Five Cannabis-Consuming Hollywood Celebrities pushing against the Stoner Stereotype

Let’s face it: while Hollywood has created some extraordinary entertainment over the years, by and large it hasn’t done many favors for cannabis. Ever since the days of Reefer Madness, American film and TV content has, with notable exceptions, created and maintained unflattering stereotypes about cannabis users, particularly in the heyday of the War on Drugs, when government drug office officials actively incentivized such plot devices on network television by reducing the quota of antidrug PSAs they were otherwise obligated to show if they were used. And even though times have changed, you don’t have to go too far to see yet another stoner comedy portraying the same Jeff Spicoli jokes which deny the existence of any other sort of cannabis user.

However, like the societies it makes its content for, Hollywood itself is not a monolith. And while we’re pretty sure the stoner comedy will always be with us, there are a few major players in the Hollywood game that have stepped out of the cannabis closet to expand the popular notion of just who a cannabis user is. So we’ve made a list of selected celebrities, their relationship to cannabis, and why it matters. So roll tape:

Morgan Freeman

The Oscar-winning actor/director has garnered numerous accolades since starting his career in the ‘60s. However, a 2008 car accident in Mississippi left him with fibromyalgia in his left arm. He still has to wear a compression glove to prevent blood pooling. Apparently, Freeman had used cannabis long before then, but became even more convinced of its utility as medicine after his accident. “I have fibromyalgia pain in this arm, and the only thing that offers any relief is marijuana,” he insisted to The Daily Beast in a 2015 interview. “They’re talking about kids who have grand mal seizures, and they’ve discovered that marijuana eases that down to where these children can have a life. That right there, to me, says, ‘Legalize it across the board!’”

Why It Matters: Freeman’s persona and velvety voice has earned him the designation of America’s “spiritual presence-in-chief.” Hard to argue with cannabis as a medicine or anything else when Morgan’s the one doing the speaking.

Megan Fox

Truly one of the 21st century silver screen’s most enduring sex symbols, Megan Fox has also gained a reputation as a maverick, as outspoken and challenging to the status quo as she is photogenic. In addition to sporting numerous tattoos — formerly a rarity amongst A-listers — Megan Fox also spoke out against the cannabis stigma in a 2009 GQ interview. "I can't tell you how much bullsht I've been through because I will openly say that I smoke weed," she said. "People look at it like it's this crazy, hippy, fcked-up thing to do. And it's not. I hope they legalize it." And she continues to push the envelope; in a well-publicized interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Megan discussed her experience taking the hallucinogenic beverage ayahuasca with her partner Machine Gun Kelly.

Why It Matters: Megan paved the way for female celebrities to create a new relationship with cannabis before it was particularly safe to do so.

Bill Maher

Irreverent and outspoken, Bill Maher has held courts for the better part of three decades as one of America’s most vocal political referees. One of his pet causes over the years has been cannabis — he sits on the advisory board of the cannabis advocacy group NORML. Starting his lifelong relationship with cannabis in the ‘70s while a student at Cornell, Maher actually sold it, and says it enabled him “to get through college and make enough money to start doing comedy.”

Why It Matters: As a show host and a producer for the news show VICE, Maher knows how to insert his perspective into practically every major political debate in America. Good to know he’s been a pro-cannabis advocate the whole time.

Chelsea Handler

Few celebrities are as open about their cannabis use as Chelsea Handler, or who come back to it more consistently in their work or public-facing life. While she faces her stand-up audiences sober, she’s talked candidly about cannabis being her “gateway drug” to therapy and meditation, and in 2021, she also released a curated kit with California dispensaries Green Flower and Apothecarium. She’s even pledged to create her own cannabis brand, once all the bugs are worked out in the industry. “The rules and regulations are constantly a moving target. It’s been more difficult than we had anticipated,” she told the Denver Post. “In the meantime, we’re open to doing partnerships.”

Why It Matters: Her provocativeness aside, Chelsea speaks to the aspirations and frustrations of a mainstream crowd who are embracing their quirks as they grow older. Chelsea shows they can do it with cannabis in the mix.

Seth Rogen

As the reigning king of lowbrow comedy, Seth Rogen has never made a secret of his love for cannabis — Pineapple Express, anybody? Unlike Chelsea, Rogen has jumped into the cannabis game with the Vancouver-based Houseplant, which has expanded to California. Split into two verticals, one cannabis-based, the other lifestyle-oriented, Houseplant aims towards an upscale yet accessible consumer niche that clearly shows that cannabis is no laughing matter for Rogen.

Why It Matters: Rogen is clearly no hobbyist — he’s in this for the long haul, and he’s introducing a style and vision to the industry accessible for even casual users. But make no mistake — it’s THC-heavy all the same, which should suit Rogen’s fans just fine.

Learn More: LA's West Hollywood aims to become a new New Amsterdam