How Poker Face Inspired Natasha Lyonne's Major Health Change: “I Was Concerned...”
The Poker Face actress is open and honest about her health, revealing that she has a newfound zest for life that's inspiring her to make some changes.
Poker Face may be a fun, light-hearted murder mystery series, but it had a surprisingly profound impact on the way Natasha Lyonne viewed her health.
The actress has been open about her smoking habit online and in public, detailing her journey to quit over the years. But it was only in March 2023, around the time Poker Face Season 1 debuted, that Lyonne committed to giving up cigarettes.
"I'll be honest. It's the worst decision I ever made," she told People. "Of course, my true and deep hope is that the technology will get there such that I'm able to smoke again consequence-free since it's one of the great loves of my life."
However, Lyonne acknowledged that it was an important step to take if she wanted to have the stamina and energy to go after her dreams. "And I think a lot of it has to do with like I just feel like, you know, I still wanna write and direct movies. I still wanna get to make more seasons of Poker Face. I wanna get to have more life. And I think I was genuinely just scared by like the reality of it," she reflected.
RELATED: What Happened at the End of Poker Face Season 1? Everything to Know Before Season 2
Natasha Lyonne received support from celebs Lily Tomlin and Melissa Etheridge
Since Lyonne documented this journey on her Twitter, now known as X, people offered her encouragement as she began her journey. One such person was Melissa Etheridge, who tweeted, "hey [Lyonne] I see you are quitting smoking. As a 19year cancer thriver I want to give you all of the encouragement I can. Your show #PokerFace freaking rocks!! Just like #RussianDoll you are amazing! You got this!! It’s so cool!!"
And when Lyonne lamented how much she missed smoking, actress Lily Tomlin chimed in, "Chin up, darling."
How Natasha Lyonne kicked her cigarette habit — temporarily
Though the Poker Face star managed to quit smoking cigarettes, she revealed on X in 2024 that she switched to vaping after a social media user shared a screenshot of Poker Face's Charlie Cale being cautioned that cigarettes are "really bad for you." The user captioned the pic, "How's the vape quitting going?"
"I’ve quit quitting vaping. Quitting cigarettes was a big enough swing for a while. Pretty sure I’m smoking the equivalent of 40 packs a day now instead of 4. No bueno. Take it from your grandfather, keep your lungs clean, kids," Lyonne candidly replied.
But now, Lyonne is questioning if vaping is actually any better than cigarette smoking. She told Parade in April, "I've tried really hard to quit smoking, and I then was vaping a lot... And I was vaping at an amount that I thought was disturbing. I started vaping a certain kind of newfangled thing that only a teenager should have. It lit up in places. It was nauseating. I was concerned."
Of course, she's trying to quit smoking entirely, but as she explained to Variety in 2023, "I’m naturally wired for self-destructive crutches. I f--king love a vice."
Catch Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face exclusively on Peacock! Season 1 is streaming now and new episodes of Season 2 drop every Thursday!
