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Natasha Lyonne has claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained her after being escorted from a recent flight.
In a response to a post by E! News on The actress admitted taking Lunesta – an insomnia medication – to “guarantee some sleep” and to be “fresh and rested” for an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
Lyonne continued, “Was looking forward to Drew and a deep conversation, but I guess ICE had other plans and I was detained instead. Sign of the times, I guess. Thanks for all the love and support. Never had any issues with @Delta or @TSA. My heart goes out to our unpaid @TSA employees. Apologies to any travelers who were held up.”
ICE at US airports
ICE agents are currently deployed at airports across the country – officially to provide additional security after the Department of Homeland Security caused a staffing shortage at the TSA. A spokeswoman for DHS, which oversees both ICE and the TSA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Lyonne’s statement.
According to an original report from Page Six, Lyonne was removed from the flight after she allegedly ignored instructions from flight attendants to close her laptop and fasten her seatbelt. The plane had already started taxiing, but then returned to the gate, where employees are said to have helped Lyonne get out.
Responding to the initial reports, Lyonne said her “heart goes out to all the unpaid TSA agents at our airports” and confirmed she missed her scheduled appearance on Barrymore’s show. She finally arrived in New York and was spotted Thursday night at the premiere of a new documentary about Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels.
Lyonne’s calm reaction
In another post on Friday, Lyonne appeared to wave off questions and concerns about her well-being, urging people to watch “Russian Doll” again – as a reminder that “are you okay” is her “least favorite of all meaningless small talk phrases.”
She continued, “You never know how deep people really want to go, so I rarely ask unless I’m planning on sitting with someone for six hours and really listening to the answer. ‘How are you’ is right at the top, too. Do people really mean it when they ask each other that? Is anyone ‘okay’? I’m pretty grateful and doing pretty well. Surf a lot. Write a lot. Go to the theater.”
