Woody Harrelson slams COVID-19 protocols on movie sets: ‘Absurd’

Shortly before Woody Harrelson came under fire for spreading a conspiracy theory about COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers during his “Saturday Night Live” monologue, the “Zombieland” actor took aim at “absurd” protocols on Hollywood sets.

“I don’t think that anybody should have the right to demand that you’re forced to do the testing, forced to wear the mask and forced to get vaccinated three years on. I’m just like, Let’s be done with this nonsense. It’s not fair to the crews,” Harrelson, 61, told the New York Times Magazine in an interview published late last week.

“I don’t have to wear the mask. Why should they? Why should they have to be vaccinated? How’s that not up to the individual? I shouldn’t be talking about this [expletive],” continued the “True Detective” actor. “It makes me angry for the crew. The anarchist part of me, I don’t feel that we should have forced testing, forced masking and forced vaccination. That’s not a free country.”

The “Solo: A Star Wars Story” actor clarified he cares more about crew members being able to take off masks, as he and other actors can do when delivering their lines.

“Really I’m talking about the crew. Because I can get out of wearing a mask. I can test less. I’m not in the same position they’re in, but it’s wrong. It’s three years. Stop,” Harrelson said.

The “Hunger Games” star raised eyebrows Saturday with his punchline to a long-winded story about a “crazy” script he read.

“So the movie goes like this,” Harrelson said. “The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over. I threw the script away.”

The joke was met with near silence from the in-person audience — but the at-home audience was quick to condemn the “Cheers” alum on social media.

“Interesting how he mentions being anarchist and Marxist but then makes an anti-vax joke,” argued one user. “There are so many horrible things about big pharma like insulin prices and the opioid epidemic, but people instead focus on vaccines when there’s no evidence against them. I don’t get it.”

“Who approved this,” asked a second person.

“F – – k you for giving this dude a platform to spread this anti-vax s – – t. call me a bad sport or whatever but i don’t think it’s funny when we’re still in the midst of an illness that’s still spreading thanks to losers like this,” wrote a third person.

Twitter owner Elon Musk, meanwhile, called Harrelson’s monologue a “good one.”

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is set to host Saturday’s “SNL” episode, with Kelsea Ballerini as musical guest.