Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Does John Dutton hate Jamie?
The answer is yes, and there’s no way of denying that strong tension between them. Throughout the entire run of Yellowstone, Jamie had been trying to win the approval of his father – something that came so easily for his siblings Kayce and Beth. He went to law school for his father and the protection of the ranch, helped cover up all of the illegal works of their family, and made sacrifices to help Duttons remain in control. But despite the loyalty he has shown, John never acknowledged him. Why?
The Adopted Son
In season 3, it was revealed that Jamie was not a Dutton by blood. As the story went on, Jamie’s mother was murdered by her husband, Garrett Randall, when he was just three months old. His mom and John’s wife Evelyn were friends, and so the Dutton couple adopted him. While it was clear that the friendship Evelyn shared with Jamie’s biological mother fueled her motive to adopt Jamie, John’s remained unclear. As we all know, John is not exactly charitable to non-biological members. So with how John Dutton is treating Jamie now and the hate he has for him, it was most likely that it was Evelyn’s decision to adopt him.
Beth’s sterilization
Beth is undeniably a favorite of John’s. She is his blood. And so when he found out that the reason behind Beth’s infertility was Jamie, fans theorized that it added even more fuel to his hate. As we might recall, Jamie accompanied Beth to an abortion clinic and signed off to a hysterectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the womb (uterus), without Beth’s consent. But this is still difficult to discern as it seemed like John was open to give Jamie another chance.
Running for Attorney General
It’s true that Jamie has sacrificed a lot for John and the rest of his family. But there were also times that he put the Duttons and their reputation in danger.
In season 2, Jamie ran for attorney general with the support of Governor Perry despite his father’s misgivings and open opposition. He even tried to launch an open war with his father and met up with Sarah Nguyen, a journalist who wanted to write an expose on John Dutton. But Jaime got cold feet and realized that he didn’t want to betray his family just to win. He retracted his interview and dropped out of the race, and begged for John’s forgiveness.
The Attack on the Duttons
Then in season 3, his biological father, Garrett Randall, hired his cellmate Riggins to attack John, Beth, and Kayce. While all three of them survived, they did suffer from serious injuries. Jamie didn’t have any involvement with what happened, but when he did find out about it, he didn’t do anything with the information.
But even with all of those things, fans think that John’s hate and vindictiveness toward Jamie are unfounded. One Redditor commented, “It’s honestly just a bad storyline with no real context. There is no rhyme or reason for the hate.” Though some argue that John doesn’t really hate Jamie quoting John saying that he loves Jamie. And it was just that he was disappointed in him.
Final thoughts: Does John Dutton hate Jamie? The answer remains yes because, as they say, “Actions speak louder than words.”
