Taylor Sheridan went full John Dutton during a Jan. 4 appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. The duo, who both reside in Texas, slammed ethical veganism, with Sheridan calling it "preposterous." The "Yellowstone" creator's remarks echo Kevin Costner's "You ever plow a field?" speech from Season 4 of the series.
"I think one of the most absurd positions anyone can take is they're a vegan for an ethical reason," Sheridan told Rogan. "It's preposterous. You can do it for a medical reason. I don't know what that reason would be — maybe you can't process meat and can't process proteins like that. But to do it for an ethical reason is absurd."
He continued: "And the reason I say that is I have plowed a field. It is carnage. It is 12 feet of carnage. And every single plant that you eat is going to be tilled into the ground at some capacity. So you're gonna kill everything. People have to understand you have to take ownership."
Sheridan went on to cite the devastating impact of plant production on everything from insects to ground-nesting birds. The Texas native also pointed out the massive amount of water it takes to produce almonds: Three gallons for every single almond, he claimed.
Sheridan's comments echo a mic-drop moment Kevin Costner's John Dutton had in "Yellowstone" Season 4, Episode 5, where Piper Perabo's environmental activist Summer Higgins protested the impacts of ranching and meat production. Here's Dutton's response, written by Sheridan:
"You ever plow a field? To plant the quinoa or sorghum or whatever the hell it is you eat. You kill everything on the ground and under it. You kill every snake, every frog, every mouse, mole, vole, worm, quail. You kill them all. So, I guess the only real question is: How cute does an animal have to be before you care if it dies to feed you?"
Joe Rogan agreed with Sheridan's assessment, citing comments Ted Nugent made on the podcast in Nov. 2021 about John Dutton's "Yellowstone" speech:
"Ted Nugent came on this podcast and said, 'If you want to kill the most things, become a vegan.' If you're thinking about individual life. If you don't think that one life equals one life, if you think that small things aren't as valuable as large things, that's a totally different discussion and that's a weird discussion."
Check out their full exchange below:
