For many, 4/20 stands as a moment of fervent celebration in pursuit of the sort of uniquely all-consuming highness that renders quotidian woes beautifully powerless.
In commemoration of The Big Day, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to throw together a list of some of the best celebrity-focused weed stories, including one instance of blowing down that’s said to have taken place on the roof of the White House.
To that end, it’s worth mentioning here, as always, that celebrating on a day like 4/20, if that’s your thing, is definitely something you should partake in. But don’t forget that for many in the U.S., buying weed remains a far from simple, or even vaguely legal, process. Despite data overwhelmingly showing widespread support for legalization at the highest possible level, far too many politicians continue to dig in their heels.
At any rate, we've compiled a meticulous list of 420 celeb weed stories below. Just kidding. We only did seven. Keep reading for more.
That time Snoop Dogg got Ed Sheeran so high he couldn’t see
Back in 2023, Ed Sheeran recalled an especially potent smoke session with Snoop Dogg and Russell Crowe during an appearance on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast. According to Sheeran, who conceded that he doesn’t “really smoke at all,” Snoop and Russell were going “blunt for blunt for blunt for blunt,’ ultimately leading to him joining in.
“I just remember looking at him and being like, I can’t see right now,” Sheeran said of his experience with Snoop, who earlier this month extolled the virtues of “Gettin’ Gone.”
That time Seth Rogen got so high on edibles that he scared Bryan Cranston
Like Snoop, there are surely dozens of Seth Rogen-centered weed stories we could have included here. For no specific reason, we’ve landed on one involving a concerned Bryan Cranston, whose friendly inquiry of “Are you okay?” once confirmed to Rogen that he was, in fact, absolutely blasted thanks to edibles.
As Rogen revealed to Jimmy Kimmel back in 2021, he opted to indulge on a weed lollipop during a Golden Globes ceremony “many years ago.” While Rogen was initially convinced that his increasing level of fuckedupness was not visible to anyone else, bumping into Cranston at an afterparty confirmed otherwise.
“I went to an afterparty and I saw Bryan Cranston, who I don’t know that well,” Rogen recalled at the time. “But I saw him and the first thing he said to me was ‘Are you okay?’ which is an alarming question to be asked when you think you are okay. … When you just think you’re doing good and someone looks at you, like very scared and says ‘Are you okay?’ it’ll really bring you back down to Earth.”
Rogen promptly left the party.
That time Willie Nelson smoked on the roof of the White House
You've definitely heard this one before. In a 2020 documentary, we got direct confirmation from the man himself: The late Jimmy Carter’s son, Chip, once lit one up with Willie Nelson on the roof of the White House.
“He confessed that he smoked pot in the White House and he said that his companion was one of the servants in the White House,” the former POTUS said in the Rock & Roll President doc. “It actually was one of my sons.”
That time Kieran Culkin swapped out Mark Ruffalo's prop joint
In January, Kieran Culkin revealed himself to be the “very naughty young actor” who once swapped out a prop joint for a real one during a play, resulting in a decidedly high Mark Ruffalo. While Ruffalo himself had relayed this story in the past, Culkin’s more recent comments to The Guardian marked full-fledged confirmation that he was the person behind the prank.
“I’m like, ‘I thought this was a good prank. I’m stupid. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.' But actually, they loved it," Culkin said.
That time Idris Elba sold weed to Dave Chappelle
During an appearance on Jess Cagle Podcast back in 2022, Idris Elba addressed prior claims from Dave Chappelle of him having sold weed to the comedian in the past. At the time, as Chappelle had previously told Joe Rogan, Elba was working as a security guard at a comedy club.
“I used to buy weed from him,” Dave said, to which Elba later offered a confirmation.
“I did that for a little bit just to help pay the way,” Elba said.
That time Eric André was 'stoned' and 'paranoid' during a staged break-in from Johnny Knoxville
The Righteous Gemstones alum Eric André, who himself entered the Jackass franchise thanks to Jackass Forever in 2022, recalled one hell of a Johnny Knoxville-orchestrated prank during a conversation that year with Jimmy Kimmel. According to André, he had been forced to spend the preceding holiday season in self-isolation after catching Covid, a reality he faced with the help of a Bad Santa marathon complemented by copious amounts of weed.
On Christmas Eve, per André, his house alarm started going off while he was “stoned by myself, paranoid.” The would-be intruder was wearing “an Andy Warhol wig” while toilet-papering his home. While a perplexed (and high) André first shouted “I have a gun!” and threatened to call the police, he then realized he had merely been targeted by Knoxville in an effort to cheer him up.
That time Jay-Z (allegedly) used a real joint in an SNL sketch with Will Ferrell
Former Saturday Night Live writer Harper Steele, most recently seen in the documentary Will & Harper with Will Ferrell, told Seth Meyers in February that she believes a classic Robert Goulet sketch featuring Jay-Z marked the “first time a live drug was on the show.” Between dress rehearsal and going live, Steele recalled being asked by Jay if he could get “a real joint” instead of using a prop. Steele obliged, which meant “the whole studio smelled like pot the rest of the night.”
Later, an intern informed Steele that standards and practices exec Betzy Torres-Mitchell wanted to speak with her, to which Steele responded by instructing the intern to lie and say she had already left the studio.
Head to Complex Shop to score some vinyl to celebrate 4/20 with the perfect soundtrack.