Apologies for the obvious metaphor, but there's a ranch full of characters on Paramount Network's smash hit Yellowstone. Obviously we've got our main Dutton family (John, Kayce, Beth, and Jamie), along with Rip, Thomas Rainwater, and Kayce's family (Monica and Tate) taking up the majority of our scenes. But when we get to the hive of scum and villainy known as the Dutton Ranch bunkhouse, there's a whole new branch of characters and storylines who sometimes serve to provide the flavor and comic relief in a show that can otherwise get a bit dour. Some of the characters there—Lloyd and Colby, for instance—have remained consistent, while others cycled in as time passes. One of the latter is a born and bred, pink-haired Texan cowboy named Teeter.
Yes, Teeter is actually her name, and from her first appearance in Season 3 of Yellowstone, she's been one of the show's most consistently fun and entertaining characters.
Teeter's defining quality is easily put: she's unfiltered. It didn't take long for her to get the job as a ranch hand on The Yellowstone, and with her no bullshit attitude (and dirty, crude, vernacular), she quickly got Dutton Ranch big wigs like John and Rip onto her side.
There's also her slow-burn "romance" (if we even want to call it that) with fellow ranch hand Colby, which actually led to her most dramatic moment yet. Remember that after many previous inquiries, Colby finally took Teeter up on her offer for the two to go skinny dipping, when the two of them were attacked by Dutton family rivals, trampled in the water. Colby and Teeter survived (though Teeter had a gnarly facial laceration) and both were a part of the vengeance later in the season to get revenge for this moment.
Eventually, in the Season 3 finale, Teeter got the Y brand on her own upper chest, along with several others. She was always a likable character, but has clearly become more than just a device for some comic relief. Though, as Season 3 Episode 4 "Winning or Learning" showed, Yellowstone is not above using her to make a silly little moment about eating a gross-but-delicious cow stew either.
So, since we're all on board with Teeter being great, lets talk a little about the actress who plays her.
Yellowstone's Teeter is played by Jen Landon
Apologies for being the one to pull the curtain back, but the actress who plays Teeter is not actually from Texas and doesn't actually have pink hair. Jen Landon, in actuality, is from Malibu, California, and comes from a big acting family that stems from her father, Michael Landon. Michael Landon was an OG of television, appearing in lead roles on both Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza.
Michael Landon was married three times, and as a result, Jen Landon has one brother and eight half-siblings. Many of those half-siblings are also in show business, including half-brother Christopher Landon, who's best known as one of the most exciting new filmmakers in the horror genre; he's directed the Happy Death Day series as well as 2020's Freaky.
Jen Landon cut her teeth in soap operas initially, appearing on As the World Turns, The Young and The Restless, and Days of Our Lives, before moving on and landing roles in shows like Banshee, Animal Kingdom, and The Orville, and movies like Jason Reitman's The Front Runner. Simultaneously with Yellowstone, she also currently has a recurring role on CBS' FBI: Most Wanted as Sarah, the girlfriend of that show's lead character, Jess, played by Julian McMahon.
Aside from her outsized personality, maybe the aspect of Teeter that stands out the most is her unique speech pattern. As a Paramount Network video details, Teeter's dialogue is written exactly the way it sounds. Example? When she says "Wanna backrub?" it appears on the page as "Wawna Bekkrewb?"
"Let's just take a moment for Taylor," she says, crediting series creator Taylor Sheridan. "People were like, 'How did you come up with the way she spoke?' and I was like, 'I basically just read exactly what he wrote.'"
Let's hope that Sheridan and Landon can keep that beautiful music—the music being Teeter's one-of-a-kind dialogue—going for at least a few more seasons.
