Yellowstone Star: Locals Not Happy With Californians
Luke Grimes — the actor and musician known for Yellowstone — moved to Montana after filming there. He says the move hasn’t been all sunshine and wide-open skies.
On the Joe Rogan podcast, Grimes talked straight about how locals feel when Californians show up with out-of-state plates. He didn’t hold back about the backlash.
“Well, your show made a lot of f—ing people move out there, though,” Rogan pointed out during his podcast.
Grimes answered bluntly: “That’s true. Yeah. And they’re not happy about it,” Grimes admitted. “The valley that I live in, we had some people come visit us. Our friends from California drove out, and we went on a hike, and we were in their car. And they had, you know, Cali plates.
“We get off the hike, and someone had written ‘go back’ in the dust on their car. Like, people are super weird about it, so I don’t tell anyone exactly where I’m at because they would get really mad at me.”
He went on: “I can’t go to bars there anymore because whatever that one idiot is, is at the bar, and he can’t wait to start a fight with me. Just like can’t wait to do it because it’s like a win-win for him, you know? He gets to sue me or something. I don’t know, but it’s a lose-lose for me,” Grimes said.
This isn’t just celebrity drama. It’s a real social shift. People who move from blue states like California often bring different values and voting habits. In places where community ties run deep, newcomers can set off pushback.
Some see it as culture clash. Others see it as political change by migration. Either way, the result is tension. Longtime Montanans worry about rising prices, crowded trails, and politics shifting as new residents register to vote.
Grimes’ story shows how pop culture can reshape small towns. A hit show brings fans, attention, and sometimes trouble. Locals welcome business — but not always the social freight that comes with it.
Watch the clip from the podcast here: