Natasha Lyonne calls her flight incident ‘kooky,’ a ‘performance art piece’

Two photos, one of Arden Wohl, Natasha Lyonne and Lizzi Bougatsos  at the annual Planned Parenthood Of Greater New York Spring Into Action Gala, 4-15-26, second is of Lyonne at the LA Premiere Of Netflix's Roommates on 4-15-26

Natasha Lyonne is a guest star on season three of Euphoria. Two weeks ago, she attended its premiere in Los Angeles. It was her first red carpet since she’d announced her relapse in January and then told fans in late March that she was doing much better. Later that evening, Natasha was removed from her red-eye flight back to New York City. Flight attendants said she appeared “out of it” and refused to answer their pre-flight requests for her to stow her laptop and fasten her seatbelt.

Natasha eventually explained that her erratic behavior was caused by a Lunesta sleeping pill that she’d taken after boarding. She wanted to get some sleep because she had to go straight to The Drew Barrymore Show after landing. She also claimed that she was taken off the plane by ICE, which a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security denied. Late last week, Natasha attended the 2026 Planned Parenthood Of Greater New York Spring Into Action Gala. Page Six, who first reported on the incident, caught up with her on the red carpet to ask how she was feeling. Natasha responded graciously and laughed the whole thing off.

Natasha Lyonne is having a laugh weeks after she was reportedly removed from a Delta flight earlier this month for allegedly failing to comply with crew member instructions.

The Poker Face actress, 47, poked fun at the highly-publicized incident in an interview with Page Six published on April 16. When asked how she was doing, Lyonne playfully responded, “Oh you mean my flight plans? My performance art piece?”

She continued, “It’s been a doozy. You know, I’m grateful to be something of a Marathon Man. And the good news is, I have managed to catch three flights since that last one. I do seem to show up on time, hit those marks, despite it all.”

After saying that it was “a kooky moment, kooky times,” she says she’s all for having a good laugh about it.

“I do love jokes,” she said. “They’re my own personal god, for lack of better words. Being doubled over laughing, that’s the altered state that I’m most into.”

[From People]

I watched the video that Page Six posted. To me, Natasha seemed uncomfortable to be asked about it, but leaned into her response by answering in a dramatic voice. When she changes the topic to talk about the importance of Planned Parenthood and healthcare, she gets much softer and genuine-sounding. I know Page Six is always gonna Page Six by bringing up someone’s bad moments, but the woman is in recovery from a relapse after 20 years of sobriety. I’m sure she’s embarrassed and wants to put it behind her. For Natasha’s sake, I hope this is the end of the discussion about what happened on the plane.

I thought Natasha’s remarks about Planned Parenthood and American civil rights were really poignant. When the interview pivoted to the gala, here’s what she said:

“It does feel weird that it’s become almost like a radical organization when it’s just healthcare. [T]his impacts all of us. It’s always struck me as wild that anyone thinks that they should have the right to give another human being rights…I know it’s not the topic, but gay marriage. Whoever thought it was their right to decide if somebody else could get married? Who died and made so-and-so the boss of somebody else? Seems to me that each individual should be allowed, to quote Tracy Ellis Ross, the dignity of their experience.”

Hear, hear. Say it louder for the people in the back, baby. This is why I always have and always will root for her.

Arden Wohl, Natasha Lyonne and Lizzi Bougatsos  at the annual Planned Parenthood Of Greater New York Spring Into Action Gala, 4-15-26

LA Premiere Of Netflix's Roommates on 4-15-26

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, BFA/Backgrid, Getty Images for Netflix

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13 Responses to “Natasha Lyonne calls her flight incident ‘kooky,’ a ‘performance art piece’”

  1. Love says:

    Come on, Natasha. Nobody believes you. You got drunk and/or high on a plane. Just own up to it. At least you got some publicity over it.

  2. ThatGirlThere says:

    This response concerns me a bit. The leaning into a joke makes me wonder if she really is okay. But I do understand that having the question asked of you could be off putting in the moment. I just hope that she’s taking care of herself and focused on her recovery.

    She’s damn right about Planned Parenthood and how it affects us all as a community. I wish others in the spotlight spoke out more.

  3. YankeeDoodles says:

    I actually think people in recovery get a very lucid, intense version of humanity, by being humbled, and having to carry that cross, and struggle. And they come out of it better, clearer, stronger, more compassionate, more disciplined, more authentic. I think she’s lovely, I can’t wait to see her do more.

  4. FYI says:

    An airplane is not the place to do performance art or anything “kooky.” I don’t know what she’s trying to say / spin. I understand that y’all like her, but I admit [ :: ducks under table :: ] that I don’t understand the praise at all.

    • Tulipworthy says:

      I agree an airplane is not the time for “performance art”. Did you give any consideration to all the people you inconvenienced on the plane Natasha?

    • Chaine says:

      ITA. She was a complete ass that delayed everyone else’s travel plans, and anyone of us normies who acted like she did probably would have faced some charges and got put on a no-fly list. I don’t care that she’s quirky lovable actress of our youths.

  5. Jason says:

    Kooky? Bs more like high as a plane. She needs to get her S together.

  6. Colleen says:

    She’s an addict. She relapsed and she’s lying. If she’s still actively using she will convince herself that we all believe her. She will be in rehab again by summer. No question about it.

  7. Mango says:

    Am I missing something? Reading these comments, I expected to watch the video and see her legitimately calling her plane shenanigans an actual performance art piece, that she was really trying to brush it off as a kooky Joaquin-Phoenixesque attempt at method acting on a plane.

    But then I watched the video, and she’s clearly just being self-deprecating and using humor to sidestep a question about something she did that she’s clearly not proud of, but not wanting to be too serious about it in such a public setting and casual discussion interview.

    Like, did I misread her whole tone, body language, and demeanor? She wasn’t justifying her behaviour as Quirky Girl Artiste, nor trying to make people believe such a lie; she was clearly rather embarrassed, both of her own bad behaviour and of having it brought up in that environment and was just trying to keep it light.

    Right?

    • Hannah1 says:

      Better way to handle the discomfort would have been expressing empathy for the people she inconvenienced. As @YankeeDoodle said above, a heightened sense of humanity is a benefit of the humbling and struggling of recovery. Having a primary concern be one’s self is something else.

      • Mango says:

        I guess I’m not seeing it as cynically as others 🤷‍♀️ A red carpet-style interview probably isn’t the place one expects to get into an in-depth discussion of an embarrassing situation and the impact it had on others. Would it have been more empathetic and personable to have buried her face in her hands and groaned over how embarrassed she was and how much she hates having inconvenienced so many people, of course. That would have been a far better response.

        I just meant that it didn’t read to me like she was *actually* saying it was a piece of performance art, nor trying to make people believe it really was.

        She definitely needs better PR training, without a doubt. If she’d had an actual response prepared just in case, she would’ve come across much better. I’m not a fan of hers, so I dunno if she’s typically up her own butt, but maybe she is 🤷‍♀️

      • Hannah1 says:

        Well said. There’s always next time to do better

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