The “Yellowstone” spinoff “1923” lost one of its stars last year — and in the Season 2 premiere, it paid tribute to him.
Actor Cole Brings Plenty, who starred in the first season of the show as Pete Plenty Clouds, died at age 27 last year.
During the Season 2 premiere of the Taylor Sheridan show (which kicked off Sunday, Feb. 23 on Paramount+), Plenty’s photo was shown on the screen, along with an “In Memoriam” message.
Plenty, who was the nephew of “Yellowstone” actor Mo Brings Plenty, went missing in 2024 after an alleged domestic violence incident. The news came out on April 2 of that year, but he had reportedly been missing since Easter, which fell on March 31, 2024.
At the time, “Yellowstone” star Cole Hauser, 49, shared information about Plenty’s disappearance on Instagram, posting, “My good friend @mobringsplenty nephew is missing.”
In a police report of the alleged incident obtained by The Post, Plenty was cited for two offenses: “aggravated domestic battery; choke in rude manner; family member/dating relationship” and “aggravated burglary; dwelling for felony, theft, domestic violence, or sexually motivated crime.”
His manager said in a statement at the time, “Despite our persistent efforts, we have been unable to establish contact with Cole; his disappearance without informing anyone of his whereabouts is uncharacteristic of Cole and deeply concerning.”
Plenty was found dead in a wooded area in Kansas on April 5, 2024.
On April 11 of that year, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office announced via Facebook that there was “no indication of foul play.”
“This is a tragic case for everyone involved,” Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said in a statement. “Your Police Department worked very hard to investigate the incidents and worked very hard to find Cole.”
“None of us could have imagined this outcome,” Lockhart continued. “I learned through this series of events that our Police Department must work harder to increase trust with our Native American community members.”
A cause of death has not been announced.
The role of Pete was recast in”1923” Season 2, now played by actor Jeremy Gauna.
The show is set in the 1920s, following “Yellowstone” characters ancestors. Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer also star in the spinoff.
Plenty was part of the show’s plot line following Native American characters.
Plenty’s co-star Aminah Nieves told Town & Country that the actor who replaced Plenty, whom she called “Coco,” had been friends with the late star.
“In season two, Coco — he was definitely there in spirit. JP Gauna, he came in and was able to honor Coco in that sense,” she said.
“Being able to share a screen with someone who was also friends with Coco, and who took it in stride and wanted to honor him as best as he could—and did his damn best, he’s incredible — really helped us all feel kind of safe and protected.”
Nieves added that the late actor was “definitely there whispering in the wind…I remember the first day [back on] set. I was alone in the back, in the trees, and I just heard him reverberating off of my body and my ears and I just wept. He was there. The whole season, he was always there.”