What Happened to Jimmy in Yellowstone? Explained
Jimmy Hurdstrom is one of the fan-favorite supporting characters in the Yellowstone series. Portrayed by the American actor Jefferson White, Jimmy had an amazing, relatable character arc before he seemingly left the show. We barely saw him in the first part of Yellowstone Season 5. So, what happened to Jimmy in Yellowstone?
At the end of Yellowstone season 4, Jimmy was granted a pardon from John Dutton and allowed to return to the 6666 (read, Four Sixes) ranch in Texas. Jimmy met a veterinary technician named Emily there, who he fell in love with, and decided to build a life together with her in Texas.
They rode off together from Montana to Texas, and many fans thought we’d never see Jimmy again. That is until we’ve seen both him and Emily in Yellowstone Season 5, still working at the 6666 ranches. That being said, the events of Yellowstone Season 5 could very well set up the plot of the new Taylor Sheridan-led Yellowstone spin-off series, 6666. Here’s all you need to know.
Who is Jimmy in Yellowstone?
There are a ton of amazing characters intertwined throughout the Yellowstone series, showing what an amazing writer Taylor Sheridan is. Jimmy Hurdstrom is one of those characters, and he quickly became a fan-favorite after his introduction in the very first episode of Yellowstone.
He’s had a tough life from the start, as we learn from his only relative, Dirk Hurdstrom – Jimmy’s grandfather. When Jimmy was a tiny boy, his grandmother passed away, leading to the entire family falling apart – half of them dead and half in jail.
Dirk took care of the boy, but as Jimmy grew, he was always falling into trouble. He became a drug dealer, cooking crystal meth for two crooks, to which he ended up owning a lot of money. John Dutton III took Jimmy under his wing as a favor to Dirk Hurdstrom and decided he’ll set the boy straight.
Rip Wheeler, one of John’s most loyal ranch hands, came to Jimmy’s home and gave him an ultimatum – either you’ll work at the Yellowstone ranch or be handed to the authorities. Jimmy chose the former, got branded, and started working at the ranch.
What happened to Jimmy in Yellowstone?
It was hard for Jimmy from the start – he didn’t get along very well with other ranch hands and didn’t even know how to ride a horse. Slowly but surely, Jimmy came to his senses and started learning the work – even discovering a talent for the rodeo. That’s how he became a successful rodeo competitor, stood back on his feet, and even made a nice buck.
Still, he remained at the Yellowstone ranch, and on his rodeo ventures, he met Mia, his first love. She was a barrel runner who liked Jimmy for his rodeo skills. However, Jimmy had a major accident that got him into a hospital, and John Dutton agreed to pay the hospital bills if Jimmy promised to give up rodeo.
Mia talked Jimmy into breaking that promise and returning to riding while still in recovery, which led to another accident. This time, Jimmy really didn’t return to rodeo, and his romance with Mia ended. Meanwhile, John Dutton decided to dispatch Jimmy to the 6666 (Four Sixes) ranch in Texas, where he ought to learn how to become a real cowboy.
He did just that and became very skilled and experienced on a horse, remaining grateful to John Dutton for everything he’s done for him – giving him a second chance at a decent life. While at the 6666 ranch, though, Jimmy met another girl – Emily.
Emily was a veterinary technician at the 6666 ranch, and almost instantly, they grew fond of each other. Jimmy loved Emily’s honesty and straightforward attitude, while she loved his demeanor and kindness. The two fell in love and got engaged.
After a while, Jimmy was asked to come back to Montana, and Emily traveled with him. Once John Dutton saw that Jimmy became a real cowboy and really changed his ways to the core, he pardoned him and let him leave the Yellowstone Ranch for good, despite being branded way back in Season 1.
Jimmy thanked him, and at the end of Season 4, he and his love, Emily, rode off into the sunset back to the 6666 ranch in Texas.
How Yellowstone Season 5 set up the 6666 spin-off series?
