30 Stars Who Smoke main image
Scroll Down To Continue

30 Stars Who Smoke

The United States has come a long way over the past 100 years or so when it comes to cracking down on smoking socially. It used to be considered one of the coolest things a person could do, and everyone admired the glamorous movie stars that so frequently showed off their expensive cigarettes. However, we now know of the damaging health concerns that smoking causes—both with short and long-term usage. Many people in the United States suffer from being addicted to smoking and struggle to quit.

Celebrities are not immune to this. While, as a culture, the United States now looks down on smoking, some of our favorite celebrities still struggle with the habit. Unlike kids today, they weren't raised thinking that smoking was one of the worst things you could do for your body. Well, at least most of them weren't. There are a few younger people who you'd think would have gotten the message. 

That being said, many also have redemptive and inspiring stories of how and why they have quit—spoiler alert: they quit for their health. No one wants to end up with half the problems smoking causes.

We have created a list of celebrities who are or have been avid smokers.

Will you be surprised by who is on this list?

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck

Affleck has yet to curb his smoking habit, and even has been spotted smoking while wearing a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic. A meme of Affleck stepping out for a smoke and looking utterly distraught with life in 2016 even made its way around the internet with several people saying “same.”

Affleck may not be able to break the habit, but that hasn't seemed to hold him down at all in Hollywood. The 40-something actor has won two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes during his career, which started all the way back when he was a child. Maybe he'll get around to quitting someday. 

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey

In a Complex cover story from 2014, Del Rey said that she has been smoking since she was 17. “That’s why I try to play mostly outdoor festivals. [Laughs.] Because 45 minutes into the set, when you’ve still got 45 more minutes to go, you need to smoke.”

Del Rey has been performing since 2005, but she didn't find her big, breakthrough hit until the release of her 2011 single, "Video Games." Since then, the singer has released seven albums, with an eighth, Blue Banisters, due to be released in July 2021. She's had several Grammy nominations but never a win. 

Michael Kovac/Stringer/WireImage/Getty Images

Chris Evans

Chris Evans

Even Captain America needs a break every once in a while. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2019, Evans said that he used to smoke marijuana all of the time but has since cut back. “I'm 37. I can't be smoking weed all the time. That's crazy."

For people these days, Evans is most known for his major roles in several blockbuster films from the Marvel universe, but he actually began acting back in 2000. He's even tried his hand at work behind the cameras—making his directorial debut with Before We Go in 2014. 

VCG/Visual China Group/Getty Images

Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson

There are several instances where the paparazzi have caught Johnson smoking a cigarette or two. We all know how bad it is for you to smoke, but she makes it look very sexy.

Dakota Johnson is the daughter of former Hollywood super couple Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, and it's clear that they passed all their acting talent down to her. Her first major role was as Anastasia Steele in the 50 Shades of Grey movie series, but you can also catch her in films like 21 Jump Street, The Social Network, and 2018's Suspiria. 

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley

Knightley has talked about how her “chilled out hippie” mother would come up to her room when she was a teenager to smoke cigarettes and talk about sex with her daughter. Definitely not a typical mother-daughter relationship, but Knightley says they are very close. This is probably why there have been several shots over the years of Knightley smoking in public.

Knightley began acting as a child in the 1990s, but it wasn't until her role in 2002's Bend It Like Beckham that people really started to take notice of her skills. Since then, she's starred in hit films like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pride and Prejudice, and The Imitation Game

Tim P. Whitby/Stringer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet has yet to kick her smoking habit. She likes to roll her own cigarettes and is careful not to smoke around her kids. Winslet has been smoking since she was 19 years old while on the set of Sense and Sensibility.

Winslet is probably most famous for her role as Rose in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. However, since then, you're more likely to find her in artistic period pieces as opposed to commercial hit movies. Despite being a highly acclaimed actor, Winslet has only ever won a single Academy Award for her work in 2008's The Reader

Mike Marsland/Contributor/WireImage/Getty Image

Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid smoked cigarettes for several years, and in 2017, she decided to trade the cigarette for a vape pen. In 2019, she decided to quit smoking altogether for her New Year’s resolution. However, Hadid still enjoys a cigarette, on occasion, with friends and a glass of wine.

