If you thought he was cool, just wait until you learn more about Taylor Sheridan's wife Nicole Muirbrook Sheridan. Sheridan is best known for helping to reinvigorate a love of the western genre with his Paramount Network show Yellowstone and hit films including Wind River and Hell or High Water. As his filmography shifted from supporting actor to renowned screenwriter, he had his wife Nicole by his side. A woman who loves the outdoors and Wild West just as much as her husband.
Nicole was a self-proclaimed tomboy who grew up in Salt Lake City but loved riding horses at her grandparents' ranch out in Wyoming whenever she got the chance. While shopping with her mother at a local mall, she was discovered by a modeling scout. She decided to sign with the agent and spent time modeling in Los Angeles, Miami, Paris and Milan. She was a Vogue model, appeared on the cover of Marie Claire and worked with major fashion brands all while getting to travel the world by her early 20s.
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Nicole decided to try her hand at acting back in Hollywood. She appeared on TV shows like popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother, where many thought she might take on the role of Ted Mosby's future wife (she did not) and Dark Blue. She also appeared as Thalia in the Jada Pinkett Smith-directed film The Human Contract as well as Christina in I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. That's actually how she met Taylor Sheridan. At the time, Sheridan was an actor who was appearing on Sons of Anarchy and coaching other actors on the side to make ends meet. When Nicole and Sheridan met, they were immediately inseparable. Pretty soon, they had moved in together and welcomed their son Gus.
Read More: Taylor Sheridan Opens Up About Why He Left 'Sons of Anarchy'
Initially, the couple struggled financially to make ends meet. Sheridan has opened up about how his low pay on Sons of Anarchy led to his decision to quit acting and become a screenwriter. According to his wife, that paid off fairly quickly. He started with the Emily Blunt led thriller Sicario followed by modern western Hell or High Water, which starred Jeff Bridges and earned Sheridan an Academy Award nomination.
"At the time it was like 'let's just make enough to pay a mortgage or rent or food.' We were literally starving," Nicole told Cowgirl Magazine.
"That's when Taylor started writing, and two years later, we were at the Oscars ... I still can't believe it."
The Sheridans decided they wanted to leave the concrete of Los Angeles and move to an area that would let them raise their son in a more rustic setting they were both craving. So after the success of multiple films and the hit TV series Yellowstone, they settled down in Park City, Utah. But that was short-lived and Sheridan set his sights on something better.
(Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
"We were living in Park City, and Taylor really didn't like the snow," said Nicole. "So, he rolled over one morning and said, 'Honey, we're getting the hell out of here,' and I'm like 'Where are we going?' 'We're going to go to Texas,' he replied."
"We actually bought the house before I'd ever seen it," Nicole recalled. "With the hectic schedule of Yellowstone, he was like, 'Maybe we should go see the house.' So, I flew there on a weekend, and I loved it."
Now the Sheridan family is based on their Bosque Ranch — over 600 acres settled along the Brazos River in Weatherford, Texas. They are raising 100 horses, many of which compete in reining and cutting sports, which Sheridan and his wife both compete in, as well as various farm animals and rescue pets. Nicole actually won her first buckle with her horse Sweetie at the Careity Cancer Charity's competition in Fort Worth in 2020, proving she's just as skilled on a ranch as her husband, who actually grew up on a Texas ranch.
"I love Texas," she says. "It took me a minute to figure it out, but I've made great friends. We have 12 dogs, some chickens, and cats because I love to rescue. It's nice to have the space to do that."
When she's not training horses Nicole serves on the board for the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, loves to fish, and loves getting to see her son enjoy spending time outside. It seems like the Sheridan family really is living the dream.
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