Now, many fans – including myself – thought that it would be the end of Jimmy in Yellowstone and that Jefferson White’s character won’t return to the show. That is until White himself stated he’ll return in an interview for US Weekly:
“I’m in Season 5. Jimmy’s in season 5. (…) That’s great. I’m really looking forward to that. I didn’t know necessarily what Jimmy’s future was. I still don’t know exactly what Jimmy’s future holds.”
Then, Season 5 came, and we saw very little of Jimmy in the first half of the season. We learned that he and Emily are back at the 6666 ranch and that things are looking great – no tensions, no trouble. But that might soon be changing.
We’re still waiting on the second part of Yellowstone Season 5, but the first part finished with a huge problem for the Dutton family ranch – brucellosis. It’s a disease that can hop from human to cattle and vice-versa, which caused several calves on the ranch to be stillborn.
That prompted the Duttons to make a very expensive but necessary decision – move their entire herd far down south, where the disease couldn’t harm them. And, there’s not a ranch big enough anywhere down south that could take their entire herd – except, you guessed it – the 6666 ranch.
That means we’ll probably see much more of Jimmy in the second part of Yellowstone Season 5, and his fiance, Emily, will likely have a much larger role, seeing that she is a veterinary technician. However, it could also be a major set-up for the newest Taylor Sheridan-led spin-off series within the Yellowstone universe – 6666.
The series was announced in 2021 and confirmed in 2022, respectively, but no plot, cast, or release date has yet been confirmed. Not even Jefferson White himself knows officially if Jimmy will be a part of the spin-off show:
“People keep expecting me to know what’s going on, and nobody would tell Jimmy anything, right? Like, it feels like another way in which me and Jimmy are similar is that nobody tells me anything.”
However, we do know several important facts. We know that 6666 will happen in modern-day, simultaneously to Yellowstone, which ultimately means that Jimmy WILL be a key character in the series, as well as his wife-to-be, Emily. That is, if god forbid, nothing happens to them in Yellowstone Season 5’s second part, which arrives this summer.
We also know that, unlike other Yellowstone Universe spin-offs, 6666 will air live on Paramount Network instead of arriving at Paramount+ like 1823 and 1923.
The official synopsis for the show states the following:
“Founded when Comanches still ruled West Texas, no ranch in America is more steeped in the history of the West than the 6666.
Still operating as it did two centuries before and encompassing an entire county, the 6666 has inspired a new scripted series where the rule of law and the laws of nature merge in a place where the most dangerous thing one does is the next thing.
The 6666 is synonymous with the merciless endeavor to raise the finest horses and livestock in the world, and ultimately where world-class cowboys are born and made.”
Seeing all the connections with Yellowstone already made, I guess that Jimmy and Emily won’t be the only characters in 6666 that’ll cross over from the Yellowstone series. Especially considering that the Dutton ranch herd will likely be at the 6666 ranch for a while, we’ll probably see their cowboys staying on the ranch – and in the spin-off show – as well.
Why 6666 will be special
Lastly, I just wanted to touch up briefly on some of my thoughts about 6666 and why I believe it’ll be a uniquely special show within the Yellowstone universe. Of course, it’s the first spin-off where the name of the show (6666) doesn’t refer to a year (as it does in 1883 and 1923) but rather the name of a ranch.
However, the really special part of 6666 is that the Four Sixes ranch actually exists in real life. And I was amazed to hear who the owner was. After the last owner passed away, she would state the ranch ought to be sold.
266 000 acres of land were sold for a little under $342 million – to none other than Taylor Sheridan! Yes, the Yellowstone Universe creator (and a group of investors) bought the 6666 ranch, and the show will mainly be filmed at the real-life 6666 ranch location. Amazing, right?
I believe the show will be special due to Taylor’s incredible writing, which will certainly be even better and more personal, as it’s literally happening in Sheridan’s backyard, using his horses and cattle in the scenes.