Hadid has been modeling since she was a teenager, but it's only been since the mid-2010s that her fame has risen to epic proportions. During her career, she's worked with major brands like Chanel and Givenchy, and she's also been featured on the covers of prestigious magazines such as VogueElle, and Glamour. 

Andreas Rentz/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

Kate Winslet isn’t the only Titanic star with a smoking habit. Leonardo DiCaprio has also been a longtime smoker. DiCaprio knows that the habit is bad for him, but would still try to hide it from his mom during his twenties, and has since been seen regularly holding a vape pen while out and about.

DiCaprio has been appearing on TV and in movies dating back to the 1980s, and during his impressive career, he's managed to rack up wins, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, and a BAFTA Award. Many of his appearances also end up being commercial hits too. It's estimated that his films have grossed more than seven billion dollars worldwide. 

Frazer Harrison/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Lawrence appears to have a smoking habit as well. She has been shot smoking while taking breaks on the set of movies and has even opened up about smoking more than just cigarettes while hanging out with other celebrities.

Compared to some stars, Lawrence is still a newcomer to Hollywood. However, she's had a meteoric rise during her short time and has already managed to nab an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, and a SAG Award. She's appeared in commercial hits like The Hunger Games franchise, but she's also found critical success with roles in films like Silver Linings Playbook

Jamie McCarthy/Staff/Getty Images Enertainment/Getty Images

Zayn Malik

Zayn Malik

Malik has not only been seen smoking by the paparazzi, he has also posted pictures of himself smoking in the past. While his girlfriend, Gigi Hadid, seems, at times, to support this habit, many fans get upset when they see this for fear of his health.

Smoking doesn't seem like boy band behavior, but for much of his career, Malik was most famous as one-fifth of the British boy group, One Direction. Since his split with the group in 2015, Malik has managed to make an impressive solo career for himself with several number-one singles over three albums. 

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Contributor/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Sophie Turner

Sophie Turner

Turner is now staying away from the vape pen since she has been pregnant and has given birth to baby Jonas, but before her pregnancy, it was almost always in her hand. People online would even make jokes about how in nearly every picture she took, it appeared that the vape pen was glued to her hand.

Sophie Turner rose to fame in the mid-2010s thanks to her famous role as Sansa Stark on the HBO series Game of Thrones—which managed to nab her an Emmy nomination in 2019. Since then, she's had several roles in movies and TV, but she hasn't quite managed to recreate that GOT magic just yet. 

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Contributor/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood has a rather unusual story of how he eventually quit smoking after having the habit for several years. In February 2020, Wood told Seth Meyers on Late Night with Seth Meyers that he quit smoking because of an accident where he fell off of the roof of his home and broke his hand. The doctor told him he needed to quit smoking to make a full recovery, and with determination and hypnotherapy, he eventually did just that.

Wood is most famous for his role as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, but he's been appearing on screen since 1989. In addition to his numerous movie appearances, Wood has also lent his voice to several video game characters and even opened his own record label, Simian Records. 

Gilbert Carrasquillo/Contributor/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Katy Perry

Katy Perry

Perry first took to smoking while she was planning her wedding with Russell Brand in 2010. However, her habit lasted longer than just that, and she had tried to quit several times. She finally found the strength to quit once and for all when she became pregnant with her first child in 2019.

Katy Perry has been in the music business since her teenage years, but she didn't experience mainstream success until the release of her 2008 album One of the Boys. The album contained two of her most famous singles, "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold." Since then, she's released three more albums with multiple chart-topping singles. 

Michael Kovac/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl

Heigl is another mother and actress on this list who used to be a smoker but quit when she knew became a mother. There is nothing like the strength of a mother to do what is best for her children.

These days, Heigl is best known for her roles on TV and in movies, but she actually got her start in the world of modeling as a child. Some of her biggest roles include Izzie Stevens on the hit medical drama Gray's Anatomy, as well as the role of Alison Scott in the Judd Apatow romantic comedy Knocked Up

USA Network/Contributor/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt

While in America, it is a rarity to smoke, and most people don’t like it, in Europe many people still smoke, and it is widely accepted. This may be why Emily Blunt has been seen smoking cigarettes on occasion while out and about.

