Yellowjackets Creators Reveal Fans Had Figured Out Early On the True Identity of Hilary Swank: 'They're on to Us'

Yellowjackets creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson reveal that fans quickly spotted Hilary Swank’s secret role. Read on for more details!

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Mar 29, 2025 | 06:11 PM GMT | 14.6K

CC: Instagram

Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the makers of Showtime's popular series Yellowjackets, have conceded that the show's fans very quickly figure out one of the series' biggest secrets: Hilary Swank's mysterious role.

During a recent Deadline interview before the show's most recent episode, the co-creators Lyle and Nickerson admitted the audience correctly theorized Swank would be brought in as adult Melissa, the character portrayed by Jenna Burgess in flashbacks.

Lyle said, "At first, when we aired the first couple episodes, I felt like, ‘They’re on to us.' I think that a lot of people are assuming at this point that she is adult Melissa, but I saw things like she’s an FBI agent, she’s a relative of somebody, and they were all very interesting, good guesses."

Lyle revealed that fan theories began to circulate even before the first season premiere was over, asserting she had figured the audience was "on to us" that early.

She added that although some of them correctly assumed, others made educated guesses, including theories that Swank's character could be a relative of a survivor or an FBI agent.

To keep the show suspenseful, Lyle and Nickerson have avoided going deep into the rabbit hole of speculations on social media and Reddit.

Swank expressed her excitement about playing the role in an interview with Vanity Fair. She said, "They shared with me the background for young Melissa. It’s such an interesting show for many reasons, but one is that they can really start creating anything—they can take one of those soccer players that was younger and make them into a bigger plotline. And it’s really genius so that they never run out of ideas."

With only two episodes left this season, viewers can't wait to find out how the dramatic reunion plays out. The next installment of Yellowjackets will be available to stream on Paramount+ next Friday.