Podcast Summary: This Is Important

Episode 282: “Sssssssmokin’!!!”

Release date: February 3, 2026
Hosts: Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, Kyle Newacheck

Overview

In this spirited and freewheeling episode, the guys ruminate on the resurging popularity of smoking in LA nightlife, the joys and perils of movie theater popcorn (and its absurd new mega buckets), nostalgia for retro cartoons and their questionable Hollywood reboots, and the supreme importance of schoolyard games in their upbringings. Jam-packed with hilarity, confessions, hypothetical celebrity tournaments, and deeply Midwestern reflections, the conversation whips from childhood crushes to the wisdom of drunk Wisconsin, ending, appropriately, with hot tips for surviving the Super Bowl and a passionate plea for “Game Over, Man!” popcorn buckets.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Smoking is Back? (03:59–07:17)

• Adam tells a surreal story from Nina Dobrev’s birthday, where the club’s main action was in a cramped, jam-packed smoking area—smoking, apparently, is “back” in LA.
• Adam: “Why is everybody out here? ... Oh, yeah, smoking’s back in LA! Darts, baby!” (05:25)
• Blake admits he recently picked up the habit again, but only in freezing Winnipeg for “warmth” (“Bodily chimney” joke, 06:38). He claims the habit is over now that he’s home.
• They debate whether smoking is resurging because it’s now considered rebellious again, or just because “the message wore off” and people stopped caring about health scares.
• Discussion of cigarettes as an “appetite suppressant” and a “skinny man’s game.”
• Adam shares a family history of lung cancer; questions whether cigarettes are worse than alcohol for your health (10:13–10:29).

Alcohol: Is the Party Over? (10:50–13:12)

• The guys riff on changing science and recommendations: the FDA now recommends zero drinks a week.
• Blake: “That’s the whole new thing. I’m pissed now!” (11:08)
• They joke that former wine studies were paid for by “big wine.”
• The hosts laugh about viral TikTok drink-making videos featuring “cocaine” powder, which turns out to be only “drink glitter” (14:18).
• “We got the same algorithm.” – Adam (12:34)
• Joke about family gatherings pretending to do cocaine with “fake coke stuff” (13:30–14:18).

Movie Theaters & Insane Popcorn Buckets (15:47–22:04)

• Blake shows off a “Guinness world record” Galactus popcorn bucket from the new “Fantastic Four” movie—absurdly huge, but possibly not the largest, the group complains (16:05–18:02).
• Adam: “The bathtub of popcorn that they gave me ... was so huge.” (17:34)
• Adam tells a funny story about buying a large bucket for his partner, Chloe, who eats just a few kernels before dumping it on him (16:12–17:03).
• Riffs on movie theaters’ specialty promotion buckets (Mission Impossible briefcase), and business necessity (“No one’s going to the theater. So, the people that do are movies, will buy the extra stuff.” – Adam, 21:25).
• The group proposes re-releasing old movies just for the sake of new, collectible popcorn buckets, like a “Game Over, Man!” Adam-Butthole bucket (22:07).

Hollywood: Cartoons, Reboots, and Casting Debates (29:35–38:06)

• The hosts roast the new He-Man movie trailer—its over-reliance on CGI and lack of substance, arguing trailers need a new hook in the age of AI and deepfakes.
• Adam: “To me, Jared Leto sucks ... so he’s a shitty Skeletor.” (34:31–34:44)
• The gang re-casts He-Man and Skeletor with dream actors (Benicio Del Toro, Shia LaBeouf, Jack Black, Michael B. Jordan).
• Adam recounts nearly receiving a script for the Indy franchise—mix-up quickly fixed (“Within three minutes, ding dong, the kid’s there again. ... I [messed] up so bad...” 39:43–40:03).
• Bittersweet reflections about how close calls in Hollywood “will humble you.”

Schoolyard Games, Nostalgia, & Childhood Perviness (54:15–65:36)

• The guys reminisce on after-school games (knock hockey, four-square, steal the bacon, red rover, dodgeball) all of which get quite violent or weirdly sexual in their memories.
• Adam confesses trying to look down his babysitter’s shirt during two-square as a kid—got ratted out to his mom (55:06–56:47).
• The rules and strategies of “Red Rover” elucidated; Adam jokes about always running at girls in the weakest link (“send Cynthia’s big ass titties on over,” 59:29).
• Adam shares about getting into a fight at school and his father’s advice: “punch him in the face as hard as you can and then run away” (63:10).
• Reflection that school fights are sometimes just tragic windows into kids’ home lives, not just “badass” rituals.

Midwest & Drinking Stats (66:23–71:14)

• Blake details the dominance of Wisconsin towns on the “drunkest cities in America” lists, questioning the metrics.
• Adam: “It’s really the Midwest just getting up.” (68:03)
• The crew notes the paradoxically strict Wisconsin liquor laws—fueling, not deterring, their boozy pride.
• They learn “Oshkosh B’Gosh” overalls really are from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which delights them.

Looking Ahead: Super Bowl & Cruise Promo (68:40–74:31)

• Hosts announce they'll podcast from the Super Bowl, calling back favorite interviews (Joey Chestnut, testosterone tests).
• Banter about measuring grip strength—"what if we just have them squeeze your dick and you judge it?" (69:57).
• Heavy promo for their upcoming “This Cruise is Important” event—February 22–26, Tampa to Mexico.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Adam: “Why is everybody out here? ... Oh, yeah, smoking’s back in LA! Darts, baby!” (05:25)
• Blake: “I just want to party.” (06:00 & recurring)
• Adam: “It takes me nine shots to get it in three. ... So, what am I going to be in Hawaii when it’s a thousand yards away?” (41:53)
• Blake: “Live from hole seven, it’s me, the caddy with the fatty, kids!” (03:24 & 43:10)
• Adam: “Chloe can’t understand that because she has a thing called willpower ... just don’t eat it ... what?” (16:47)
• Blake: “Yeah, those are just cool dudes. Never gave up. Never gave up the party, man.” (66:14)
• Adam: “To me, Jared Leto sucks ... so he’s a shitty Skeletor.” (34:31–34:44)
• Adam: “My dad told me to hit him. ... Punch him in the face as hard as you can and then run away.” (62:13–63:10)
• Caleb: “Red rover, red rover, send Cynthia’s big ass titties on over.” (59:29)
• Adam: “It’s really the Midwest just getting up.” (68:03)

Key Moments & Timestamps

• Smoking Is Back in LA: 05:25–07:17
• Alcohol is Now “Zero,” FDA Says: 10:50–11:29
• Movie Theater Popcorn Madness: 16:05–22:04
• He-Man & Hollywood Reboots: 29:35–34:44
• Adam’s Indiana Jones Near-Miss: 39:04–40:47
• Violent Schoolyard Tales: 55:06–65:36
• Midwestern Drunkest Towns Discussion: 66:23–71:14
• Super Bowl & Cruise Announcements: 68:40–74:31

Tone and Language

The conversation is loose, boisterous, and irreverent, packed with in-jokes, digressions, vulnerable admissions, and abrupt shifts from nostalgia to outright juvenile humor. The hosts needle one another constantly, self-deprecate, and never stray far from poking fun at pop culture, each other, and themselves.

Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential “This Is Important” rollercoaster: a bizarre, nostalgic, but affectionate look at vices, childhood, pop culture, and the evolving ways friends see themselves, each other, and the world. It’s chaotic, often silly, occasionally sentimental, and always gloriously unserious—until it’s not. The anticipation for the Super Bowl appearance and the cruise keeps things moving, but whether it’s “caddies with fatties” or a drunken Wisconsin shoutout, the ride is always worth it.