Josh Brolin Says He Sleeps with Nicotine Pouches in His Mouth, Uses Them '24 Hours a Day'

Mar. 15, 2025

Josh Brolin in London in 2024.Photo:Jeff Spicer/Getty

Jeff Spicer/Getty

Josh Brolinshared that he uses nicotine pouches — and even sleeps with them.

And as Brolin, 56,  toldMarc Maronon the Nov. 14 episode of his podcastWTF,he uses the pouches constantly after giving up chewing tobacco and nicotine lozenges.

“My wife would hear this in the middle of the night,” Brolin said, imitating the sound of chewing. “I don’t even know I’m doing it, I’m asleep. I have a pouch in my lip, and I’m not f—ing lying, 24 hours a day.”

Nicotine pouches, asYale Medicineexplains, do not contain tobacco, and “are tucked in between a person’s lip or cheek and gums; the nicotine is absorbed into their bloodstream through mucous membranes in their mouth.”

(Left) Josh Brolin; (Right) Marc Maron.Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty

Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty

Brolin, who shared his struggles with addiction in his new memoir,From Under the Truck,said he switched to pouches after experiencing some bad side effects with nicotine lozenges.

“That’s why I switched to this,” theBrothersstar said, adding that he’s such a fan that he ended up using some questionable pouches while filming in the Middle East.

“We’re in Jordan. And [this guy] comes up to me, and he says, ‘I have some.’ And it has a skull and crossbones on the top.. And it’s 40 milligram packets. And I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ ”

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“And then one day, I start running out, and I haven’t quite run out, I probably have four or five more tins [of my usual pouches] left. And I have his thing in my pocket, and I’m running back from the gym."

He tried the other tin, and says, “I stick the thing in my mouth for no more, and I swear to God on my kids, for no more than 20 seconds, and I had to cancel dinner that night. I literally was sh—ting my brains out. It was f—ing crazy.”

TheAvengersalum said that afterward, he paid $300 on the black market for his preferred product.

Josh Brolin with his wife, Kathryn Boyd.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

He shared that he’s so addicted, “I have them all over the house.”

While some people consider nicotine pouches to be safe, more research is needed — the pouches may cause long-term health effects like cancer of the throat and mouth, dental problems like tooth loss and discoloration, gastrointestinal issues, and gum disease, according to theCleveland Clinic.

Along with his eldest children, Trevor Mansur, 36, and Eden, 29, whom he shares with his ex-wife Alice Adair, Brolin shares daughters Westlyn Reign, 6, and Chapel Grace, 3, with wifeKathryn Boyd.

“If [my daughter] puts it in her mouth, she’s gonna get sick. And instead of stopping, I try and teach them, ‘Don’t do that.’ “

“Stay away from Daddy’s s—t,” Maron joked.

“Daddy needs that,” Brolin chimed in.

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source: people.com