Blunt's background is in theater acting, but she managed to cross over to the screen with roles in movies like The Devil Wears Prada and Gideon's Daughter. More recently, she starred in the horror film A Quiet Place alongside her husband, John Krasinski, who also directed the movie. For her role, she ended up winning a SAG award. 

Pascal Le Segretain/Staff/WireImage/Getty Images

Chris Brown

Chris Brown

While it is not news that Chris Brown smokes, what has made news over the years are his decisions to quit smoking. For his New Year’s resolution in 2016, Brown decided that he would stop smoking cigarettes, but he appears to still enjoy smoking other things instead.

Brown has been a professional musician since the release of his debut album in 2004. His major singles have included songs like "No Air" and "Kiss Kiss". However, Brown is probably more infamous for his 2009 guilty plea to felony assault against his girlfriend at the time, fellow musician Rihanna. 

Jason Merritt/TERM/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek

It has been years since Hayek has smoked, and she actually hated cigarettes before she got hooked. Her habit began when she needed to smoke in the movie Frida where she starred as famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Hayek admits that she did not want to get hooked, but she was, and finally was able to stop once she became pregnant.

Hayek got her start in acting on the Mexican telenovela Teresa, but since then, she's managed to find fame worldwide with her numerous movie and TV appearances. In addition to her acting roles, Hayek has also tried her hand at directing and producing films as well, including The Maldonado Miracle, which won her a Daytime Emmy. 

Pascal Le Segretain/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding

Goulding used to be a habitual smoker but later quit to help her health and vocal cords stay strong. However, she has been photographed occasionally smoking a cigarette or two, when out with friends, ever since giving up the habit. 

While Goulding has had the most success in her native England, she's managed to become a musician that's known worldwide. Some of her biggest international hits have included 2011's "Lights", as well as "Love Me Like You Do" from 2015. For all her work, Goulding has been nominated for more than 60 awards, including a Grammy Award and BMI Award. 

Chris Jackson/Staff/Chris Jackson Collection/Getty Images

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga

Gaga used to be an avid smoker, especially when songwriting, but in 2020 she decided that she was not going to tolerate the habit anymore. She told New Music Daily on Apple Music in 2020, "I’m not smoking anymore, but I’d smoke 40 cigarettes all day long." Gaga did not have a good time quitting, and opened up about how brutal it was, but she appears to have conquered this habit.

Lady Gaga found major success with her debut album, The Fame, in 2008, with chart-topping singles like "Poker Face" and "Just Dance." In addition to her wildly successful music career, Gaga has also found success in the acting world, winning a Golden Globe for her performance in American Horror Story: Hotel

Neilson Barnard/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Matt Damon

Matt Damon

Damon used to smoke quite a bit when he was younger, but has since cut back on cigarettes considerably through the help of hypnosis. He can still be spotted smoking on occasion with friends, but we understand that it is a hard journey that isn’t always black and white.

Despite his smoking status, Damon is still one of the more beloved celebrities in Hollywood. He's one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, with his movies collectively earning more than three billion dollars worldwide, and he's been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an Oscar and two Golden Globes. 

Angela Weiss/Stringer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

It’s not a surprise that Miley Cyrus smokes, given how open she has been about her habit on social media and talk shows alike. However, in the fall of 2020, Cyrus announced that she is sober and no longer smokes. At the same time, she also doesn’t exactly want the pressure of being the face of sobriety.

Cyrus has clearly come a long way from her Hannah Montana days and the squeaky clean public image that came with her success on the Disney Channel. However, despite all her wild and crazy ways, Cyrus has managed to become one of the most popular musicians in the modern world.

Presley Ann/Stringer/WireImage/Getty Images

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow

Now an advocate for all things healthy and non-toxic, Paltrow used to be an avid smoker from her teenage years-up until she found out she was pregnant with her first child. It’s almost hard to believe that someone so health-conscious used to smoke so much!

Honestly though, her smoky past should be the least of her concerns these days. She's probably more concerned with all the legal trouble her scientifically dubious lifestyle brand, Goop, has stirred up--including a $125,000 settlement in 2017. Cigarettes might not be good for you, but neither are the snake oil products she's trying to hawk. 

