Louis Theroux has revealed he smoked cannabis every night for years to help him sleep – an admission that appeared to take even those around him by surprise. The 56-year-old documentary maker opened up about his former drug habit during a candid conversation with Katherine Ryan on her What’s My Age Again? podcast.
‘A nightly spliff’
Looking back at his younger years, Theroux revealed he had a ‘nightly spliff’ throughout his late teens and 20s, although he insisted his habit was considerably less wild than it might sound. ‘I was like one or two cigarettes at parties and a nightly spliff through my late teens and 20s,’ he said, before noticing the reaction his confession had prompted. ‘There was a reaction in the room to that. Did that surprise the kids?’
Explaining that he primarily used cannabis as ‘a sleep aid’, Theroux continued: ‘I was just like, I would just have like one spliff a night just to help me sleep.’ Ryan, 43, pointedly replied: ‘Just one, every night.’ ‘Well, sometimes a bit more,’ Theroux conceded.
Enjoying the hangover
While his nightly cannabis habit is firmly in the past, the broadcaster also admitted he remains rather fond of another vice – drinking. And unlike most of us nursing a pounding head the morning after a few too many, Theroux apparently even finds something to enjoy about a hangover.
‘I’ve had so many good times, haven’t you had amazing times?’ he asked Ryan as they discussed alcohol. The Canadian comedian explained she actually has to be careful with booze because she gets sick, despite believing some people assume she is ‘way more of a p*** head’ than she really is. Theroux replied: ‘I wouldn’t have said that you were a p*** head, but I just think that I’ve had so [many good times]. I even quite like the hangovers.’
He went on to explain that he enjoys virtually the entire experience, from ‘the first drink’ through the second, third and fourth, to ‘being drunk’ and going to bed tipsy. Even waking up worse for wear has its appeal. ‘I quite like waking up feeling groggy,’ he admitted, explaining he then enjoys working out and gradually ‘feeling better’ throughout the day.
Ryan compared the process to ‘another mini war’ for Theroux, prompting him to joke that recovering from a hangover was like a ‘resurrection’. ‘It is a bit like a war,’ he said. ‘You’re like, “Oh, I’m dying.” And then you come back, you’re like, “Oh, I’m alive.”’
Morning workouts and the manosphere
These days, those morning workouts are surprisingly disciplined. Theroux revealed he exercises ‘fairly regularly’ – and has become a devotee of fitness guru Joe Wicks. ‘Basically every day I do Joe Wicks,’ he said, before joking: ‘I literally do him.’ He added that he uses Wicks’ app and believes the routine is paying off, quipping: ‘I think I look a little better with my clothes off. Try and get that picture out of your head.’
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging conversation, he reflected on his recent exploration of the manosphere and whether there are fundamental differences between the needs of boys and girls. When Ryan asked whether men specifically ‘need some type of war’, Theroux initially replied: ‘Yes.’ He quickly qualified that he meant a ‘metaphorical war’, adding that ‘a lot of women probably need a war, too’ and stressing the difficulties inherent in making broad generalisations about gender.
Theroux explained that, as the son of a feminist mother, he had grown up with the belief that boys and girls were essentially the same but simply handed different toys. ‘I don’t really think that anymore,’ he said. He argued that it can be useful to acknowledge that boys and girls may sometimes have ‘slightly different needs’, while stressing that gender essentialism has historically been used to restrict people’s opportunities.
When it comes to boys, he added: ‘They’ve got to run around, they’ve got to fight a bit. Basically, like puppies.’ Theroux explored the online manosphere in his Netflix documentary The Settlers, and revealed the streaming giant was pleased with its performance – while joking about the astonishing level of information it has about its viewers. ‘They’ve got so much data. It’s kind of mind-blowing,’ he said, joking that Netflix could tell him: ‘You did really well in Central African Republic and Uzbekistan.’
Louis Theroux’s full interview on Katherine Ryan’s What’s My Age Again? podcast is available to watch now.
