‘Yellowstone’ Actor Forrie J. Smith to Skip SAG Awards Over Vaccine Requirement

The Hollywood awards season drama over Covid-19 safety protocols continues as Yellowstone actor Forrie J. Smith says he would rather skip the Screen Actors Guild Awards than get vaccinated.

The SAG Awards ceremony, set for later this month, requires all attendees to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19. However, Smith, who plays ranch hand Lloyd Pierce on the Paramount Network drama series, posted a now-deleted video to Instagram saying he would not comply with the mandate.

“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 video, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m not vaccinated, and it’s a requirement to be vaccinated to be at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony.”

The actor, nominated alongside his Yellowstone castmates for Best TV Drama Ensemble, explained: “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.”

The current SAG Award protocols note that all attendees “will be required to show proof of vaccination plus booster shot (if eligible), proof of negative lab-based Covid-19 PCR test within 48 hours of event, and negative antigen (rapid) test the day of the event.”

Smith’s statements come after the controversial announcement that the Oscars — set to be hosted by Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall — will reportedly not require proof of vaccination in order to attend the in-person ceremony on March 27. The Critics Choice Awards, set for March 13, will require vaccination.