Natasha Lyonne Says Lunesta Led to Mid-Taxi Flight Removal

Actress Natasha Lyonne has explained what led to her removal from a Delta flight earlier this week, saying a prescription sleep aid played a central role in the incident.

The event took place on Tuesday, April 7, on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York. Lyonne said she took Lunesta, a medication commonly used to treat insomnia, after boarding the plane. Her goal was to get some rest before appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show shortly after landing.

According to reports, the situation escalated while the plane was taxiing. Lyonne appeared heavily sedated and did not respond to flight attendants’ instructions, including requests to fasten her seatbelt and turn off her laptop. Crew members described her as unresponsive, which raised safety concerns.

As a result, the pilots decided to return the aircraft to the gate. Lyonne was escorted off the plane by a Delta agent. Witnesses said she appeared disoriented and asked, “Where are we?” as she was being removed.

The delay caused the flight to depart about an hour later than scheduled. Lyonne ultimately missed her planned television appearance.

On April 10, Lyonne addressed the incident publicly on X, formerly known as Twitter. She acknowledged taking the medication and apologized to passengers for the disruption. In her post, she said she had intended to be “bushy tailed & beauty rested” upon arrival but instead caused an unintended delay.

She also expressed disappointment about missing her interview with Drew Barrymore, noting she had been looking forward to the conversation.

The incident occurred after Lyonne attended the premiere of Euphoria Season 3 earlier that evening.