Actor Forrie J. Smith, who plays ranch hand Lloyd Pierce on the Paramount+ neo-Western drama series Yellowstone, claimed he was booted from a flight because he refused to be seated next to a masked passenger.
The 65-year-old anti-vaxxer filmed an Instagram video taken from George Busch Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on Sunday detailing his rant.
“You know my social media people tell me that you like me face to face. But you know what, I can’t say face to face what I want,” said Smith.
“Like, I just got kicked off a plane in, uh where the hell am I at? Houston, Texas."
"Because I told them that I didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to somebody with a mask on.”
“I ain’t drunk," he said and added:
"But they threw me off the plane because I’m drunk."
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And why on earth would they do that, Mr. Smith?
"Because you people won’t stand up and tell everybody what bullsh*t this is," he said.
"I just told them I didn’t feel comfortable about sitting next to somebody who had to wear a mask and I’m off a plane.”
He was about to continue airing his grievances when the video unexpectedly cut him off.
The short clip was captioned with:
"You need to hear this story."
He was called out for his ignorance.
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Users were convinced he was hitting the bottle despite what he said earlier.
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Smith demonstrated his stand against pandemic safety measures in 2022 when he refused to attend that year's Screen Actors Guild Awards due to COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
He said at the time in a since-deleted Instagram video:
"I want to apologize to y’all for not being at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.”
"I mean no offense to anyone. I’m not vaccinated, and it’s a requirement to be vaccinated."
Smith continued:
“I’m not vaccinated, I will not get vaccinated. I haven’t been vaccinated since I was a little kid."
"I don’t vaccinate my dogs, I don’t vaccinate my horses. I’ve never had a flu shot. I never will."
"I believe they compromise your immunities… It’s no offense to anyone. It’s just my beliefs. I just don’t believe in that stuff. Whatever.”
The cast of Yellowstone was nominated for a SAG award for best ensemble that year but lost to HBO's Succession.
Smith was a recurring character in the first two seasons of the show, which follows the drama centered on the Dutton family, the owners of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, which is the largest ranch in Montana.
He was promoted as part of the main cast for its third season.
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