Taylor Sheridan is often lauded for being a prolific storyteller and showrunner, given he’s affiliated with nine compelling series, including those in the Yellowstone universe, as well as Landman, Special Ops: Lioness, Tulsa King, and Mayor of Kingstown. With this in mind, there’s no denying that the writer, producer, director, and actor is creative and accomplished, a real entrepreneur. Still, after watching the penultimate episode of Yellowstone, many fans have questioned his level of involvement.
“This isn’t Yellowstone. It’s the Taylor Sheridan Show written by Taylor Sheridan, starring Taylor Sheridan, produced by Taylor Sheridan, filmed on property owned by Taylor Sheridan, featuring commercials for other shows written, starring, and produced by Taylor Sheridan,” one fan commented in annoyance. “So Taylor Sheridan is finally getting to live his dreams of being the main character? Costner did well to leave. This is all now an ego trip, a giant ad for Sheridan’s businesses, and a love story between him and himself,” another begrudged fan commented. “We get it, Taylor. You love yourself,” someone else wrote. “This episode was truly disappointing. Sheridan’s enormous ego overshadowed everything as he showcased his name in every aspect of that hour,” another fan remarked.
This isn’t the first time Taylor’s self-serving nature has been called into question. It’s rumored that a major reason why Yellowstone Season 5 took so long to return—and why Kevin Costner is no longer part of the cast—is because Taylor refused to budge on his creative direction and couldn’t set his ego aside. And that’s something fans remembered on the show’s Instagram page following Episode 13. “Now I know why Costner left,” one Instagrammer commented—garnering over 700 likes and counting.
With only a single episode of Season 5 left in the rafters, fans can’t help but wonder what’s in store for the Dutton family and Yellowstone ranch. One thing’s for certain, though: We’re collectively hoping that Taylor doesn’t dominate the screen when so many loose ends still need to be tied.
Rebecca Norris is a full-time freelance writer living in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Over the past 10+ years, she’s heavily covered a range of lifestyle topics, including travel, home, beauty, style, wellness, and celebrity news. She is a graduate of George Mason University, where she earned a B.A. in Media: Production, Consumption, and Critique, along with a minor in Electronic Journalism. When she's not writing, she can be found strolling with her Jack-Chi, Cash, sipping iced matcha lattes, indulging in delicious cuisine, perusing farmer’s markets and antique sales, collecting colored glass, getting lost within the pages of a book, and exploring new bucket-list cities.
