A Story of Art and Life
Art and life have a unique way of intertwining, and this was evident in the recent episode of the Yellowstone spin-off Marshals. The show paid a heartfelt tribute to Cole Brings Plenty, a late actor who was part of the Western franchise. This tribute was not only a nod to his contributions but also a personal homage from his uncle, Mo Brings Plenty, who is also part of the series.
Cole Brings Plenty, who was 27 years old, was found dead in Kansas in April 2024. He had appeared in two episodes of the spinoff 1923 in 2023. Prior to his tragic death, he was named a suspect in a domestic violence probe and was declared missing. His body was discovered in a rural area, marking a devastating end to his life.
In the latest episode of the CBS series, a memorial scene was included for a character named Monica, played by Kelsey Asbille. The scene depicted relatives gathering at the Brocken Rock reservation for a funeral. Among those present were Kayce (played by Luke Grimes), Tate (Brecken Merrill), and Grandfather (Rudy Ramos). Also attending were Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel) and her group of Marshals: Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos), and Pete ‘Cal’ Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green).
Kebbel shared her experience with People about the somber atmosphere during the filming of the funeral scene. She mentioned that Mo Brings Plenty brought his family to the event as a way of honoring his nephew. “It was very emotional,” she said. “I will remember that day for as long as I live. It was a real reminder that the lines between art and life are very blurred and very powerful.”
Kebbel described the Brings Plenty family as a beautiful community and expressed her intention to commemorate them with a fashion statement. “They’re sending me handmade jewelry that I’m going to wear in their honor,” she added. “It brings me to tears to be part of this community and also to learn more about what happened to Cole and bring that awareness.”
Mo Brings Plenty recently spoke about the impact of his nephew’s mysterious death and the lack of resources dedicated to solving it. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he expressed his feelings about the situation. “Cole was my nephew, but he was like a son to me,” he said. “For his murder to go uninvestigated, and for it to be written off as ‘no foul play,’ because they didn’t want to invest anything into it? Because we’re taxpaying people as well.”
He continued, “So for them to not work for us, no different than how they work for anyone else is pretty sad.” Mo Brings Plenty hoped that the issue would continue to be addressed in future storylines. “There are a lot of families such as mine that are going through this right now, and we still have a lot of unanswered questions.”
Mo Brings Plenty criticized the attention and resources local authorities provided in finding his late nephew after he was declared missing. “The departments didn’t put much effort into it,” he said. “In fact, they weren’t even really looking for him. They were hunting him. They weren’t searching for him. They were hunting him until the day when a good friend of mine and I rented a helicopter and told the Lawrence Police Department that we were going to go and search from the air, and that day, they were out in full force.”
Both the Kansas-based law enforcement agencies involved in the probe surrounding Cole Brings Plenty’s death issued statements published by People following Mo Brings Plenty’s remarks. The Lawrence Police Department stated that, with the family’s permission, they would be willing to release a full report of their investigative efforts and results. Officials added that they provided a complete, in-person presentation of the evidence to the family, which included videos, witness statements, and photographs.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson mentioned that they conducted a thorough investigation into the death of Cole Brings Plenty and revealed these findings to the family. However, due to a court order obtained by the family sealing the records from public release, they were unable to provide details of the investigation.
Marshals can be seen Sundays at 8/7c on CBS.
