Ricky Schroder may best be known to some as the blond child actor who starred in the TV show "Silver Spoons," and later had a role as a police detective on the crime procedural "NYPD Blue."
Schroder had a different kind of on-camera stint on May 16, 2021, however, when he filmed himself confronting a Costco supervisor named "Jason" outside one of the wholesale chain's stores in Los Angeles County.
In the video, Schroder, who wasn't wearing a face mask, demanded to know why he wasn't being allowed in the store and argued with the supervisor about having to wear a mask inside.
"Didn't you see the news?" Schroder asked. "Nationwide, Costco has said you don't need to wear masks."
The supervisor informed him that wasn't accurate because although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had just changed its mask guidance nationwide for fully vaccinated people, the state of California hadn't lifted its mask mandate yet.
And the supervisor was correct. While Costco CEO Craig Jelinek issued a statement on May 14 announcing that Costco stores in jurisdictions without a mask mandate would allow fully vaccinated customers to enter without a mask, the company would continue to abide by the rules of jurisdictions that still had mask mandates in place.
Schroder's May 16 social media moment wasn't the first time the actor had made the news for his activities. In November 2020 he made a significant contribution toward helping post bail for Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager facing trial for killing two Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who has become a right-wing cause celebre.
We reached out to Costco for comment and will update this story if we hear back.