Taylor Sheridan’s New Book Reveals How He Really Met His Co-Author and Friend Tom Nelson
The 'Yellowstone' creator's new book is raw, funny and full of surprises. Here are the best moments
Key Takeaways
- Taylor Sheridan co-wrote the book with longtime friend and ex-inmate Tom Nelson.
- Sheridan reveals he once helped Nelson out of a financial crisis.
- Despite the book's title, Sheridan has never actually been to prison himself.
Taylor Sheridan’s new book, How Not to Die In Prison, releases today, and after reading it with a fine-tooth shiv, we can say with full confidence that no one is ready for what’s inside. The book, which the Yellowstone creator co-wrote with his longtime friend (and ex-inmate) Tom Nelson, is funny, fun and revealing, and below we share the best moments from the pages. Read on for more.
What is ‘How Not to Die in Prison’ about?
How to Not Die in Prison does exactly what the title promises: It gives readers tips and tricks on how to—you guessed it—not die in prison. From navigating the social hierarchy and avoiding dangerous situations to understanding prison politics and knowing when to keep your mouth shut, the book offers hard-earned wisdom that could save a prisoner’s life behind bars. It’s part survival guide, part cautionary tale, and it’s surprisingly funny throughout.
Has Taylor Sheridan ever been in prison?
Given the title of the book, many people have been wondering if Sheridan has ever been in prison. He hasn’t.
“You might wonder what in the world gives me the knowledge or wisdom to write a survival guide to prison. Well, I’ll tell you—absolutely nothing,” the Landman creator writes. “I’ve never been to prison. But, like every man, I’ve certainly wondered how I would survive if circumstances ever put me there.”
The 4 most revealing moments from Taylor Sheridan’s book
Taylor Sheridan reveals how he met Tom Nelson
Since Sheridan and Nelson co-wrote the book, many have been wondering how they met and what Nelson did to end up in jail. Thankfully Sheridan explains both in the book, writing that Nelson sold drugs and assaulted people on more than one occasion, ending up in jail several times. Post-prison, Nelson began working as a personal trainer at a gym and that’s where he met Sheridan.
“He became a personal trainer at the gym, and trained my wife for years. Somewhere around 2008, he opened his own gym,” Sheridan writes in the book. “I instantly switched from Buns on Beverly [the old gym] to Muscle Mechanics [Nelson’s new gym]. And I watched it grow over the years into the largest independent private-training gym in Los Angeles.”
Taylor Sheridan opens up about money
With an estimated net worth of $200 to $500 million, it’s no surprise that many people have asked Sheridan for money over the years, including Nelson. Sheridan even bought Nelson’s old gym equipment at one point in an attempt to help him out. The equipment was used on the set of Yellowstone, but in the end it wasn’t enough to help Nelson with his bills and medical expenses. “He asked for help. First things first, I got his -ss on a plane and ran him through a barrage of doctors to figure his health out. They got to the bottom of his issues, and a road to physical recovery was under way,” Sheridan writes.
Taylor Sheridan talks ‘Mayor of Kingstown’
One of Sheridan’s most popular shows is Mayor of Kingstown, which follows a group of guards and inmates in a town called Kingstown. The fifth season of the show is expected to be released soon, and according to Sheridan, working on the show was what got him interested in the justice system.
“We filmed Mayor of Kingstown in Toronto and a town north called Kingston—where numerous prisons are located. One of them had been taken out of commission, and we filmed all our prison scenes in that location, even using former inmates as extras in the show,” Sheridan writes. “In one particular scene, which was the ‘initiation’ of a new inmate—a child killer, no less—we had to pause filming and bring in paramedics: One of the extras was so traumatized by the reenactment, he had a panic attack that was severe enough to send him to the hospital. Two other former inmates asked to leave immediately, SAG card be damned. That’s how bad prison can be: Former inmates don’t even want to pretend they are back.”
Taylor Sheridan opens up about his acting career
Long before he was a writer and director, Sheridan was trying to make it as an actor. He had some luck, but that career never took off.
“I played numerous versions of Tom—I was the killer on CSI: NY, I was the killer on NYPD Blue, I was not the killer on CSI, but I sure looked like the killer until the end of the episode. I played a reformed killer on The Guardian, a soon-to-be killer on Walker, Texas Ranger,” Sheridan writes. “I finally landed a regular gig as—of all things—a police deputy on a show about a biker gang [Sons of Anarchy]. After two years of that b-llsh-t, I had ‘deputied’ all the desire to act out of my system. I decided to write my own stories.”
You can pick up your copy of How Not to Die In Prison now wherever books are sold.
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