Actor Forrie J. Smith of the hit show "Yellowstone" has said that he will not be attending this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards due to the awards ceremony's COVID-19 rules.
The "Yellowstone" cast is nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble cast in a drama series alongside “Succession,” “Squid Game,” “The Morning Show,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” according to the SAG Awards website.
The show has aired for four seasons and this is a notable achievement, but Smith revealed in a video posted on Instagram that he was against vaccinations and therefore will not be attending the event later this month.
"I want to apologize to y'all for not being at the Screen Actors Guild Awards," Smith said in the video cited by Variety. As of Thursday the video no longer appeared on the platform. "I mean no offense to anyone. I’m not vaccinated, and it's a requirement to be vaccinated."
Smith explained that he was not vaccinated and had no intentions of getting vaccinated.
"I haven’t been vaccinated since I was a little kid," he said, according to Variety. "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 just my beliefs. I just don't believe in that stuff. Whatever."
According to the SAG Awards' COVID-19 protocols, all attendees at the 2022 ceremony must be vaccinated. In addition to limiting capacity and social distancing, "all ticketed 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," the COVID-19 protocol on the organization's website reads.
Additionally, all attendees will be required to wear KN95 or KF94 masks for the entirety of the evening. The organization said it wants "to make this event as safe as possible" and the "health and well-being of our nominees, guests, staff, and crew is our number one priority."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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