Billy Bob Thornton reveals the lifelong health battle behind his extreme diet

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. In a joint interview with his "Landman" costar Sam Elliott, Billy Bob Thornton shared how he faced "prejudice" as a Southern actor in Hollywood during the early years of his career. Billy Bob Thornton is sharing his health challenges and how they led to his extreme diet. During a recent appearance on the "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" podcast, the 70-year-old actor revealed the lifelong health battle that has influenced his strange snacking choices. "My diet's very restricted. Well, I'm allergic to wheat, dairy. I have type AB negative blood, which is the rarest type in the world. It's like less than 1% of the population of the world has it," he explained. "It means you have less digestive enzymes. That's one of the things that goes along with it. But I just grew up with a lot of allergies." He went on to list some of the dietary restrictions that come wi