‘Yellowstone’ Star Forrie J. Smith Says He Was “Kicked Off a Plane” for Refusing to Sit Next to Masked Passenger

Forrie J. Smith’s stance on masking led to a bizarre travel issue over the weekend.

The actor known for playing Lloyd Pierce on Paramount Network’s megahit drama Yellowstone posted a video to social media Saturday explaining how he had been left stranded at a Houston airport.

“I just got kicked off a plane in … Houston, Texas,” Smith said. “Because I told them I didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to someone with a mask on.”

Smith said he was drinking in his video posted to Instagram.

“Yeah, I’ve been drinking. I’ve been sitting in the airport for three hours,” he said. “Yeah, I’m drinking. But I ain’t drunk. But they throwed me off the plane because I’m drunk.”

This isn’t the first time Smith has made his stance on public health issues known. In 2022, he skipped attending the Screen Actors Guild Awards with his Yellowstone castmates due to SAG’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement, posting a video explanation to his Instagram account.

“I want to apologize to y’all for not being at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — I mean no offense to anyone,” Smith said in the 2022 video. “I’m not vaccinated, and it’s a requirement to be vaccinated to be at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony.”

The actor 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.”

In Smith’s video about the airplane incident, he did not specify which airline he was traveling on or where he was headed. He ended his video reiterating his objection to someone wearing a mask near him.

“I just told them I didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to someone that had to wear a mask,” he said. “And I’m off the plane.”

Paramount Network announced late last year that Yellowstone would resume production on its final episodes in the late spring of 2024. A premiere date of November 2024 has been set for the second half of its fifth and final season, which last aired its midseason finale Jan. 6, 2023, and will usher in the end of the flagship series from Taylor Sheridan.