As the Yellowstone franchise continues to dominate television with hit spin-offs like Dutton Ranch and Marshals, one of its biggest stars has made a surprising confession: he doesn’t watch any of it.

Luke Grimes, who first won audiences over as Kayce Dutton in Yellowstone and now leads the successful spin-off Marshals, recently revealed that he has no interest in watching the growing franchise—not because he dislikes the shows, but because he simply can’t stand watching himself on screen.

The admission has surprised many fans, especially as the Yellowstone universe remains one of television’s biggest success stories. The original series became a cultural phenomenon, with its 2024 finale attracting more than 11 million viewers during its initial broadcast and millions more shortly afterward. Since then, Paramount has continued expanding the franchise with several spin-offs, including Marshals, where Grimes reprises his role as Kayce.

Despite being one of the franchise’s central faces, Grimes admitted he has never been part of that audience.

Speaking in a recent interview with HeyUGuys, the actor explained that his decision has nothing to do with arrogance or a lack of appreciation for the series.

“I don’t watch myself,” Grimes said. “I won’t watch. It’s not because I’m too cool to watch it. I just get really self-conscious, and I think it affects my work.”

Rather than enjoying completed episodes, Grimes prefers to stay focused on the creative process itself. Watching his own performances, he believes, would only make him overanalyze every scene and second-guess future acting choices.

His confession places him among a surprisingly long list of Hollywood actors who avoid watching their own work. Stars including Andrew Garfield, Jesse Eisenberg, and Reese Witherspoon have all previously admitted that seeing themselves on screen makes them uncomfortable. For Grimes, avoiding his performances has become part of protecting his confidence as an actor.

Ironically, while he refuses to watch Yellowstone or Marshals, millions of viewers continue tuning in every week. Marshals has become one of the biggest television hits of the 2025–2026 season, proving that audiences remain deeply invested in Kayce Dutton’s story even if the actor himself isn’t watching.

Although Grimes avoids seeing his own performances, that doesn’t mean he has any doubts about the character himself.

In the same interview, he spoke warmly about what has made Kayce so meaningful throughout the years.

“He has a good heart,” Grimes explained. “He’s always trying to do the right thing.”

That moral conflict has always distinguished Kayce from many members of the Dutton family, whose decisions often blur the line between justice and revenge. Grimes believes that inner struggle is what continues to make the character compelling.

He has also described the role as a childhood dream come true.

In an earlier interview with Entertainment Weekly, Grimes reflected on how playing Kayce allowed him to fulfill nearly every fantasy he had growing up.

“It was everything I wanted as a kid when I dreamed about becoming an actor,” he said. “I wanted to play a soldier. I wanted to play a cowboy. This role combined all of those childhood dreams into one character.”

Despite his enthusiasm for Kayce, Grimes admitted he initially questioned whether the character deserved his own spin-off at all.

When Marshals was first being developed, the actor worried that fans might have preferred other members of the Yellowstone universe to receive standalone series instead.

“I thought, if you polled people about who should get a spin-off, I don’t know if Kayce would be at the top of the list,” Grimes recalled. “There are probably other characters people wanted to see more.”

That uncertainty became a powerful source of motivation.

“I felt like it had to be really good,” he explained. “If it wasn’t going to be good, I’d rather not do it.”

Judging by the show’s ratings and audience response, many viewers believe those concerns turned out to be unnecessary. Marshals has quickly established itself as one of the franchise’s strongest-performing series, with Kayce’s quieter, more grounded story resonating with longtime Yellowstone fans.

For now, however, Luke Grimes appears perfectly content letting everyone else enjoy the shows while he stays away from the screen.

While millions continue debating every twist across the expanding Yellowstone universe, one of its biggest stars has no plans

to join those conversations—not because he isn’t proud of the work, but because, in his own words, watching himself remains the one thing he simply cannot do.