Pickleball Coach in a Pickle: Peter Nguyen Caught Vaping, Slammed For Harassing Air Hostess
Peter Kobe Nguyen, a self-proclaimed pickleball coach and internet personality, sparked a mid-air incident aboard an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to San Francisco after he was allegedly caught vaping in the aircraft’s washroom.
Nguyen, who attempted to leverage his social media following during the altercation, shared a video of the encounter online—only to face backlash. In the now-viral clip, he accused a flight attendant of opening the bathroom door while he was inside and demanded an apology, repeatedly stating, “I have 25,000 followers. I’ll post this.”
As the flight attendant attempted to take his phone, Nguyen accused her of assault, saying, “I was actually sitting on the toilet and you were opening the door. She put her hands on me.”
“The attendant responded, “I don’t care. You keep saying you’re sorry, but I care about all these passengers.”
Nguyen further escalated the situation, claiming, “I have a lawyer. I am a lawyer,” and threatened to call the police upon landing unless he receives an apology.
American Airlines later issued a statement confirming the incident: “A customer on American Airlines flight 2869 with service from Phoenix (PHX) to San Francisco (SFO) was removed from the aircraft upon arrival at SFO due to disruptive behavior. We thank our customers for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience.”
According to the airline, the San Francisco Police Department met the flight upon arrival and escorted Nguyen from the concourse.
In a follow-up post, Nguyen claimed that American Airlines’ customer service contacted him, stating that an internal investigation had been launched and that similar incidents had reportedly occurred in the past.
However, following widespread criticism for vaping onboard—a violation of aviation safety regulations—and for his aggressive behavior, Nguyen has since made his Instagram account private.
#WATCH!!!! Celebrity pickleball coach' has a meltdown after a flight attendant caught him smoking in the bathroom, demands an apology while threatening to post the video to his "25,000 followers."🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Peter Nguyen was seen accosting a… pic.twitter.com/KWxJKbePEG
— Authentic voice (@Authenticvoice6) August 6, 2025
