Yellowstone Star Reveals He’s Anti-Vax
As award season ramps up in Hollywood, the cast and crew of Yellowstone have been preparing for a massive year. After four intense seasons on the air, the gritty drama finally landed its first big nomination. Nominated for one of the Screen Actors Guild Award’s biggest categories, Yellowstone is in the runnings for best Drama Series Ensemble. The honor will apply to the show’s large cast of 21 actors and actresses. However, one of the series cast has confirmed he won’t be in attendance on February 27th, sighting vaccination requirements as the reasoning.
As reported yesterday by Deadline, Forrie J Smith, the actor who portrays senior ranch hand Lloyd Pierce on Yellowstone, stated he wouldn’t attend the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards due to the Covid vaccination requirements to attend. In a statement posted by video to his Instagram account, the now-deleted video showed Smith making the following statement: “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 added, “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.”
Headquartered in Hollywood, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is a labor union for movie and television actors in the United States. Like other labor unions, the Screen Actors Guild works to protect its members, while promoting the welfare in the industry. The award show, which is in its 28th season, presents thirteen awards for outstanding performances throughout the year in film and television. This year will be the first that Yellowstone has been up for an award.
Along with other guilds among Hollywood’s unions, The SAG award show recently announced they will require proof of COVID vaccination for all guests in attendance. The choice is not very surprising, considering Hollywood’s unions were among the first in the nation to allow employers to require vaccinations for employment. As the coup de grace during award season, The Academy Awards intends to require a negative PCR or rapid test on the day of the event, which luckily wouldn’t involve Yellowstone in any way.
Smith, whose ranch hand Lloyd Pierce recently landed a more regular role on Yellowstone, has been a fan favorite since the series launch. As Smith’s Instagram message found the actor saying he wishes he could be wearing a cowboy hat and boots on the red carpet to represent his “culture and heritage”, has a deep bond with his onscreen character. Staying professional, Smith ended his message thanking his fans and asking them to enjoy the award show anyways, teasing at a return to the award show “maybe next year”.
Covering both sides of the spectrum, many celebrities have shared their opinions lately on vaccination protocols and mandates. Yellowstone’s Forrie Smith joins a long list of celebrities openly sharing their views on COVID vaccinations. Ant-Man superhero Evangeline Lilly is just one of the most recent celebrities to voice her disapproval of vaccine mandates. While other famous people like Elon Musk have revealed getting the vaccine, believing in the science behind it, but ultimately not being in favor of its mandates. Similarly, Nicki Minaj was unable to attend September’s Met Gala due to the event’s vaccine requirements. While we remain unsure of the SAG attendance plans for Smith’s Yellowstone co-stars, fans of the series can watch the award show live on Sunday, February 27th to see if Yellowstone lands its first SAG award.
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