As the nation braces for another presidential election, many important questions have captivated social media, chief among them — is Taylor Sheridan a Republican?
Okay, so concerns about the Yellowstone creator’s politics might not be at the absolute center of the discourse at this moment.
But with his flagship show returning to Paramount Network in less than one week, Sheridan is very much on the minds of millions of viewers.
Taylor Sheridan Is TV’s Top Hand
For those who are unfamiliar, Taylor Sheridan is one of TV’s most powerful producers — the cable equivalent of broadcast heavy-hitters like Dick Wolf and Shonda Rhimes.
As the brains behind Yellowstone and its many spinoffs, as well as a handful of other successful shows (Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King) and the upcoming oil industry drama Landman, Sheridan is a master of balancing prestige with populism.
And while he’s currently one of the most dominant figures in all of media, he’s also no stranger to the more earthy worlds that he writes about.
In fact, Sheridan used his TV earnings to purchase the massive Four Sixes ranch in northern Texas.
The unique blend of Hollywood success and ranch hand pedigree has led to questions about the super producer’s politics.
So … Is Taylor Sheridan a Republican?
Responding to a question about Yellowstone being branded (no pun intended) “the most red-state show on television,” Sheridan refuted the claim.
“They refer to it as ‘the conservative show’ or ‘the Republican show’ or ‘the red-state Game of Thrones.’” And I just sit back laughing. I’m like, ‘Really?’” he told The Atlantic.
“The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated and about corporate greed and the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?”
Changing Horses In Midstream?
In fairness to fans who might have gotten the wrong idea about Taylor Sheridan’s ideology, his political statements over the years could best be described as cryptic.
“Can we just impeach that motherf–er right now?” he allegedly said about Trump (per The Atlantic).
But when journalist Sridhar Pappu asked about the remark, Sheridan replied simply, “I don’t recall that.”
He went on to blame the comment on exhaustion stemming from a media tour promoting his 2017 film Wind River.
The Truth About Taylor
In a 2022 piece about Sheridan, The Wrap writer Drew Taylor posited that Paramount might be pressuring Sheridan to maintain the illusion that Yellowstone is a firmly Republican show.
But it’s worth noting that the producer has independently made remarks that seem to betray a frustration with the kind of leftwing terminology that’s commonly associated with “wokeness.”
“Help me, Mr. Harvard-f–king-Ph.D., convince the man who’s losing his ranch, who can’t afford his kid’s college. He has no health care, he has no fucking clue what Obamacare is. He’s never seen a social-security-fucking-office, his only concept of federal government is taxes. How do I convince that guy he’s privileged? You won’t do it,” he told Esquire in 2018.
It sounds like Sheridan’s belief system might just be stubbornly difficult to categorize. But since he seems to have no intention or running for office, such political ambiguity shouldn’t present much of a problem.
Red, Blue, and Yellowstone
Of course, the idea that a television show needs to have a political affiliation is a little absurd and a reflection of the insanely divisive times in which we live.
Every night millions of Americans tune into broadcast TV dramas that are, for the most part, politically neutral.
These shows have too much to lose by alienating half their potential audience with any explicit political statements. And despite what conspiracy theorists would have you believe network execs are motivated almost exclusively by the bottom line.
And as a one-man media empire with six shows currently in production, Sheridan is in a similar position to the bigwigs at CBS and NBC.
It’s in his best interest to keep his political beliefs under his 10-gallon hat, so that’s what he does. For the most part.
And it wouldn’t really befit the man’s stoic cowboy persona if he were to risk everything that he’s worked for by spouting off with political hot takes, now would it?
Maybe we should all just enjoy the man’s output and be glad for the few remaining corners of American life that have not become overtly political. Yet.
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