Don Johnson, the iconic actor best known for his role in the 1980s crime drama *Miami Vice*, made headlines recently during a live appearance on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* with his surprising revelations about his time at the White House during the Jimmy Carter administration. While the audience was accustomed to hearing about the actor’s glamorous career and personal struggles, the discussion was lighthearted, if not a bit scandalous. Johnson admitted to smoking marijuana at the White House, stating, “I don’t remember that photo, but we were all stoned.”
Johnson’s revelations were not the only story of the night. He also claimed that he had a bet with former President George H.W. Bush during a round of golf. “He wanted to gamble when we played golf out at Camp David, and so I took his money,” he said, adding with a chuckle, “It wasn’t that much—eighteen or twenty bucks, but that’s the best 18 or 20 bucks you’ll ever get.” These anecdotal accounts, while humorous, raised questions about the nature of political interactions and the informal atmosphere that sometimes characterized presidential visits.
Johnson’s White House invitation came after his collaboration with the Allman Brothers at a concert for Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign. He described the experience as the beginning of an ongoing series of visits to the White House, which he claimed he had made during each president’s administration since Carter. However, he didn’t elaborate on the specifics of his interactions with the former president, instead focusing on the playful and sometimes chaotic nature of his experiences.
His revelations echoed similar stories from other celebrities, such as Willie Nelson, whose claim of smoking marijuana with someone in Carter’s administration was later clarified by Carter himself. In a 2020 documentary, Carter told the story of how Nelson had actually smoked with his son, James Earl “Chip” Carter III, and that the former president was not keen on labeling his son as a pot-smoker. Johnson’s admission, therefore, fits into a broader narrative of celebrity anecdotes that blur the line between fact and fiction, while also providing a glimpse into the informal side of politics.