On their SiriusXM podcast, the story comes with a twist: McConaughey says today’s ultra-potent weed no longer works for him.
The phrase “Woody Harrelson kicked out of bar smoking marijuana” sounds like an AI hallucination, or a fever dream. In this case however, according to the guys involved, a real story — one that starts in a bar, runs down a hallway, and ends up on a podcast hosted by two of America’s most weed-adjacent sitcom legends.
The claim surfaced on Where Everybody Knows Your Name, the SiriusXM show hosted by Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson. The two once co-starred in Cheers, the sitcom that turned bar culture into high art — though this particular bar story would’ve never aired on NBC.
Their guest? True Detective co-star and bongo-in-the-buff enthusiast Matthew McConaughey, who came bearing stories involving his mother, some joints, and two very unhappy bar staffs.
The podcast, produced by Team Coco, is pitched more as a hangout than a press tour — longform, low-pressure, and designed for the kinds of stories that usually get shared off-mic. This particular episode, recorded in Austin, found the trio sipping whiskey and swapping war stories, including one about why McConaughey doesn’t smoke weed anymore.
Inside the “Woody Harrelson kicked out of bar smoking marijuana” story
McConaughey starts the story in familiar territory: riffing about how Harrelson and his mom, Kay, have “a major crush on each other.” From there, it escalates fast.
According to McConaughey, the two “got kicked out of two bars for smoking ‘mar-i-ja-wanna,’ as my dad would call it — for smoking joints together. Set off a fire alarm in one. The other one, [staff said], ‘That’s illegal. What the hell y’all doing? Get out of here.’ And they ran.”
Harrelson, of course, confirms it: “Both times we got out of trouble.” He describes running for it after the fire alarm started blaring.
McConaughey wasn’t even in the same room when it happened. He says he was probably off with a beer while his mom and Harrelson — both of whom were, to be clear, very much grown adults — decided to light up indoors.
It’s the kind of scene that sounds fake until you hear them say it. Then you realize it’s not just possible — it’s on brand.
Harrelson’s long cannabis record
The story makes perfect sense if you know anything about Harrelson, who’s been riding for weed since the Clinton administration.
In the ’90s, he planted hemp seeds in Kentucky to challenge state laws and got himself arrested in the process. These days, he’s gone from protest to profit: Harrelson co-owns The Woods WeHo, a sleek dispensary and consumption lounge in West Hollywood that trades on his reputation and Hollywood’s hunger for a more polished kind of pothead.
He’s also been vocal about the need for spaces where smoking is allowed, recently backing a bill in California that would make cannabis cafes fully legal. His argument? People need places to consume that aren’t “in secret, in shame, or in alleys.”
So when Harrelson lights up in a bar, he’s not just being rebellious — he’s also acting like someone who believes the world should’ve caught up by now. The ventilation system may disagree, but his stance hasn’t changed.
McConaughey’s “too potent now” pivot
For McConaughey, the story isn’t about rebellion or even about his mom — it’s a segue into why he no longer smokes weed at all.
After Danson asks him point-blank, McConaughey says today’s strains are too strong for him. “The new stuff does not agree with my constitution and my mental makeup,” he says. “It bends time.”
He explains that he’s chipped a front tooth three times falling out of trees on full-moon nights after smoking what Harrelson had on hand. No one fact-checked that, and no one wanted to.
The point? He used to ride the wave. Now, the wave crashes too hard.
It’s a vibe a lot of longtime smokers relate to. What used to be mellow flower is now all gas, no brakes. And unless you’re dabbing daily, the average THC content in today’s bud can be a one-hit KO.
Scientific backing doesn’t hurt here: studies from NIDA and journals like Frontiers in Toxicology show that THC levels in cannabis have steadily climbed over the last two decades. In the ’90s, 4–5% THC was standard. Now, it’s not weird to see 20–30% in flower and even more in concentrates.
So when McConaughey says he’s out, he’s not being soft. He’s just not trying to get slapped by a joint.
Indoor smoke isn’t just a punchline
One thing you don’t hear much about on the podcast: the people who had to deal with the smoke. Bartenders, barbacks, and patrons who didn’t ask to hotbox with two famous Texans.
Public health experts have been clear for a while now: secondhand cannabis smoke carries real risks. The CDC reports that it can contain many of the same toxic and cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco — and it can carry THC as well.
The EPA backs that up, noting that ventilation can reduce exposure but doesn’t eliminate it. For bars and restaurants, the only real protection is to prohibit smoking altogether.
In Arizona, where Trap Culture and Trap News are based, the Smoke-Free Arizona Act bans smoking in most indoor public places, including bars. That law now applies to cannabis as well. So even if your mom’s smoking with Woody Harrelson, the bartender still has the right not to breathe it in.
This is why dedicated consumption spaces matter — and why Harrelson’s push for cannabis cafes isn’t just about vibes. It’s about infrastructure.
How the story hits in cannabis culture
Ten years ago, “Matthew McConaughey’s mom and Woody Harrelson got kicked out of a bar for smoking weed” would’ve lit up morning news. Now, it just lights up YouTube — a funny podcast moment, shared between stories about poetry, psychedelics, and Emmy nominations.
For people who’ve always used weed, it’s just another reminder that cannabis is normal. For the policy world, it’s a reminder that normal doesn’t mean rule-free.
That’s where Trap Culture comes in. At Trap parties, joints are expected. Staff are prepared. Ventilation is deliberate. The point isn’t just to celebrate — it’s to build spaces where celebration doesn’t get anyone kicked out, fined, or sued.
Because the best weed stories shouldn’t end with fire alarms. They should end with applause — or at least a good playlist and someone passing the ashtray.
The story gets told somewhere around 19:30, but the whole episode is a good listen!
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