Is Taylor Sheridan a Real Cowboy? Inside the ‘Yellowstone’ Creator’s Authentic Ranch Life
The ‘Yellowstone’ creator isn't just writing Western stories—he's living the cowboy life on a Texas ranch
Taylor Sheridan might be the mastermind behind some of the most iconic Western shows to date, but just because he has people wearing cowboy boots and hats, doesn’t necessarily mean he himself is putting on a belt buckle and herding cattle. Or does it? Below, we look into whether or not the Yellowstone and Landman writer and creator is a real cowboy and share what his life on the 6666 (pronounced four sixes) ranch looks like on the day to day. Scroll on for more.
Is Taylor Sheridan actually a real cowboy? His ranching roots explained
Sheridan was born in Texas in 1970 to a ranching family. He attended Texas State University as a Theater Arts major, but dropped out as a junior to persue his acting career. Finding little success, Sheridan decided to leave the screen and go for script writing, which resulted in several blockbuster films and TV shows, all of which are set in the Midwest and have some sort of cowboy element.
“I just make movies to support my horse habit,” Sheridan joked on Welcome Back to Yellowstone: The Official Yellowstone Podcast in November of 2022, before sharing that most of the horses on the show were actually his own. “All the horses, for the most part in our business, are terrible. They’re not very broke, they’re not very safe, which is one of the reasons you don’t see actors very often. And I didn’t want to do that, so I bought all the horses for the show and then taught the actors how to ride them.”
Also, learning to ride horses from Sheridan? His son Gus, whom he moved from Los Angeles to Utah for.
“I think the thing that really changed my perspective on my career was getting married and having a child. And then, really thinking about how I am going to raise that child. And if that child is going to look up to me, what is he looking up to me for? It made me reflect on my career very deeply,” Sheridan told Cowboy and Indians in 2020. “Also, I wanted to tell stories that mattered to me and not tell other people’s stories. I wanted to tell stories about my life and the lifestyle that I grew up in, and the world that I came from, so people could understand where I come from and the value of the upbringing that I had. That’s why I quit acting. That’s when I started telling those stories that I felt mattered to me.”
Following their stint in Utah, Sheridan, his wife Nicole Muirbrook and Gus moved to Texas to get back to his cowboy roots. They now live on the 6666 ranch, which consists of over 266,000 acres.
A look at Taylor Sheridan’s life as a cowboy
When he’s not working on a TV show or movie, Sheridan is found on his ranch with his cattle, horses, wife and son, the latter of which loves to be outside, enjoying the land.
“He’s never on his phone. He’s never on his Xbox. He’s always outside with the dogs, fishing with his buds or roller-skating in the barn,” Muirbrook told Cowgirl Magazine in December of 2021. “He also ropes, so he’s often on horseback. He’s just always doing something.”
“We have 12 dogs, some chickens, and cats because I love to rescue. It’s nice to have the space to do that,” she continued. “It’s [also] fun seeing my husband have his own brand. He comes from here. Between the horses and the TV side of things, I don’t know where it’s going to go, but it’s always a roller coaster going somewhere fast.”
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