Billy Bob Thornton's Phobia of Happiness

Across his seven decades, the actor has lived a series of lives—all wildly different. Ahead of 'Landman' season 2, he reckons with what it all means.

View in Browser  Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Surely you've caught the season 2 finale of Landman by now. It's sparked all kinds of theories about how Billy Bob Thornton might be leaving the show. Spoiler alert: He's not. But the reason so many fans are in a flopsweaty panic is that Thornton is one of a kind, an irreplaceable actor if there ever was one. Esquire contributor Ryan D'Agostino got to spend some time with him ahead of the start of the Landman season, and now that we're all worked up about the prospect of him disappearing from our screens for a bit, it's the perfect time to revisit it.   —Kevin Dupzyk, contributing editor Plus: No, Billy Bob Thornton is not leaving Landman Is The Madison still connected to Yellowstone? The best new tech of 2026 you can already buy—and actually use every day Billy Bob Thornton Is at Peace. He's Not Sure He Likes That. Across his seven decades, the actor has lived a series of lives—all wildly different. Ahead of Landman season 2, he reckons with what it all means. There's Mama, Rangy, Rocky, and Limpy. He sits out there in a wooden chair behind the big house on the Granbury Highway south of Weatherford with his boots kicked up on another chair he's pulled up, waiting for them each night after Carrie's asleep, on a landscape so dark you can't see your nose in front of your face, only the orange hissing glow of his American Spirit floating around in the blackness whenever he sucks and the smoke goes into his lungs, which by the way are clean as can be, the doctor said so after a full-body scan and blood work and all the rest of it, even though he's been smoking since he was nineteen with only a couple breaks and he just turned seventy this summer.   Everything right now is pretty good, though. This crisp Texas night air, the blue-black sky and its billion pinhole stars, a beer and a smoke, and these hilarious fuckin' racoons eating the food he put out for them. The show, too, of course, the reason he's in Texas: Landman—it's excellent, and it's not only excellent but it's a hit. Billy knew it was excellent the day he sat in his driveway back home north of L.A. and read those first two episodes Taylor Sheridan sent him, the prolific and brilliant creator who wrote this part just for Billy. He loves the character, Tommy Norris, an oil-company man doing the best he can to please the CEO and keep the drills drilling and fend off the cartels and fend off the horny guys circling his teenage daughter. READ THE STORY When the temperature drops, you start craving a cologne that feels warm and inviting—and tonka bean is the perfect scent. Bellamy Richardson picks out the 8 best fragrances that feature the sweet, sexy note. >> These timeless shades from Jacques Marie Mage are modeled on a pair John Lennon wore in 1980. Jonathan Evans tells you why you need them.>> The 16 Best Hoodies for Men, Period Buckle in for a quick history lesson, folks. Before it took over runways around the world, the modern hoodie had relatively humble beginnings. In the 1930s, Champion began producing a sweatshirt in thick material, with a hood to protect athletes and working men who had to cope with chilly environments. Its purpose was purely practical. At the same time, the brand started reaching out to high schools across America, offering merch for sports teams. The hoodie gained steam with the kids, and it took on some personality. By the '70s and '80s, the style had been assimilated by the mass market, from musicians to engineers to athletes and mall-goers.   Today the hooded sweatshirt has gone fully mainstream. Not only is it available in every conceivable color, fabric, size, and print, but you can buy one for anywhere from $30 to $3,000. There are so many hoodies out there that narrowing it down to the 16 best ones we tested and tried wasn't easy, but friends, we did it for you.  By Bellamy Richardson and Trishna Rikhy The First Veto of Trump's Second Term Is as Toxic as You'd Expect Trump just vetoed legislation that would have brought clean drinking water to some of the most conservative parts of Colorado. The backstory of the water deal is a combination of the cold-war scramble after fissionable material and some surreal geological circumstance. For example, the water in this area is infused with naturally occurring uranium. The president is bughouse on Colorado these days because the state's pliable Democratic governor, Jared Polis, will not pardon Tina Peters, whom the president gave a federal pardon but who is still doing state time for meddling with the voting machines in Mesa County. So far, to the surprise of many Democrats, Polis has stood firm and Peters is still appearing in jailhouse video dramas.   However, the most poignant—and maddening—aspect of the story is the deep and abiding Sucker's Remorse exhibited by the people living in the small towns of the affected area. By Charles P. Pierce Follow Us Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779