Taylor Sheridan isn’t buying Elon Musk’s billionaire status, calling it “paper wealth” that could collapse instantly. He’s got a sharp take on the myth.

credits: ted talks on youtube

Taylor Sheridan knows a thing or two about power moves, but when it comes to billionaires, he’s not falling for the smoke and mirrors show. While the world treats Elon Musk like the ultimate money-printing machine, Sheridan’s calling BS on the whole “multi-billionaire” label.

Taylor Sheridan as Travis Wheatley in Yellowstone | Credits: Paramount Network

To him, it’s all just numbers on a screen, and if things went south, the empire would crumble faster than a Yellowstone feud.

Taylor Sheridan exposes the billionaire myth on Joe Rogan Experience

Taylor Sheridan’s shirtless scene in a still from Yellowstone Season 5B | Credits: Paramount Network

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan didn’t hold back on The Joe Rogan Experience, calling out the illusion of billionaire wealth. He argued that Elon Musk and other top-tier billionaires aren’t as liquid-rich as people assume. Sheridan said,

Here’s one of the things that I’ve always found interesting, cuz everyone knows this and no one says it. When they talk about the top 1% of the 1%, they don’t pay income tax. You know, the average guy that makes $80,000 or $100,000 a year is paying a higher percentage than those guys. Well, yes.

Because you know what billionaires don’t get? They don’t get a paycheck. They don’t get a W-2. All those leaders—the head of this bank or that bank—they’re getting a dollar. That’s their salary. And they’re getting stocks. Until they sell the stock, we don’t know what the stock’s worth.

He continued,

Everyone talks about Elon Musk being worth 140 however many billions. No, he’s not. If he tried to sell all his stocks today and get that, he would collapse all his companies. Collapse them. You can’t do it. Same with Bezos, same with any of those guys. So it’s paper wealth.

Sheridan broke down how the ultra-rich operate. Unlike the average worker, they don’t get paychecks or W-2s. Instead, their wealth is tied to stocks, which only hold value if they stay intact.

Musk, Bezos, and other billionaire CEOs rely on selling shares or taking out credit lines against them — not a steady income. He pointed out,
Are they extremely wealthy? Sure. Where do they get their money from? They sell a million shares here, they sell a million there. Maybe they take a line of credit out off of their shares. I don’t know. But they don’t get a paycheck, right? Exactly.

Joe Rogan chimed in, acknowledging the contradiction. While billionaires aren’t paying traditional income tax, they still contribute massively.

Taylor Sheridan’s take? The idea of billionaires sitting on endless cash is a myth. It’s all paper wealth — powerful but fragile.

Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River proved his talent — Yellowstone’s final season proved he stopped caring

Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River | Credits: Thunder Road Pictures

Taylor Sheridan proved he could craft a masterpiece with Wind River (2017). That crime thriller had everything — intensity, realism, and razor-sharp attention to detail. Meanwhile, Yellowstone‘s final season? A total letdown.

Sheridan, who first directed Vile, considers Wind River his true debut. Starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, the film nailed the small details. One Redditor even called Sheridan “the new Michael Mann” for his tactical accuracy. That level of precision was nowhere to be found in Yellowstone‘s messy sendoff.

John Dutton’s exit fell flat. Jamie’s murder should’ve been exposed by a simple doorbell cam. And Rip was somehow clueless about Beth’s deepest trauma. Sheridan, once the king of intricate storytelling, left fans hanging.

Wind River proved he had the chops. Yellowstone‘s final season just proved he wasn’t paying attention.

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