“Yellowstone” cowboy Forrie J. Smith said he was “kicked off” a flight in Houston because he wasn’t “comfortable” sitting next to a passenger who was wearing a mask.
“I just got kicked off a plane,” Smith told followers Saturday on Instagram, “because I told them I didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to somebody with a mask on.”
“I’ve been sitting in an airport for three hours,” the actor, who plays Lloyd Pierce on the popular western, stated. “Yeah, I’m drinking.”
“I ain’t drunk,” Smith said, “but they throw me off the plane because I’m drunk, because you people won’t stand up and tell everybody what bulls**t this is.”
“I just told them I didn’t feel comfortable about sitting next to somebody that had to wear a mask, and I’m off the plane,” he added.
Yellowstone actor Forrie J Smith ‘thrown off plane’ for refusing to sit next to mask-wearer pic.twitter.com/69HfsPsCMz
— 1775 (@Mar50cC5O) March 25, 2024
Four years after the onset of COVID, the reaction on X to Smith’s alcohol-infused moment of rebellion was mixed.
“What is wrong with these people?” asked one user. “How does sitting next to somebody wearing a mask have any bearing on your life?”
What is wrong with these people? How does sitting next to somebody wearing a mask have any bearing on your life?
— Tom Hoen (@thoen88) March 25, 2024
Opposite of me. I am thrilled when the person sitting next to me has a mask on.
— I Stan Black Women prosecuting Trumptiredofit10 (@tiredofit10) March 25, 2024
The messed up part is that the masked passenger could have other medical issues requiring them to mask up on flights. It may not even be fear of Covid.
— Count Dante (@countdante67) March 25, 2024
Others wanted to buy the cowboy a beer.
Hero
— Pine Tree Flag (@bobbithetabby) March 25, 2024
Good for him!
— Jon Schaeffer (@jontxpp) March 25, 2024
Normalize this behavior!
— Go_Love_Yourself (@Mongo7985) March 25, 2024
“It’s unclear what airline Smith was traveling on,” NBC News reports. “His representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
The 65-year-old Montana native hasn’t minced his words regarding pandemic-era mandates. In 2022, he skipped the Screen Actors Guild Awards because he refused to get vaccinated,
“I want to apologize to y’all for not being at the Screen Actors Guild Awards,” Smith said in a now-deleted Instagram video. “I mean no offense to anyone. I’m not vaccinated, and it’s a requirement to be vaccinated.”
“I’m not vaccinated, I will not get vaccinated,” Smith told his followers. “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 just my beliefs. I just don’t believe in that stuff.
“Whatever.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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