Landman star Billy Bob Thornton, 70, opens up about his rare health condition

Billy Bob Thornton opened up about having a rare health condition that leads him to have to eat a restrictive diet.

The 70-year-old Landman star explained that because he was a rare blood type he cannot consume wheat, dairy products and meat.

He claimed that having the rare blood type of AB negative causes him to have stomach issues.

'It means you have less digestive enzymes. That's one of the things that goes along with it,' he said on an episode of Howie Mandel's podcast, Howie Mandel Does Stuff, from Tuesday.

There is no strong scientific evidence for blood type diet; however, naturopathic doctor Peter J. D’Adamo theorized that people with type AB blood 'tend to have low stomach acid' and 'should avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoked or cured meats,' according to WebMD.

The star — who previously said he remains 'very close friends' with his ex, his fifth wife Angelina Jolie — first learned that he has the blood type of AB negative in the late 1980s, per Mashed.

On the recent podcast episode, Thornton recalled how his childhood was different and he 'grew up with a lot of allergies' but 'ate everything.' 

'I just assumed everybody felt like s*** after they ate. I didn't know,' he told Mandel. 

'But anyway, I can't have dairy, wheat ... can't eat meat, like, you know, pork or beef or any of that stuff.' 

'You've just listed the entire pyramid,' the podcast host joked before asking Thornton what he normally eats instead. 

He then listed what he ate on that same day before going to record the podcast episode with Mandel and shared what he plans to eat afterwards. 

Thornton said he had a 'bowl of blueberries' and a decaf coffee earlier in the day before adding that 'when I get home, it's, like, wide open.' 

He added: 'I'm going to have some gluten-free chips with some dairy-free cream cheese. I'm really looking forward to that.' 

Back in 2020, Thornton also opened up about his eating habits and revealed that he sticks to a vegan diet. 

'I call myself a vegan who cheats,' he said on the Mental Amanda podcast. 'But I don't cheat that bad.'

He continued: 'Once in a blue moon, I'll have salmon or halibut, or something like that. Simply because every now and then, I kinda feel like I need it for some reason.'

His candid conversation about his rare blood type and his diet in relation to that comes after he celebrated his milestone 70th birthday last August. 

In the time after his birthday, he opened up about his simultaneous fear and gratitude regarding aging.

'You know what, it's so funny you're scared of every milestone, but this one actually did affect me in a way that I had to, you know, have a few meetings with myself late at night,' he said on CBS News' Sunday Morning in November 2025. 

The actor, who is married to his sixth wife Connie Angland, 61, and is a father to four adult children, also shared his thoughts about gaining more respect with age. 

'We've all seen each other get older, and when I see that wisdom and see the respect that people have for them, it just kind of makes everything melt away somehow,' he said. 

'I mean, I'm in a successful band and I'm in a successful show. Every day when I wake up I just say I'm blessed. That's really it.'