The Shocking Reason Former Child Star Ricky Schroder Is Going Viral

As the star of the '80s sitcom "Silver Spoons," Ricky Schroder was a rich kid whose money couldn't prevent him from facing typical teen problems (bad grades, pranks gone wrong, relationship woes). Now he's a rich adult in real life who's facing bigger problems than trying to get his mom to buy him a dirt bike. 

Schroder recently had a confrontation at his local Costco when he went to return his item. The supervisor at the door, who identified himself as Jason, told Schroder that he needed to wear a mask to enter the building, and the actor proceeded to give him grief — while filming the encounter for his Instagram page. Schroder argued that Costco had lifted their mask requirement, while Jason calmly explained that the company policy only applies to stores in states where mask-wearing is not required. (California, including all of LA County, still requires masks inside stores.)

Schroder treated Jason to a tirade against the "kings" and "people in power" who mandate masks. "You're going to listen to these people? They've destroyed our economy. They're destroying our culture. They're destroying our state. And you're just going to listen to their rules?" he shouted. He captioned his post: "Boycott Costco till they act like a Free American Company...not [Chinese flag emoji]." 

A month earlier, Schroder was cited by the federal TSA for refusing to wear a mask aboard a JetBlue flight; he posted the letter on his Instagram page shortly after uploading the Costco video.

Ricky Schroder has become almost as well-known for his conservative views as for his roles in "Silver Spoons" and "NYPD Blue." The most recent posts on his Insta feed are statements against socialism, Antifa, and the "wokeness" of the media. One post is a painting depicting Barack Obama as Medusa, with notable Democrats as the snakes on his head. His video messages to fans refer to President Biden's "occupation of the White House." He also donated toward the bail fund of Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen who killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer (via Variety).

Some commenters praised Schroder for his actions; "I haven't been to Costco in 5 months and don't plan on going back," wrote one. "Keep fighting the good fight." Others called his behavior childish and unnecessary, pointing out that Jason could have lost his job if he'd knowingly let Schroder go into the store without a mask. One follower said in part, "Not everyone can be rich like you. Some people work hard for much less money. They're trying to feed [their] families. Yet, you go to their workplace, yell at them and harass them bc they wouldn't risk their job for you?...It takes a brave person in his ivory tower to harass everyday working Americans."