'Dutton Ranch' Feud Between Cole Hauser, Taylor Sheridan Nearly Comes to Blows

Rip Wheeler's got beef with the boss ... and this Dutton Ranch feud has apparently come damn close to getting physical.

Cole Hauser and Taylor Sheridan have reportedly been butting heads behind the scenes for years, with the Daily Mail reporting one clash during "Yellowstone" nearly turned into a fistfight.

That wouldn't exactly be a first ... Hauser previously revealed he and Sheridan actually fought the second time they ever met ... before eventually becoming friends.

But the tension apparently never fully disappeared.

The Mail's sources describe the two as total opposites -- Hauser the laid-back California guy, Sheridan the hard-charging Texas cowboy -- and say they've repeatedly clashed.

Things got messier in 2023, when Sheridan sued Hauser over their competing cowboy coffee brands ... accusing Hauser's Free Rein of using branding too similar to his Bosque Ranch company. They settled the case privately in 2024.

More recently, Hauser publicly complained about Sheridan not being around much for the first season of "Dutton Ranch," saying production was a challenge.

According to the Mail, those comments didn't sit well with Sheridan ... with one source saying they made it sound like there were problems behind the scenes.

Hauser has also griped about filming in North Texas, where the brutal heat made it tough to keep on the roughly 25 pounds he normally gains to play Rip.

Still, Hauser reportedly has plenty of respect for Sheridan and knows "Yellowstone" turned Rip Wheeler into his biggest role.