Taylor Sheridan has married a woman who could ride circles around most of them. Nicole Muirbrook isn’t just the wife of the Yellowstone creator, she’s a model-turned-cowgirl, a competitive horse rider, a mother, and the unspoken heartbeat of Sheridan’s Western empire.
The couple met during an acting class in Los Angeles, fell in love while scraping by in the city, and built a life together in Texas, where they also run two ranches and raise their son, Gus. Muirbrook’s affection and admiration for her husband shine through her Instagram posts, especially in a heartfelt Father’s Day tribute where she wrote:
I’m grateful to be sharing life, love, and parenthood with a wonderful man like you. We love you Baby.
Sheridan, for his part, has openly credited family life for reshaping his priorities: “I didn’t want to raise my son in LA,” he told Austin American-Statesman, a choice that ultimately led to his shift from acting to screenwriting. So, who is the woman behind the man behind Yellowstone? Let’s get to know Nicole Muirbrook Sheridan.
Meet Taylor Sheridan’s Wife Nicole Muirbrook: From Tomboy in Utah to International Model
Long before she was wrangling horses in Texas, Nicole Muirbrook was kicking up dirt in Salt Lake City. She never imagined a modeling career until she was spotted at the mall by a scout from NEXT Models. “I never wanted to brush my hair. I was always in the dirt,” she told Cowgirl Magazine.
But with a little push from her mother, a former Miss America runner-up, she took the plunge. Muirbrook’s modeling career whisked her across Europe. She reportedly settled in Milan for a stretch, modeled in Miami, and landed in glossy spreads for Vogue and Marie Claire.
Despite the glamour, her heart stayed tethered to her Western roots, she had grown up riding horses on her grandparents’ ranch near Jackson, Wyoming. That cowgirl spirit never left. In 2020, she won her first buckle at the Careity Foundation’s Celebrity Cutting competition, raising funds for cancer research.
And in 2021, she joined the board of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, just a year after Sheridan was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.
How Nicole Muirbrook Met Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan
When Nicole Muirbrook moved to Los Angeles in her early 20s to pursue acting, she landed small roles in How I Met Your Mother and Dark Blue. Seeking better training, she hired an acting coach, who just so happened to be Taylor Sheridan, then best known as Deputy Chief Hale on Sons of Anarchy.
What started as coaching turned into courtship. “At the time it was like, ‘Let’s just make enough to pay a mortgage or rent or food.’ We were literally starving,” Muirbrook recalled (via Cowgirl Magazine). But those lean years sparked Sheridan’s pivot to writing. Within two years, they went from counting coins to attending the Oscars, thanks to Sicario and Hell or High Water.
They married on September 18, 2013. On their seventh anniversary, Muirbrook posted a wedding photo with a note that read:
I couldn’t ask for a better husband or father to our son.
In 2023, she wrote (via Instagram):
I don’t know how we’ve crammed so, so much into such a short amount of time… but I’m sure glad we’re doing it together.
It’s not just love, it’s loyalty forged in fire.
Who is Taylor Sheridan and Nicole Muirbrook’s Only Son, Gus?
Gus, their only child, was born on September 23, 2010. And he’s probably at the center of why Tayloe Sheridan stepped away from acting. Sheridan informed the Austin American-Statesman:
I didn’t want to have to look him in the eye and tell him I couldn’t take him to a baseball game because I had an audition for a Windex commercial.
The move to Texas wasn’t just about land; it was about legacy. Gus thrives in the rural rhythm of ranch life. “He’s never on his phone. He’s never on his X-Box,” Nicole Muirbrook shared with Cowgirl Magazine, adding:
He’s always outside with the dogs, fishing with his buds, or roller-skating in the barn. He also ropes, so he’s often on horseback.
Their family life is refreshingly unfiltered, filled with dirt, dogs, and days spent outside. Muirbrook often shares candid photos of Gus enjoying this unplugged childhood.
Taylor Sheridan and Nicole Muirbrook’s Life on Two Texas Ranches
At one point, the couple was living in Park City, Utah until winter wore thin. “Taylor really didn’t like the snow,” Nicole Muirbrook admitted to Cowgirl Magazine.
He rolled over one morning and said, ‘Honey, we’re getting the hell out of here.’
The next stop? Texas. Now, they own two massive properties: Bosque Ranch and the historic 6666 Ranch, also known as Four Sixes. The latter has become something of a co-star in Yellowstone, serving as a key filming location and the namesake of an upcoming spinoff. Their home is far from quiet, though. Between training horses, raising their son, and rescuing animals, the ranch is full of life. Muirbrook admitted:
We have 12 dogs, some chickens, and cats because I love to rescue. It’s nice to have the space to do that.
Her lifestyle has even inspired scenes in Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ show, Landman.
Is Nicole Muirbrook the Real Inspiration of Taylor Sheridan’s Landman?
Let’s not sugarcoat it, without Nicole Muirbrook, there might not be a Yellowstone universe. Her influence is stitched into Taylor Sheridan’s scripts, her lifestyle inspires characters, and her presence grounds their family. During a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, actress Ali Larter revealed that a storyline in Landman about bringing joy to senior citizens came directly from Muirbrook:
She does that. She plays games and sets up a bar for them …. Nicole has really opened up this world of the way that we can see senior citizens, how we can treat them and have fun with them, and how little effort it takes to bring so much happiness to someone’s life.
She’s not just the supportive spouse, she’s the silent architect behind the Western empire many binge-watch but few fully understand. So, does Taylor Sheridan owe more to the woman behind the camera than fans realize?
We want to hear from you! Is Taylor Sheridan’s wife the unsung heroine of the Yellowstone universe? Or do you think she’ll blaze her own trail in the industry someday? Drop your thoughts below and stir up the campfire chat.
