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Yellowstone is ending when the second half of season 5 airs this fall, and it seems it’s coming not a moment too soon for the makers of the hit show. Grumblings first started over a year ago that star Kevin Costner reportedly wanted out. Meanwhile creator Taylor Sheridan sued another Yellowstone star, Cole Hauser, last December over trademark issues, saying their coffee company logos looked too much alike. And now this: cast member Forrie J. Smith was just “throwed off” a plane for refusing to sit next to a passenger who was wearing a mask. Yes he was drinking, but he wasn’t drunk! Smith lamented his treatment in an Instagram video he recorded while still at the airport. Strangely, most of the commenters had a different takeaway from Smith’s story:

Yellowstone’s Forrie J. Smith is stirring up some controversy with fans after his recent video during an Instagram Live.

The 65-year-old actor, who plays ranch hand Lloyd Pierce on the hit Paramount series, took to Instagram on Saturday after allegedly being kicked off a flight.

“I just got kicked off a plane in — where the hell am I at? — Houston, Texas, because I told them I didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to somebody with a mask on,” Smith claimed in the video, which was later shared to his main profile.

He then admitted to having been drinking, saying, “Yeah, I’ve been drinking. I’ve been sitting in the airport for three hours, yeah, I’m drinking. But I ain’t drunk. But they throwed me off the plane ‘cause I’m drunk ‘cause you people won’t stand up and tell everybody what bulls**t this is.”

He added of his decision not to sit next to a fellow passenger with a mask on, “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.”

Fans quickly took to the comments section, expressing their disappointment at Smith’s comments.

“How do you know that person doesn’t have cancer and just is going through chemotherapy treatments or something else that warrants them wearing one?” one commenter wrote.

“For the life of me I cannot fathom why someone else wearing a mask is so threatening to some people!!! Many people live with a loved one who is immunocompromised (e.g. cancer, heart disease) or they themselves may be immunocompromised. OR maybe they’re not feeling well and are being considerate of others by wearing a mask to contain their germs,” another person wrote. “How fragile are some people that a simple mask sets them off to this degree? It’s absolutely ridiculous!! While I appreciate Mr Smith’s talent, this makes me no longer respect him as a human being. Unfollowing!”

One Yellowstone fan noted, “I wore a mask all the time when my mom was on hospice care and traveling back and forth to see her. This post makes me sad as a fan.”

As of Monday, the video was still up and Smith had not replied to the upset fans.

[From ET Online]

I mean, what else is there to say? You’re welcome, SNL writers? How someone could be so affronted or scared by a passenger wearing a mask, a measure that protects the wearer and everyone else around them, completely boggles the mind. Plus, you know, all Smith had to do was sit next to this passenger during the flight in exactly the same way he would sit next to someone not wearing a mask! I’d be laughing if it weren’t so infuriating and pervasive. One glimmer of hope was this comment I read on Smith’s Insta from a self-identified non-liberal fan: “Bro I love your acting, and I am not a liberal, and you were kicked off because you are drunk. Bottom line. This will come back to haunt you.” Yup. Also, Smith says in his rambling that he was drinking because he was stuck at the airport for three hours. Mr. Smith, may I introduce you to the pleasurable and delightful activity of reading?

Photos credit: Getty and via Instagram