Yellowstone actor Forrie J. Smith said in an Instagram post over the weekend that he had been booted from a flight after refusing to sit next to another passenger who happened to be wearing a mask—saying he “didn’t feel comfortable” with the seating arrangement.
Smith, who has been vocal in his stance against vaccines and masking, made the allegations in a post on Saturday, claiming that he was stranded in Houston following the conflict.
He did not name the flight or airline, but said the airline justified its decision by claiming that he was “drunk”—a fact he seemingly contested.
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“Yeah. I’ve been drinking,” Smith added. “I’ve been sitting in the airport for three hours, yeah, I’ve been drinking, but I ain’t drunk,” he said bluntly.
He then seemed to point a finger of blame at the public, “Because you people won’t stand up and tell everybody what bullshit 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 a plane.”
The video, captioned, You need to hear this story, then cuts off mid-sentence.
Reps for Smith did not immediately return a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
Smith plays ranch hand Lloyd Pierce in the critically acclaimed Western series.
He has been outspoken about his views before, and was unable to attend the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19.
“I’m not vaccinated, I will not get vaccinated,” Smith said at the time, according to Variety. “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.”
