Why Jordan Peele is My Stoner Icon
Jordan Peele has been a favorite comedian of mine since his appearance on Mad TV in the early 2000’s. The talented actor, writer and co-star of Comedy Centrals Key and Peele has recently branched out into filmmaking, having snagged his first Academy Award for the breakout hit “Get Out” earlier this month.
Not one to shy from blunt humor, Peele gave a glimpse into his inspiration for ‘Get Out” during his acceptance speech at the Spirit Awards where he won two of the night’s most coveted prizes, Best Director and Best Feature.
“This project didn’t start as a statement, it began as me wanting to make film in my favorite genre,” Peele explained during his speech. “I sat down, and I would smoke a little bit of weed while I try to write a mind-bending horror film. At some point, I just followed the truth and realized there are people that are locked up for smoking less weed than I smoked while I wrote the movie.”
I first became aware of Jordan Peele’s proclivity for pot during his days on MadTV. I was relatively new to smoking myself but could still pick up on the weed jokes when they arose in his skits, after having taken a crash course in kush culture through the movie Half Baked. Similar to how excited I would get seeing other black faces on the TV screen as a child, so was I seeing another pothead on television who, incidentally, kind of looked like me. Mr. Peele’s become a stoner icon to me of sorts, not only for his immense talent but also for the fact that his talent is finally being acknowledged and given the credibility it so deserves.
Peele has been an avid user of cannabis for years now, even going so far as to pen a pseudonym he writes under when super blazed–“Mr. Weed”. “He’s an amazing writer”, Keegan-Michael Key, Peele’s longtime friend and collaborator once mentioned of “Mr. Weed” in an interview with Mental Floss, “We’ve had him on our staff for years. He’s worked with Jordan for, like, 14 years.”
With the success of such movies as Get Out and Black Panther, I’m hoping the visibility of African-American directors and screenwriters begin to take hold. Although common sense dictates if it’s making money this will likely be the case.
If you haven’t seen Get Out, rent, stream or just have someone give you a stoned retelling of it immediately. Until you do, check out some of my favorite skits from Peele that give a sly, knowing homage to our favorite Mary Jane:
This Obama sketch is one of my favorites, lampooning the former president’s past penchant for pot.
Made earlier in Peele’s career, this comedy short from mrjohnsoncomedy shows him portraying the frustration a weed smoker experiences with someone who fronts like they smoke. Gack.
Another gem from the comedy show Key and Peele, this sketch coined a catchphrase for both stoners and non-stoners alike.
I’m all for Montel Williams being an advocate for medical marijuana and he’s long been at it. But as someone who watched his show during the 90’s I clearly remember his anti-marijuana stance. Just saying.
