Taylor Sheridan Shined in ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ But His Departure Was Tense—The True Story Revealed
The actor got candid about the salary dispute and harsh words that led to his shocking exit
Key Takeaways
- Taylor Sheridan visited 'The Howard Stern Show' to promote his new book.
- While there, he opened up about his experience as an actor on 'Sons of Anarchy.'
- Taylor Sheridan got candid about the conditions that led him to quit the show.
Before Taylor Sheridan became the mastermind behind series such as Yellowstone, Landman and Lioness, he was a struggling actor getting by on television guest appearances. In 2008, he debuted on Sons of Anarchy. The hit drama series led by Charlie Hunnam followed a California-based outlaw motorcycle club, with Hunnam playing the part of Jax, a young member rising in the ranks of the club his father founded, struggling with their criminal ways.
Sheridan was introduced as Deputy Chief David Hale, one of the main antagonists in the show’s early seasons. His strict adherence to the law put him at constant odds with the club as he attempted to expose and punish them for their criminal ways, but he was ultimately killed off at the start of the third season when he quit the series.
While Sheridan’s departure from the show has long been discussed, the famed TV and film writer got candid about what truly went down during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. While his departure was ultimately a blessing in disguise, as his treatment on the series prompted him to pursue writing and leave acting behind, he did refer to it as his “worst beating.”
Taylor Sheridan on his ‘Sons of Anarchy’ departure
Sheridan opened up about leaving the show, saying that despite being a less-than-ideal experience, it was also “the greatest gift that I ever got.”
He continued, “I literally would leave the set of that show and go to my other job, cause I didn’t make enough on that show to pay my rent and live. So after Season 2, I said, ‘Guys, I’m not coming back and doing this again for this price.’ I’m just not doing it. I want what the other 14 people—not even asking for what Charlie [Hunnam] gets or Katey [Sagal] or Ron Perlman—I just want what the other 11 guys are getting. And they couldn’t do it.”
He went on to explain that each of the additional 11 recurring cast members were being paid $20,000 per each of the 13 episodes “before taxes, before agents, before everything,” revealing that he wasn’t asking for an “exorbitant amount of money.” When he was only offered $15,000 per episode for ten episodes, he made the decision to say goodbye.
“I do the math on it and I said, ‘That’s not a raise. What is that?’ And I said no, and my attorney responded to this business affairs guy. He said, ‘Look, I’ve got kids on cooking shows on YouTube that make more than that.’ And he goes, ‘Well, then the guy should go get a cooking show on YouTube. We just don’t have to pay him because there’s 50 of that dude. I can recast that guy tomorrow.’ And so I realized my value is I’m imminently replaceable and that my business did not respect me.”
Sheridan remembers thinking about his young son and the example he’d be setting for him. “So I quit the show. I said, look, whether you want to call it pride or ego or integrity, I don’t know what you call it, but I just realized I’ve maxed out what I can do as an actor in this industry. So, I’m not going to try to do it anymore. And the people that have all the power are the people telling stories. So, I’m going to tell my own stories. And so, that’s when I decided that I was going to write. I quit.”
It was a bold move—walking away from steady work with no guarantee of what would come next. Today, however, Taylor Sheridan’s story stands as a powerful reminder that sometimes the doors that close in our faces are actually pushing us toward our true calling.
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