Jason Momoa gives the impression of being a super healthy guy, no? He eats a nutritious (if fishy) breakfast every day, and gets a steady (if light) six hours of sleep a night. Plus, the man is sculpted for the gods! I don’t care what natural endowments he was born with, Jason’s buff physique takes dedicated maintenance. So I was surprised to learn that Hawaiian Adonis was a heavy smoker for many years, to the tune of three packs a day. Holy nicotine, Aquaman! Jason opened up about his habit on Monday’s episode of the SmartLess podcast — where he was promoting his new series Chief of War, more on that later — and shared a gripping story about the near death experience he had while surfing in Maui that finally led him to stop smoking for good:
During the episode, Jason opened up about the fact that he had long struggled to kick his smoking habit, but that one scary experience he had while surfing finally convinced him.
Jason revealed that he was visiting the big wave surfing break Pe’ahi in Maui when the leash connected to his surfboard snapped and he lost his board in the water.
“It’s so windy on Maui, and so the board just went. I couldn’t even see it anymore,” Jason shared on the podcast.
“So I was stuck in this crazy spot, which is probably the outer reef, and unknown to me, I was really on the outer reef, and they couldn’t see me, and I had my paddle, and I was waving it, and they couldn’t see me. And the waves were so big, it basically took my shorts off they were so f—ing big,” Jason revealed and went on to say that the experience made him start thinking about his family back on the land.
“I dig my feet into the coral, and I’m literally in the middle of the ocean, and I’m just, I could barely put my lips above it just to breathe and get a break, but I had already given up. So it’s like, you’ve already given up and died and have a second chance at it,” Jason continued. He said that when one of his friends finally found him, his feet were “covered” in blood from trying to hold onto the coral and stay above water.
“I couldn’t stop for my kids, I couldn’t stop for my ex, I couldn’t stop smoking,” Jason said, revealing that he went from smoking three packs of cigarettes a day to stopping completely after this experience. “The moment I came out, I never smoked again.”
Yikes, that is a terrifying story! My feet ache in sympathy just hearing him describe how he dug into the coral. Thank goodness Jason was with friends that day who kept looking for him. The ocean is no joke, and I say that writing to you from my annual August week on the Jersey Shore. I’m the person who never comes out of the water until I’m done for the day, and I like to swim as far out as I feel comfortable (though it’s always too far out for my family who perennially beg me to stay closer). Being out on the water is always where I feel most spiritually at peace, but I don’t forget the fact that it can be dangerous. Sure enough, the mighty Atlantic this week has been rough, so I’ve listened and kept to where my feet still touch the sand. (I’ll also probably never get the image out of my head of my poor mother’s face scared sh-tless when she lost her footing from a wave; she’s okay now everything is fine we are all OKAY!) All that to say, I can totally understand how Jason would have doom-filled “this is it” thoughts when in such a dire situation in the ocean, and also how surviving such an ordeal would be motivating to make life changes/improvements. Good on Jason for doing just that!
As for Chief of War… you guys, it is SO GOOD! I inhaled the first episodes and now impatiently wait for Fridays when Apple TV+ drops a new one each week. I said before that Luciane Buchanan really blew me away from the trailer, and now having seen her in action I think this is a star-making turn for her. All of the actors are terrific, and I’ve been impressed that not only did Jason create the series, but so far he’s had a writing credit for every episode as well. Check it out!
photos via Instagram/Apple TV+ and credit: Olivier Huitel/Avalon, MHD/Avalon, Justin Ng/Avalon, Timmie/Backgrid, Getty
Good to have that epiphany. My friend lost her father to a massive heart attack caused by smoking. A good, intelligent man. I told him to quit but he said smoking made him feel better – so he died too early and his family feels the loss keenly.
Mr. Gaffney loves this show and tried getting me to watch This past weekend. I have a hard time with any media where I already know the outcome is just another takeover no matter how courageous the fight. I even tried watching again last night but the description alone sent me over to Mad Men reruns.
Wait, why did he have a paddle if he was surfing? Was he paddle boarding? Paddle surfing?
I’m gonna be that Karen and say he should wear a life vest. There was recently an accident in Colorado where a wind storm blew in and 3 paddleboarders were knocked off their boards. The two wearing vests survived and the other sadly died. My husband and I are ocean kayakers and do a lot of risky yaking. We wouldn’t set foot in our boats without a life vest. The ocean is so changeable and unpredictable, no matter how well you prepare.
But I digress: kudos on him for quitting. Having seen friends struggle, it’s clear that smoking is one of the hardest habits to break.
Good for him for getting that monkey off his back. Whatever it takes to get to the stopping point. I hope he also gets that test done for people who where smokers for many years is they scan your neck and check for I believe blockages that can cause strokes. I smoked heavily for three years before quitting and saw the ad to see if I needed it done. I did not need it because I didn’t smoke for the amount of years that would cause me to have the scan. My husband’s aunt smoked heavily for decades before she finally quit. She died 6months later from a stroke. I didn’t know she had finally quit so I didn’t get to tell her about the scan.
As someone who goes to Cape Cod for the beaches, I’ve given up on swimming out into deep water because of the sharks. They are common off the Cape now, and the advice is to stay where you can touch the sand so you can run for shore if necessary.
And good on Jason for quitting smoking. Nasty habit.
Lord, he is so sexy to me. Hall pass status for sure!
I empathize with my gorgeous Hawaiian boyfriend, having almost died myself in a riptide whilst having a mermaid moment swimming in Puerta Vallarta. It was horrifying but I was a swimmer in my youth and was able to swim parallel to the shore and get out of the current. But there’s nothing like feeling like you’re kicking with all your might, just to get nowhere when you need to take a breath.