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.
Digital medical care provider Pear Therapeutics rang the closing bell on the Nasdaq Friday and President and CEO Dr. Corey McCann, joined Cheddar to talk about how the company plans to grow the business of software-based therapeutics and how the first FDA authorized prescription digital therapeutics company will go about treating illnesses like insomnia and addiction. "These really are pieces of software. In many cases, they're apps and in the cases of our addiction products, these are based on something called cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT," he said. "These products change the patient's brain circuitry to help them be abstinent, to help them stay in treatment, and that's exactly what we see in randomized clinical trials and that's what we see in the real world." He also addressed the ongoing mental health crises brought on by the pandemic. **copy updated to remove IPO information as Pear Therapeutics went public in December**
James Tattersall, director of sales and marketing for Lake Nona Wave Hotel, talks about the hotel's initiatives to foster diversity and how these amenities champion inclusivity in the Orlando area.
Ben Armstrong, founder of Bitboy Crypto, joins Cheddar News to discuss Bitcoin's downward trend and what's next for crypto after protests in Kazakhstan cause crypto miners to shut down.
Jake Carbone, senior data analyst at InfluenceMap joins Cheddar News to talk about a new report by The Guardian and InfluenceMap that reveals how companies are creating fossil fuel ads designed to look like Google search results.
Desmond Howard, former NFL wide receiver and Modelo college football playoff ambassador, joins Cheddar News to talk about the Modelo sweepstakes honoring the 30th anniversary of his iconic punt return.
The highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced school districts nationwide to return to virtual instruction, but there remain concerns about the quality of education students are receiving online. Andy Bird, CEO of Pearson, an education publisher and assessment service provider, joined Cheddar's "Opening Bell" to talk about steps educators and parents can take to make the remote learning experience an easier one, noting that one of the biggest advantages teachers can have is flexibility. "You cannot take a rigid timetable that works in the analog world and replicate that in the digital world. You need to have flexibility. Asynchronous learning, I think, is a very important part," he told Cheddar.
On this episode of ChedHER: Chief Product Officer at Mathison breaks down how she's building tech to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace; Co-Founder and CEO of Carewell.com explains how her platform is easing the pressures that come with caregiving; Founder and CEO of Mentor Agility discusses what goals business owners should set in the new year.
Bianca Padilla, Co-Founder and CEO of Carewell.com, joins ChedHER to discuss how her platform is easing the pressures that come with caregiving, and how she's breaking barriers for women in venture capital.
Elizabeth Spenko, Chief Product Officer at Mathison, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's building tech to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and an outlook on DEI in 2022.
Julie Elledge, Founder and CEO of Mentor Agility, joins ChedHER to discuss what goals business owners should set in the new year, and what tools are out there for emerging entrepreneurs.
