Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for 1923 season 2, episode 2.Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer) has already named her unborn child in1923season 2, and it solves a massive mystery surrounding John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) inYellowstone. There has been a longstanding mystery surroundingthe Dutton family treesinceYellowstoneseason 2. There’s a fairly clear line between James Dutton (Tim McGraw) in1883to John Dutton III inYellowstone, but it’s not clear exactlywho John Dutton II’s father was. Either Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) or Spencer’s (Brandon Sklenar) child could be the missing link in the Dutton lineage, but there’s no official confirmation yet.
Luckily,1923season 2 just took a major step in solving the mystery of John Dutton II’s father. In thepremiere of1923season 2, Alexandra revealed that she was pregnant with Spencer’s child. It seemed like that child would be the answer toYellowstone’s John II mystery. However,1923season 2, episode 2 debunked that theory and solved the mystery of Spencer’s child and his connection to John Dutton III.
1923 Season 2 Already Reveals Alexandra & Spencer’s Baby Isn’t John Dutton II
Alexandra Said Her Baby Would Have Spencer’s Name, Which Works For Both Boys & Girls
At theend of1923season 2, episode 2, Alexandra embarked on her journey to meet Spencer in America. While Alexandra was narrating a letter written to Spencer, she referred to her baby as “the child that shall bear your name.” Evidently,Alexandra is going to name their baby Spencer, which works for both boys and girls, meaning their first child together won’t be John Dutton II. While their first child isn’t the missing link in the Dutton lineage, it doesn’t mean they can’t be the source of John Dutton II.
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The Dutton curse thatYellowstonecentered around declared that the Duttons would lose the Yellowstone ranch within seven generations. Spencer is a second-generation Dutton, however, meaning that if his child was John Dutton II, Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) would only be a sixth-generation Dutton.If Spencer is a direct ancestor of John II, he has to be the grandfather, not the father. Spencer Dutton II could have a child as early as the 1940s, which would still leave enough time for John II to be an old man inYellowstone’s flashbacks.
Why Jack Can’t Be John Dutton II
Jack Would Have Been Almost 120 Years Old When John Dutton II Died In Yellowstone
Even if John Dutton II doesn’t come from Spencer and Alexandra’s marriage, he simply can’t be Jack Dutton. Jack is often used as a nickname for John, especially when the child’s father is also named John. However,since John Dutton II died sometime prior to the start ofYellowstonein 2018, Jack Dutton is too old to be him. Jack is already in his 20s in1923, so if he were John Dutton II, he would have been around 120 years old, which is an impossibly long life. John Dutton II must have been born after 1923, meaning he hasn’t appeared in the show yet.
If Jack were John II, he would also run into the same generation problem Spencer has, where Tate would only be a sixth-generation Dutton. However,since Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) has already miscarried, and since she wants to leave the Yellowstone and her life as a rancher’s wife behind, it seems doubtful that Jack will be the father of John II. Spencer may well prove to be John Dutton II’s grandfather, but the answer may also be left to one of theupcomingYellowstonespinoffs. While1923has cleared up the mystery of Spencer’s child, it hasn’t fully solved John Dutton II’s parentage.
1923
Cast
1923 is a series following the Dutton family during the early twentieth century. It explores the challenges they face amidst pandemics, the end of Prohibition, historic drought, and the Great Depression, as they struggle to maintain their home in the mountain west.
Yellowstone
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on June 11, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
