Latest news with #Peter'Kobe'Nguyen
New York Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
American Airlines' vaping passenger doubles down following viral incident: ‘My privacy and dignity were violated'
What an airhead. Peter 'Kobe' Nguyen, the American Airlines passenger who got into a viral altercation with a flight attendant who caught him vaping in-flight, has reportedly doubled down on his position. 'Something happened to me that I never imagined I'd have to go through — especially on a commercial airline,' the self-proclaimed 'celebrity pickleball coach' declared in a viral Instagram post posted August 9. 'While flying on American Airlines Flight 2860, my privacy and dignity were violated in ways that left me shaken, humiliated, and hurt.' 3 'The reputational harm from this incident has been devastating to my career,' Nguyen (pictured during the altercation) declared in the Instagram post. Instagram / @ The post was somewhat cryptically captioned, 'I can't delete this, it's already on the internet.' Nguyen was referring to an altercation that occurred August 4 aboard a flight from Phoenix to San Francisco after an unnamed AA air hostess busted the passenger allegedly smoking an E-cigarette in the lavatory, which is both a federal offense and a violation of airline policy. In the viral clip, filmed by the vaper in the aftermath of him getting busted, Nguyen accuses the perplexed crew member of opening the bathroom door while he was inside. Upon spotting him filming her, the flight attendant attempts to snatch his phone away, prompting the aghast pickleballer to accuse the flight attendant of assault. 'She put her hands on me,' yells the flyer, before bizarrely declaring that he's a lawyer — a claim he later walked back in an interview with Inside Edition. At one point, Nguyen then threatens to sic his social media fans on her, declaring that he'd release the video for his 25,000 Instagram followers if she didn't 'say sorry' immediately. He was reportedly removed from the aircraft by San Francisco police upon arrival. 3 Nguyen claimed that he had taken the matter to American Airlines' legal department. Instagram / @ Despite getting ripped by online viewers, who labeled the Instagrammer an 'insufferable pos' who deserved to be put on the 'no-fly list,' the unapologetic passenger refused to backpedal. In the aforementioned Insta post, Nguyen claimed that the midair tiff impacted his mental health, work, and 'ability to trust the very systems meant to keep us safe.' 3 'While flying on American Airlines Flight 2860, my privacy and dignity were violated in ways that left me shaken, humiliated, and hurt,' said Nguyen. Christopher Sadowski 'I'm not just a CEO and nonprofit founder — I'm also a Hollywood producer,' he declared. 'The reputational harm from this incident has been devastating to my career.' Nguyen added that he'd formally taken the matter to 'American Airlines' legal department,' writing, 'My goal is not only accountability, but to make sure this never happens to anyone else. I will fight for justice, privacy, and dignity for every passenger.' Interestingly, the post seemed like a complete 180 from apologetic sentiments he expressed earlier in the week. During an Aug 8 appearance on Fox 10 Phoenix, the seemingly rueful racquet sport enthusiast had said, 'I'm sorry to all of the other passengers, there's no excuse for what happened.' He added that he'd been going through nicotine withdrawal with 35 minutes left in the two-hour flight. 'I wish I never picked up a vape to begin with,' Nguyen lamented. 'It sucks knowing in order to be myself, I have to have nicotine. I feel so helpless.' In light of the embarrassing ordeal, the flyer has pledged to quit the automated cancer stick, although he nonetheless demanded that the flight attendant apologize for opening the lavatory door on him.
New York Post
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Passenger films shouting match with flight attendant — but viewers say he should be on a ‘no fly list': ‘Sorry attempt to portray yourself as a victim'
He was in a real pickle. Self-described pickleball coach Peter 'Kobe' Nguyen is being ripped online for unloading on a flight attendant who allegedly busted him vaping on an American Airlines flight. He posted an Instagram video of their verbal volley hoping to garner sympathy, but this backfired horribly when commenters sided with said crew member. In the clip, shot in the aftermath of Nguyen's alleged bathroom E-cigarette session, the passenger is heard accusing the unnamed air hostess opening the lavatory while he was inside. 3 'Do you want me to release this (the video) or do you want to say sorry to me right now?' Nguyen (right) threatened. Instagram / @ 'I was actually sitting on the toilet and you were opening the door,' declared the flyer, before apologizing to the flight attendant. 'I don't care,' she replied. 'You can keep saying you're sorry but I care about all these passengers.' That's when the crew member notes that Nguyen is 'recording' her and attempts to snatch his phone away. 'You're not allowed to that,' protests the pickleballer, who describes himself on his Insta profile as a 'celebrity pickleball coach,' 'AI expert' and 'agent.' Things escalate after Nguyen accuses her of assault. 'She put her hands on me,' he yells. 'I am a lawyer.' He proceeds to repeat the assault accusations, which the flight attendant vehemently denies. Nguyen then threatens to sic his social media fans on her, declaring, 'I have 25,000 followers that are going to watch this.' 'Do you want me to release this or do you want to say sorry to me right now?' inquires the irate traveler. The beleaguered flight attendant capitulates and apologizes, but Nguyen doesn't appear appeased and even threatens to 'call the police' on her when they land. 'You do not put your hands on a passenger,' he repeats. Then, turning his attention to the camera, he declares, 'This flight attendant assaulted me.' 3 The flight attendant (pictured) denied putting her hands on Nguyen. Instagram / @ In a followup post, Nguyen wrote that 'American Airlines customer service' had called to tell them they were conducting 'internal investigation' of the incident and that 'similar instances had happened in the past.' 'Justice is about to be served,' he declared in the caption. Commenters weren't exactly on board with Nguyen's digital pity party. 'What a sorry attempt to portray yourself as a victim,' scoffed one critic. 'Stop Vaping in the airplane, case closed.' 'So disappointed this video doesn't end with this 'sorry' excuse for a gentleman being escorted away by security,' said another. 'No flight attendant should have to deal with this, no fly lists exist for a reason.' 3 The crew member attempts to snatch Nguyen's phone. Instagram / @ Nguyen was also ridiculed on Reddit with one poster writing, 'someone please develop an app that lets you punch somebody through your phone.' 'I was just waiting for him to throw in the MY DAD IS RICH,' said another. 'He's an insufferable pos, and unfortunately, he's not the only one,' lamented another, bemoaning the alleged rise of entitlement in the social media age. 'So many people these days feel empowered by the fact that they have an audience of individuals watching them on some stream.' They added, 'The whole influencer/follower paradigm thats been brought on by these stupid phones and apps like TikTok is going to make these types of videos all the more frequent.' The Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits vaping on planes — an infraction that can result in a $1,771 fine. However, this steep penalty hasn't prevented E-cigarette enthusiasts from puffing away at 30,000 feet. Earlier this week, a Ryanair passenger was escorted off an airplane at Edinburgh airport in Scotland after he was busted vaping in the lavatory, which resulted in a two-hour delay.
