Side-By-Side Pics Confirm Yellowstone Star Kelsey Asbille Can Rock Any Hair Length
Actor Kelsey Asbille has notably appeared in productions such as "Fargo," "Don't Move," and "Yellowstone," so she has had to undergo several hair transformations to embody the characters she portrays. Though she may have a little help from professional in-house stylists and a talented production team to look great on screen, her candid social media snaps — revealing what Monica from "Yellowstone" looks like in real life – prove that Asbille can pretty much rock any hair length.
Born to parents of Taiwanese, British, and Eastern Band Cherokee descent, the "Teen Wolf" actor has been blessed with voluminous, sleek brunette hair. Naturally, when wearing her hair long, Asbille could give any hair commercial model a run for their money. Surprisingly, the star looks just as striking with short hair, too. When she went as far as chopping it all off to sport a low pixie cut, Asbille's impeccable bone structure, chiseled jawline, and sharp features came into focus, resulting in a stunning image transformation, as seen in the side-by-side photos below – taken in 2019 (left) and 2024 (right).
Asbille, who stars as Monica Dutton on "Yellowstone," a Native American woman from the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, is known for her signature long dark hair. For the role, the actor takes pride in her own roots, explaining in an interview with Schön! "Family and home are forever inspirations for my work. Everything starts with them." As such, Asbille says she can completely relate to her role on the series, noting "'Yellowstone' is about family. Specifically, for my character Monica, it's about a woman trying to keep her family together."
Fans react to Kelsey Asbille's short hair
Avid "Yellowstone" fans had quite the surprise when Monica Dutton appeared in Season 5 with a dramatic haircut. Speculations prior suggested that, since she had become pregnant, she simply needed a more practical hairstyle for the role. But as the season unfolded, tragedy struck, and Monica lost the baby in a car crash.
As it turned out, Monica had cut her hair as a symbol of mourning the loss of her unborn child. "The significance of this action is many tribes cut their hair while grieving the death of an immediate family member, or to signify a traumatic event or a major life change," explained Tim Muir, head hair designer of "Yellowstone," as per The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild. "Cutting the hair for events penultimate represents the time spent with the deceased loved one and its ending." Muir went on to detail that filming out of sequence created challenges when it came to Monica's dramatic haircut, requiring him to create custom wig pieces to seamlessly blend with Asbille's real hair after it had already been cut. This allowed the production to maintain continuity throughout filming.
In reality, Asbille, who serves as an ambassador for David Yurman jewelry, had already debuted her short hairstyle while doing promo work for the luxury brand's 2022 campaign. Shortly after, she also began filming "Don't Move," rocking the super flattering haircut. Sharing photos on Instagram, Asbille's new look scored with fans. "I LOVE your short hair!!" one person wrote on a 2023 post, while another said, "Love that new cut. Just lovely."

