Hutchinsphoto / Dreamstime
Being a celebrity can offer a lot of perks, but it hasn’t helped iconic Hollywood actor Tom Hanks’ son with his travel woes. Chet Hanks, the 35-year-old son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (who is also a celebrity in his own right) posted an Instagram video on February 27 captioned “Free me” after he was denied access to an international flight home to the United States from Medellin, Colombia.
While Green Card holders know to expect some stringent Customs and Border Protection requirements when entering and exiting the country, a Green Card was the last thing on Chet’s mind. He’s a U.S. citizen, after all. However, a passport mistake left him stranded and denied entry to the U.S., with him genuinely being told he needed a Green Card to travel to America.
Chet Hanks Was Denied Entry To The U.S. As An American Citizen Without A Green Card Due To A Passport Error
Chet Hanks first popped into the spotlight in 2011 when he released the rap song “White and Purple,” a remix of Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.” More recently, he landed the role of Travis Bugg on the Netflix sports comedy Running Point. Chet stars alongside Kate Hudson and plays the multifaceted role of troublemaker, rapper, and point guard. Though his career has been on a fast upward trajectory, the actor is now grounded with passport troubles after being denied boarding on his flight to the U.S., even though he’s an American citizen.
Chet’s travels started smoothly with a visit to his friend Max in Puerto Rico to celebrate Max’s birthday. Before departing for home, Chet decided to take a detour and visit his friend Taylor, who lives in Medellin, Colombia. The side trip added just a few hours of travel time and seemed like a pleasant diversion.
via Shutterstock
Chet explained, “I’m traveling with my Greek passport because I’m a dual citizen.” He didn’t use his American passport because it’s nearing the expiration date, and he was thus concerned about whether he would be allowed to travel with it. The Greek passport seemed like a fine alternative until it came time to get home.
Chet explained that he went to the airport to check in for his international flight and was turned away because of his passport mistake. Not only that, he was told “you need a Green Card” because of his passport oversight.
“They tell me that if I’m using a foreign passport, I need a green card to get back into America. I don’t have a green card because I’m an American citizen,” Chet explains in his Instagram video.
Indeed, the rule is true; dual citizens who hold a U.S. passport must use their American one to enter the country, not their other foreignpassport. Though Chet laughs at the ludicrous nature of the situation, his frustration is also evident. It’s clear that he’s stranded without any convenient options.
“I’m Literally Stuck In Columbia”: Without His U.S. Passport On Hand, Chet Said He’s Stranded
Chet goes on to explain in his video that he doesn’t know what to do next now that he’s stranded overseas without his U.S. passport to hand.
“I don’t have my American passport with me, so I’m literally stuck in Colombia,” Chet says in the video.
The only embassy where he can get the issue settled is in Bogota, which is about an hour away by plane from where he’s stuck in Medillin, and over eight hours away by car. Chet was adamant that he doesn’t want to make the trip to Bogota and didn’t know what else he could do in the situation. His video ends with the plea, “Free me.”
Fans Offered A Slew Of Responses to Chet’s Travel Troubles
Chet began building a fan base of his own when Running Point debuted in February 2025. By March of the same year, it was the second most-streamed show on TV, behind Prime Video’s Reacher. Running Point debuted with 153.8 million views and 21.5 million viewers, proving that Chet’s popularity isn’t linked solely to his famous dad.
Fans’ responses to Chet’s situation range from memes of Tom Hanks stranded in the movie Castaway to concern about the filming of Chet’s show.
“I don’t mean to make this all about me.. but how does this impact season 2 of Running Point?” read one popular comment.
Another commenter commiserated about the dangers of traveling with a passport that’s soon to expire, explaining, “My boyfriend and I were supposed to go to Croatia, but his passport was expiring in 3–4 weeks and they wouldn’t let him check in for the flight. We had no idea about the six-month validity rule. We ended up missing our flight, scrambling to rebook everything, and rushing to the passport office on Wilshire to get an emergency renewal. It was honestly one of the most stressful travel experiences ever.”
Most commenters seemed unconcerned about the long-term fate of Chet due to the presumed resources that accompany his fame and fortune. However, travel problems like Chet’s are becoming increasingly common as immigration rules, travel restrictions, and passport requirements get more complex.
A number of other Americans faced equally disturbing experiences recently; some travelers discovered their U.S. passports had been canceled without their knowledge, leading to denied entry and even detainment at their destination abroad.
Traveling in and out of the United States is getting increasingly complicated, with border officers searching travelers’ cell phones, unexpected ICE detentions (even of Canadians), and British tourists even getting detained in recent months, and more. For Chet Hanks and others, planning ahead, staying vigilant, and having an overabundance of travel documents is the order of the day.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com ’
