Yellowstone actress accused of illegally collecting over $90,000 in disability benefits


Q'Orianka Kilcher, an actress who appeared on the hit show Yellowstone, has been hit with workers' compensation insurance fraud charges.
The California Department of Insurance said that Kilcher, who played Angela Blue Thunder on Yellowstone, illegally collected over $90,000 in disability benefits that she shouldn't have received, as she was allegedly working on the Paramount Network series while claiming to be too injured to work.
According to a press release, Kilcher allegedly hurt her neck and shoulder during production of the movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold. By October 2019, she contacted an insurance company and told a doctor she was unable to accept work because of her neck pain, and she started receiving disability benefits based on this, collecting $96,838 from October 2019 to September 2021, officials alleged.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Kilcher allegedly worked on Yellowstone from July to October of 2019, "despite her statements to the doctor that she had been unable to work for a year."
The case is being prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and Kilcher was arraigned on May 27. In a statement to The Associated Press, the actress' attorney denied the allegations, saying third-party doctors verified her injury and confirmed she was entitled to benefits.
"Ms. Kilcher was at all times candid with her doctors and treatment providers … and she never intentionally accepted benefits that she did not believe she was entitled to," the attorney said, adding she will "vigorously defend herself."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Crossword: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literature
Speed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year