Tommy Chong is best known for being one half of the pot-smoking comedy duo Cheech and Chong and has been labeled as an activist for the cannabis movement ever since. Chong is now starring in Richard Stanley's new horror film Color Out of Space.
Chong, 81, told Cheddar he relates to his character "Ezra," who is a shut-in recluse 'hermit' that provides comic relief in the film. He said as you age the more you become a 'hermit' yourself. "The older you get the less people listen to you and talk to you," Chong claimed.
The Cheech and Chong stoner comedy duo rose to fame in the 1970s, and, in an era of reboots, Chong says he is open to doing a reunion after Richard "Cheech" Marin recovers from a knee injury. Since then, Chong has been vocal on and off the screen about his love for cannabis and now has ventured into his own brand called 'Chong's Choice' which offers a range of products from pre-rolls to THC strips.
Now that cannabis is legal in California, where he spends most of his time, he explained that this was the best moment to start his own business. "Once it got legal, it's fun. You don't have to sneak across the border anymore," Chong said.
However, the actor and comedian is not surprised to see cannabis legalized in his lifetime, because he said he always knew it was good for you. "Anything that makes you horny works," he explained.
Color Out of Space, based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, is set to be in theaters Jan. 24, co-starring Nicholas Cage and Joely Richardson. The film takes place in a rural town after the Gardner family relocates there from the city. After a meteor lands into the family's garden, the water supply is infected by a mutant organism causing the entire town to exhibit unhinged behavior.
Perteet Spencer, Co-Founder of AYO Foods, joins ChedHER to discuss how the brand is bringing West African cuisine to the frozen food industry and building a grocery aisle her daughters can be proud of.
Crystal Etienne, Founder and CEO of period apparel company Ruby Love and Co-Founder of VC firm CaJE, joins ChedHER to discuss her experience bootstrapping her company to $10 million, and how she's creating a new era of venture capital and empowering Black women with 'soil' funding to start and grow their businesses.
E-commerce platform for construction and building materials RenoRun has raised $142 million in a Series B round, which the company says is the fourth largest Series B round in Canadian history. RenoRun’s platform offers same-day delivery of construction materials to job sites in Canada and the United States. The company aims to revolutionize the construction industry by maximizing productivity and efficiency. RenoRun co-founder and CEO Eamonn O’Rourke joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Like so many other cities, Miami experienced a tourism boom over the summer after vaccines were distributed. But, the Omicron variant has thrown the travel industry for a loop. David Whitaker, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, joined Cheddar to discuss the city as a tourist destination, and how it has handled headwinds from the pandemic.
Rockstar Energy, a subsidiary of Pepsico, unveiled its new beverage brand, Rockstar Unplugged, changing up the energy drink formula with hemp seed oil as an ingredient. PepsiCo Energy CMO Fabiola Torres joined Cheddar News to talk about how the product promotes “good vibes” and allows consumers to unwind and discuss partnering with "MTV Unplugged" for a concert series. "We couldn't find a better partnership that MTV," she said. "MTV Unplugged has been such an iconic proposition … and we believe that we're the right partners because the insight of our proposition for Rockstar Unplugged comes from music.
Eight months after the National Football League announced $1 million in research into cannabinoids, the NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee has awarded the funding to two teams of medical researchers at the University of California San Diego and the University of Regina. The NFL says the studies will investigate the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football players, respectively. Cheddar correspondent Chloe Ailello spoke with Jeff Miller, the executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy for the NFL, about the studies, as well as the recent lawsuit filed against the NFL by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. "Maybe we can learn things from other alternative pain approaches that are going to benefit our player population and then sports medicine as a whole," Miller said.
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ and Ayana Morris, co-director of the documentary 'Why Is We Americans?,' join Cheddar News to discuss the new documentary highlighting the impact of the Baraka family.
Former New York City mayor and lawyer to Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani made his singing debut on a taping of Fox’s The Masked Singer. However, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, two judges on the competition show, reportedly left in protest when Giuliani was unmasked upon being eliminated.
All Hands celebrates Black History Month by highlighting achievements in inclusivity and paying homage to those who have fought for equal rights. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) joins Cheddar News to discuss voter suppression; Damali Peterman, CEO of Breakthrough ADR, elaborates on the biggest barriers for Black professionals; Andre Perry, senior fellow of Brookings Institution, dives into student loans and the racial wealth divide; and lastly, BET CEO Scott Mills discusses the company's initiatives for 2022.
