Whether it was our coverage of the doctor suing the DEA for access to psilocybin for cancer patients or our absolutely fascinating—well, if you’re a myco-nerd—look at the 250 year old mushroom spores researchers at the University of Copenhagen were able to successfully “raise from the dead” and cultivate, or germinate them, it’s obvious that we’ve been talking a ton about some decidedly serious stuff.
Readers interested in the psilocybin topic (AKA magic mushrooms) may also want to know about some of the various ways to take shrooms whether eating them, dry powder, extracts, teas or raw.
While not quite as lascivious as what you’d see over at the likes of TMZ or even your grocery store checkout line, regular readers will no doubt enjoy our spin on the hot goss genre: today we’ll be discussing celebs who have taken “magic mushrooms”, or as we call them around these parts, Psilocybe cubensis.
The point of examining these stories isn’t necessarily just for the gawking fun factor of it all, either—the reality is, the more celebrities that “come out” about their positive experiences with everyone’s favorite psychedelic compound, the more likely it is that psilocybin advocates will be able to further shift the general public opinion on psilocybin.
And that, for people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, OCD, or any number of other ailments there are scientifically conducted studies that examine the benefits of magic mushrooms and make the case for psilocybin viability as an effective treatment for, is undoubtedly a very good thing indeed.
Mike Tyson on Psilocybin Mushrooms: “It’s Amazing Medicine”
Mike Tyson, as you no doubt already know, is a world-famous former professional boxer. He’s considered by many to be one of the greatest heavyweights to ever live, and was just 20 years old when he claimed his first boxing belt.
Tyson is has also been no stranger to controversy throughout his long and varied career and time in the public spotlight.
Perhaps that’s what gave him the gumption to “come out” about his struggles with depression, suicidal ideation, and what ultimately changed all of that for him—psilocybin mushrooms.
In a celebrity interview with Reuters, Mike Tyson talks about his experience taking psilocybin mushrooms and how they possibly saved his. He speaks candidly about how psilocybin helped him overcome some very serious difficulties in his life:
Tyson isn’t the only star athlete with a positive story to tell about psilocybin, either. Daniel Carcillo, mentioned in the same Rueters article, was a hockey player who suffered numerous injuries in the sport. Afterwards, he found himself struggling with depression, but psilocybin helped to boost his brain health: “I do not suffer from slurred speech, headaches, head pressure, insomnia, impulse control issues, anxiety, depression or suicidal ideation,” he said.
We believe his story—see our post about the neruoregenerative properties of psilocybin.
To think where I was – almost suicidal – to this now. Isn’t life a trip, man? It’s amazing medicine, and people don’t look at it from that perspective that it needs to be looked into.
Mike Tyson, May 2021, Rueters interview
Chelsea Handler and Her Landscaper Had a Shared Experience With Psilocybin Mushrooms
Love her or hate her, there’s no denying the fact that Chelsea Handler has a substantial audience in the former camp—so when she talked about her positive experience with psilocybin mushrooms on the Andy Cohen Live satellite radio program, one can only hope that it opened up members of her (and Andy’s) audience to the notion that perhaps magic mushrooms have some merit.
Handler explained to the host that during the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, she had a lot of free time on her hands. Enough, apparently, to take magic mushrooms with her landscaper. She comically explained that she shared some of her stash with the unnamed landscaper after talking to him for 30 minutes while mistaking him for the trees in the back yard. (Note: a funny scene to imagine, but that’s not really how psilocybin works.)
The unmarried, childless 46-year-old comedienne spent much of her remaining time on the show discussing her dating preferences, but we’ll consider this a win nonetheless.
The Late, Great Anthony Bourdain Was an Undisputed Psychonaut Who Deeply Appreciated Psilocybin Mushrooms
The late chef, author, and travel show host Anthony Bourdain wasn’t shy about sharing his experiences with any number of psychedelic substances, including ayahuasca, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and psilocybin mushrooms.
During a 2011 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Bourdain related to Rogan and then-co-host Brian Redban his experiences with magic mushrooms—specifically, that he and his colleagues would soak them in honey overnight and then mix them into tea… which they would subsequently consume before working in a kitchen!
“You’ve never seen such over-garnished plates in your life,” Bourdain quipped.
More Celebrities Who Tried Magic Mushrooms
Believe it or not, the few people that we’ve discussed here today are actually only a small handful of the celebrities who have used magic mushrooms and discussed their experiences publicly.
Others include Susan Sarandon, Dave Chappelle, Frances McDormand (of Fargo fame), Sarah Silverman, David Carradine, Alejandro Jodorowsky (the director of the original 1965 version of Dune), Aziz Ansari (Parks and Rec), Harry Styles, Doug Stanhope, and even Kirsten Bell, who really had some very inspiring things to say about the compound, which we discussed in our blog post Shroom Boom: Psilocybin Industry & Legislation Continues to Expand at Full Speed.
Star of the Show: Psilocybin Mushroom Spores, Available Now Online for Research Purposes
Ultimately, we shouldn’t worry too much about what celebrities are getting up to, but if it helps promote the many benefits of psilocybin, including a psilocybin tinnitus link, those potential ones that need to be studied more, then we’re happy to hear their stories.