Mitchell Gerber/Corbis Entertainment/Getty Images

Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender

According to the media, for Fassbender, smoking is seen as more of a fashion accessory than a vice. You will see fashionable pictures of him in fast cars smoking cigarettes, making it look super cool again. Be careful, Michael.

Fassbender first rose to fame for his role as a Spartan soldier in the 2006 film 300. But something tells us that there probably weren't many Spartans loitering around smoking cigarettes. Since his debut, he's landed roles in several other major films including Prometheus, Steve Jobs, and the HBO series Band of Brothers. 

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Alicia Vikander

Alicia Vikander

Fassbender’s wife, Alicia Vikander, also receives similar attention for smoking. The couple both make smoking look cool and sexy, but we should know better than to think it is the smoking that makes them cool and sexy - and understand we won’t look like them while smoking.

Vikander is a Swedish actress who's had just about as much good luck in the industry as her husband. She's received one Academy Award and several Golden Globe nominations for her work in projects like Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, and Anna Karenina. She's even ventured into the action movie world with roles in Jason Bourne and Tomb Raider

Pascal Le Segretain/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz

Diaz, much like Gwyneth Paltrow, used to be an avid smoker when she was younger, but she eventually quit because of the guilt she felt as a role model for younger girls. She knew smoking was not a good habit, and she did not want to set that example for her young fans.

These days, however, Diaz doesn't seem to have many fans of any age to influence. In the mid 2010s, Cameron Diaz basically dropped off the radar in Hollywood. Some speculate it was because of roles in disastrous movies like 2014's Annie adaptation, but maybe she had just had enough of acting, no matter if the roles were good or bad. 

Tibrina Hobson/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis

Kunis used to be a habitual smoker back in the day, and had largely quit until she needed to lose weight for her role in Black Swan. She admits to have eaten a very restrictive diet and to have chain-smoked to help her get down to the small size she needed to be for the movie, but she does not recommend that lifestyle for anybody. She has since stayed away from her old vice.

Kunis got into acting at a young age, with her first major role (on That 70's Show) coming when she was just fourteen years old. Since then, she's appeared on both TV and movies, with her most critically acclaimed role coming in 2010 with Black Swan. Kunis is currently married to her fellow 70's Show co-star, Ashton Kutcher. 

Michael Kovac/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Rihanna

Rihanna

Smoking cigarettes isn’t exactly what Rihanna is known for smoking. Like Miley Cyrus, it is no shock to fans that Rihanna has this habit because of the many times she has posted on Instagram while partaking in the activity.

Thankfully, Rihanna's particular vice happens to go well with the persona she projects to the world and hasn't seemed to hinder her success in the music business. Since her debut in 2005, she's gone on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time--with more than 250 million record sales worldwide. 

Steven Ferdman/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba

Alba has been spotted several times over the years holding a cigarette. Some rumors even say she smokes more than the occasional tobacco cigarette. There has not been talk about her trying to quit, but it is widely known that smoking is her vice.

Alba began work in Hollywood as a child actor, but her major breakthrough came when she was 19 and was starring on the Fox TV show Dark Angel. More recently, Alba has stepped into the world of entrepreneurship. She co-founded her own company, The Honest Company, which specializes in ethical household products. 

Pablo Cuadra/Contributor/WireImage/Getty Images

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

With his undeniably talented voice, you would think that Sheeran wouldn’t smoke, but as any Ed Sheeran fan would know, he has been spotted drinking and smoking many times over the years. However, in 2015, he quit smoking and has noticed how much healthier he looks and feels since stopping.

Sheeran has been releasing music since 2004, but it was until the debut of his first album in 2011 that he found major mainstream success. Since then, he's managed to sell more than 150 million albums internationally, including his 2017 album, which was declared the best-selling album of the year worldwide. 

Jeff Spicer/Stringer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell

Campbell has smoked for many years and recently told Vogue that she gave up smoking during Covid quarantine. But when she experienced the loss of her friend and the grandmother who raised her, it was just very difficult for her to be able to stay away. Smoking is not a solution to emotional stress and problems, but many people find comfort in it.

Campbell is one of the most famous models of all time and was also one of the first to receive the designation of "supermodel" from the fashion industry and press. It's no surprise she took up the bad habit either, as smoking is a prevalent problem within the modeling community. 

Vittorio Zunino Celetto/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images