ferg (another character within the show) who mentions in season four episode nine gives some indication as well when asked if Dutton really fought in Vietnam stating “He doesn’t talk about it much. Neither does RIP.” This indirectly implies both men likely served alongside each other although their ages imply different experiences during Vietnam War era conflicts given possible five year difference between them based off our estimated calculations earlier.
With these pieces combined along with other little details such as Roy telling Roarke in Season three; tell your boss ‘the cowboy says hello'” which implies Roy Wheeler and Roarke Carter are around the same age and with that we can assume Rip is about the same age as John’s trusted enforcer.
Taking all of these details into account, it is reasonable to say that Rip is likely somewhere between 40-50 years old given his longstanding history with John Dutton, along with a number of other subtle clues scattered throughout Yellowstone show.
However, it is important to note that since there isn’t any concrete information in regard to how old Cole Hauser’s character really is nobody (even us) can be entirely sure. Nevertheless from what we do have available information wise this seems like a sensible conclusion for everyone avidly watching the show.
Rip Wheeler is undoubtedly one of the most popular and beloved characters on Yellowstone, a hit television show that follows the many trials and tribulations of ranching families as they struggle with love, loss, and the unrelenting brutality of nature. Played by ultra-talented actor Cole Hauser, Rip has captured audiences’ imaginations with his rugged good looks and no-nonsense demeanor.
However, despite being such an iconic character in Yellowstone cannon, there remains some mystery surrounding just how old Rip is supposed to be in the series. Although much has been speculated among fans online about this largely overlooked aspect of his character, there hasn’t really been any concrete information given regarding his age during the course of the program. So let’s take a deep dive into all available clues scattered throughout Yellowstones shows in order to glean an approximate estimate for this elusive figure’s age.
Firstly it’s important to establish some context around John Dutton (Kevin Costner) who plays a central role within Yellowstone alongside Rip Wheeler. It has been said various times throughout different seasons that John took care or raised up another boy when he was young which came out to be pre-teen aged “The Long Black Train” Season 1 episode 1 states it clearly while introducing Jimmy Hurdstrom & Cole Hauser as adults finally working together again under Kevin Costner’s control). However little additional information was given at that point leaving things mostly unclear.
This rumored boy mentioned could have very well indeed actually been Rip as later Young Beth mentioning those days with Child Beth tells her brother Kayce “John already had two children—my brother Jamie and my sister LeeAnne —when I was born. There was More than one Easter though where another boy Was Out here.” This would suggest that not only did John raise or adopt yet another child but also subtly implies That person may end up playing an important role further down within ripping part story Also signifying Johon Dutton’s good character and his history of taking care of troubled kids.
Another subtle hint at Rip’s age is given through Ferg, another well-known character on the show. In season four episode nine Fergus asks Walker about rumors he’d heard that John was a war hero due to rip also possibly being enlisted with him in there given how much alike they seem towards their time spent working for the Yellowstone ranching operation. By this we can assume both men likely served alongside each other although their ages imply different experiences during Vietnam War era conflicts Given possible five year difference between them based on our earlier guesses That part has mostly been left up to speculation regarding plot further detail or backstory but it definitively puts things into perspective how long these characters have known each other.
In addition, Roy telling Roarke in season three; tell your boss ‘the cowboy says hello'” significant not only because it implies Roy Wheeler is around the same age as Roarke Carter but also serves as confirmation that Rip must be about 40-50 years old given what we’ve already learned from details scattered throughout Yellowstones episodes.
Like with most mysteries portrayed within TV dramas without explicit data provided definitive answers are often hard to come by even for avid fans who have delved deep into watching hours upon hours of footage involved within Yellowstone. Nevertheless many viewers believe (ourselves included now) that based off available information from some clues dropped here and there over the seasons Rip Wheeler’s approximate age would lie somewhere around forty-five-years-old.. Although such an estimation offers slightly tenuous ground since no round numbers ties used here roughly end up making sense nor does any particular birthday anniversaries mentioned actually give us concrete explanation during aired shows one can still postulate somewhat sensibly assuming certain timelines occurred behind-the-scenes necessarily outer label those extrawarrants:).
All told, while it remains impossible to state with absolute certainty just exactly how old Rip Wheeler might be within the confines of Yellowstone show, we can draw reasonable conclusions based on clues scattered throughout series that suggest he is in his mid forties. Regardless of age though, one thing about Rip remains true: he’s a hero and fan favourite who continues to enthrall viewers with his rugged good looks and complex characterisation.