‘Yellowstone’ Actor Won’t Attend Awards Ceremony Over COVID-19 Vaccine Rules

A man gets vaccinated in Wheaton, Md., in a file image. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Yellowstone” actor Forrie J. Smith said he will not attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony in late February because he isn’t vaccinated for COVID-19.

The event requires all attendees to have received the vaccine. It’s being hosted at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

Smith posted a video to Instagram this week announcing that he won’t attend the awards ceremony scheduled for Feb. 27. The video was later deleted from his page, but copies of the clip have been uploaded to other social media platforms.

“I mean no offense to anyone. I’m not vaccinated, and it’s a requirement to be vaccinated to be at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony,” Smith said, adding that he hasn’t received a shot since he was “a little kid.” He also does not vaccinate his dogs and horses.

Smith added he was “looking forward to walking down the red carpet in my big black American hat and my Justin boots and representing my culture and heritage. But I’m not gonna be able to do that, and I apologize to y'all out there that are part of my culture and heritage.”

“I just don’t believe in that stuff,” Smith added, continuing to say that “maybe next year” he will walk the red carpet.

The “Yellowstone” cast is nominated in the top category for television dramas alongside “Squid Game,” “The Morning Show," “Succession,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

The following actors were listed as part of the Screen Actors Guild Award ensemble nomination: Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley, Ryan Bingham, Gil Birmingham, Ian Bohen, Eden Brolin, Kevin Costner, Hugh Dillon, Luke Grimes, Hassie Harrison, Cole Hauser, Jennifer Landon, Finn Little, Brecken Merrill, Will Patton, Piper Perabo, Kelly Reilly, Denim Richards, Taylor Sheridan, Forrie J. Smith, and Jefferson White.

Smith stars in the show as Lloyd Pierce, a senior ranch hand on the Dutton Ranch.

According to the Screen Actors Guild Award website, all attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination, a booster shot if eligible, proof of a negative lab-based COVID-19 PCR test within 48 hours of the event, and a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the event.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood on March 27 will not require attendees to present proof of vaccination. According to The Hollywood Reporter, which cited unnamed sources, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will instead require only a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test to attend.

Officials with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have not publicly commented on the report.

The Critics Choice Awards, which will be hosted on March 13, will require vaccination, said a spokesperson to The Hollywood Reporter.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.