Mixing art and commerce hasn’t always gone down smoothly. *Yellowstone* fans were outraged by an episode during the show’s final season in which Beth Dutton orders a Tito’s vodka and soda, only to be informed by the barkeep that the establishment serves Four Sixes vodka. Yet Sheridan’s Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse at the Wynn Hotel and Casino has become one of the most sought-after tables in Las Vegas since opening in 2024. “He chose to put an upscale steakhouse in the nicest hotel in Vegas—it is not cheap, and that’s a choice,” Belloni says. “He’s going after a version of the American West that is upscale and aspirational. That’s an important aspect of his brand.”

And while Sheridan’s neo-Western mythmaking might explore red-state values and culture, it has become a rare unifying force in a divided nation. Ask the liberal lions who’ve signed on to his shows, including Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tom Hanks, and Samuel L. Jackson (who stars in the forthcoming *Frisco King*). Sheridan’s influence on the zeitgeist can be seen in everything from Steven Spielberg declaring his dream to make a Western to Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid wearing Stetsons for a cover story in *Vogue*.

The Sheridan effect divides actual ranchers in the Mountain West. Some of them appreciate the spotlight he’s shone on the challenges they face, but they’re wary that the attention it brings will hurt their way of life. It already has, according to Montana native Keegan Nashan, a community organizer and activist who has been raising the alarm about gentrification and gentri-vacations. “A lot of people are grateful for his vision—a nod to that preservation is lovely,” she says. “In the same breath, there’s the fetishization of the lifestyle. You’re allowed to cosplay, but when so many people play pretend, the folks who carried on the tradition of rodeo and ranching can’t afford to do so anymore. That’s heartbreaking.”

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How Taylor Sheridan Won the West | He was a broke actor from Waco—and now he's the most powerful man in television (Unpaywalled)