Entertainment

Sylvester Stallone Officially Bites Back Against 'Tulsa King' Nepotism Claims

Nairavoice · Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read

A Taylor Sheridan series is always defeating the competition on Paramount+, and this month it’s been the turn of Tulsa King. Sylvester Stallone‘s Dwight “The General” Manfredi returned on October 16 in the Season 4 premiere, “W.W.D.D.,” which was written by Terence Winter and directed by Guy Ferland. The fourth season flew out of the gates with an explosive premiere that set the wheels in motion on Dwight’s fight “to legitimize his empire while facing corrupt politicians and new enemies.”

Two episodes have now arrived in Season 4, and Tulsa King can’t be stopped once again. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Season 4 boasts an 83% average approval rating from critics, the joint second-highest score in the series so far with Season 3. Tulsa King has continued to grow in popularity since the opening season, so although official figures have yet to be released, and considering the show is fighting for the top spot on the Paramount+ streaming charts, it’s expected that the Season 4 premiere might prove the most popular yet.

However, the show hasn’t been without its controversies so far. In Season 4, Scarlet Rose Stallone has been handed a significantly expanded role, as she moves into the family’s criminal organization. But this move has raised questions of nepotism online, with a small storm brewing on social media. In an interview with USA Today, Stallone has bitten back at these claims by honestly acknowledging the nepotism, saying, “First they go, ‘Nepotism is terrible,’ I said, ‘Oh please, you’re not a good parent if you haven’t performed a little nepotism. Then obviously you don’t care about your kids, because they come first.” Stallone continued:

“People will say, ‘She got that job, it’s too easy.’ You’re right. Perhaps it could be. But to maintain that, to be in front of millions of people, you either got it or you don’t.”
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“People will say, ‘She got that job, it’s too easy.’ You’re right. Perhaps it could be. But to maintain that, to be in front of millions of people, you either got it or you don’t.”

The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.

You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.

You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.

You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.

You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.

‘Tulsa King’ Doesn’t Top the Paramount+ Charts

Image via Paramount+

There’s no denying the all-conquering capabilities of any given Sheridan series on the streaming charts. But after two episodes, and with the third set to premiere this Friday, October 30, it seems that Tulsa King Season 4 doesn’t quite have the chokehold over the Paramount+ top ten that many might’ve predicted. This is courtesy of the animated adult favorite South Park, which is currently in the midst of a chart-topping, headline-grabbing 29th season.

Tulsa King continues this Friday. Stay tuned to Collider for more stories.