Ricki Lake Suggests Watching Episodes of Her Talk Show High: ‘A Trip’

Ricki Lake used to call herself “Nancy Reagan‘s disciple” because she would always say “no to drugs,” but after growing her own cannabis, she’s loosened up about smoking weed — and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

“What’s a good thing to watch when you’re high? Watching old episodes of The Ricki Lake Show on YouTube,” Lake, 56, exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly while promoting her collaboration with Stone Road Farms for her Ricki Lake & Bake line.

The actress laughs at the thought of smoking weed while streaming re-reruns of her second talk show, which ended in 2013 after one season. “That would be a really, really fun pastime over this holiday season,” she teases, adding, “It’s a trip.” (Lake also hosted Ricki Lake from 1992 to 2004.)

Although Lake jokes about watching The Ricki Lake Show under the influence, she tells Us that when she filmed her two series cannabis was not even on her radar.

During that time frame, the Hairspray star recalls being “very judgmental, very fearful” and “close-minded” about weed, hence the comparison to Reagan, who famously created the “Just Say No” to drugs campaign in the ‘80s.

“I was really adamantly against all illegal drugs,” Lake explains, noting that now she’s “turned a full 180 where I now have such reverence for this medicine, and I love it recreationally.”

Once Lake began growing her own weed in Malibu, California — which led to her eventual collaboration with Stone Road Farms — she became a true believer in its healing properties. Plus, she says smoking or drinking cannabis does make a lot of activities more fun.

“We love taking gummies for the theater,” Lake tells Us of her and her husband, Ross Burningham’s theatergoing preferences. “It makes the Broadway experience that much better.”

She explains, “We joke about Moulin Rouge. … Moulin Rouge is kind of, not the best show, but [seeing] it high it was amazing. My husband was humming that thing for days. It was so funny.”

Lake notes that although she doesn’t have a favorite film to watch high, she points to Elf as a “good movie to watch stoned” during the holiday season.

She adds that she likes to do “everything” stoned but says she’s “not high all day” because she has to “function,” warning Us, “There’s a fine line. You definitely can take too much. So I am definitely on the side of less is more.”

That being said, Lake and her spouse usually take cannabis in some way, shape or form in the evenings to unwind. “For me it’s mostly night time relaxing, watching TV, connecting with my husband. And getting those amazing REM nights of sleep,” she reveals.

Lake says that as she’s matured, she’s learned to “prioritize getting the rest,” so cannabis has assisted in her sleep cycle. It has also aided in her health journey.

“I love cannabis. I drink it,” she explains, noting that the brand she consumes is “low in calories” so it’s a better fit than drinking a glass of wine with lots of sugar before bed.

Lake adds: “I’d rather have my cannabis drink, which is, like, 40 calories. You get that nice buzz. It just takes the edge off.”

For fans who want to try Lake’s own cannabis product, Ricki Lake & Bake, they can purchase a half an ounce of preground roll-your-own pouch produced by Stone Road Farms. (Available in dispensaries across California.)

“I obviously believe in this medicine, and in Stone Road’s brand and what they’ve built,” Lake said in a press release earlier this month. “It is so aligned with where I am in my life, and I’m so happy to be bringing this out.”

The special cannabis was designed by Stone Road Farms’ founder and CEO Lex Corwin with Lake’s legacy in mind. “It’s a tribute to her iconic career and long-standing cannabis advocacy,” Corwin said in his own statement.

For more information on Stone Road Farms, check out their website.

Check out the latest on Lake’s life and evolution as an actress and entrepreneur in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.