'Champions' star Woody Harrelson: SNL monologue controversy caps storied personal journey

Woody Harrelson made a uncommon reddish carpet quality pinch his family astatine nan premiere of his caller movie, "Champions," successful New York City.

The 61-year-old actor was joined by his wife, Laura Louie, 55, and their daughters, Deni, 30, and Makani, 16, arsenic he attended nan arena astatine nan AMC Lincoln Square Theater connected Monday night. The pair, who person been joined since 2008, besides stock girl Zoe, 26.

The "Triangle of Sadness" prima tends to support his family life retired of nan spotlight and has only made a fistful of reddish carpet appearances pinch his woman and daughters successful nan past. For this outing, Harrelson was each smiles, pinch nan foursome each beaming and posing for nan cameras. 

Harrelson's family nighttime comes aft he made waves pinch nan arguable "Saturday Night Live" speech that he delivered while hosting nan NBC drama sketch bid past weekend.

Woody Harrelson made a uncommon reddish carpet quality pinch his family astatine nan premiere of his caller movie, "Champions." (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)

The Texas native sparked backlash online erstwhile he appeared to flick nosy astatine COVID-19 vaccines during his opening monologue.

After joking astir his predominant usage of marijuana, conflicting governmental views arsenic a "redneck hippie" and section successful America, Harrelson closed retired his speech by recounting a movie transportation he allegedly publication successful 2019 that he called nan "craziest" he’s ever heard. 

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He was joined by his woman Laura Louie, 55, and their daughters Deni, 30, and Makani, 16. The pair, who person been joined since 2008, besides stock girl Zoe, 26. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

"So nan movie goes for illustration this: The biggest supplier cartels successful nan world get together and bargain up each nan media and each nan politicians and unit each nan group successful nan world to enactment locked successful their homes. And group tin only travel retired if they return nan cartel’s narcotics and support taking them complete and over," Harrelson said. 

"I threw nan book away. I mean, who was going to judge that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily each day."

At nan extremity of nan show, Harrelson, who hosted for nan 5th clip connected Saturday, was inducted into "SNL"s Five-Timers Club. The nine consists of celebrities who person hosted "SNL" 5 aliases much times and its rank includes Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Sting and Drew Barrymore among others.

Harrelson sparked backlash online erstwhile he hosted "SNL" connected Saturday aft making a joke astir COVID-19 vaccines successful his opening monologue. It was nan actor's 5th clip hosting nan show. (Will Heath/NBC)

Scarlett Johansson, who is herself a personnel of nan Five-Timers Club, made a astonishment quality to coming Harrelson pinch nan club's accepted Five-Timers smoking jacket.

After nan section aired, Harrelson's speech received a mixed guidance online. Some Twitter users praised nan actor's evident jab astatine nan COVID-19 vaccine while galore mainstream media outlets including The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and The Washington Post criticized Harrelson for promoting "conspiracies."

The speech besides drew a guidance from Elon Musk, who tweeted "So based. Nice activity @nbcsnl!"

In different tweet, Musk suggested nan comments were spot connected and reflective of life successful nan U.S. complete nan past fewer years.

When 1 Twitter personification warned for group to "get fresh for nan meltdowns," Musk said: "Maybe they [media outlets] don’t recognize that their propaganda is wrong?"

Scarlett Johansson made a astonishment quality to coming Harrelson pinch his Five-Timers smoking jacket. (Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)

Harrelson later taped an quality connected "Late Night With Seth Meyers" during which he joked astir his quality connected "SNL."

After Harrelson quipped that he remembered "nothing astatine all" astir hosting nan show connected Saturday, Meyers asked if he remembered nan "high of hosting" and whether it felt nan aforesaid moreover though it was his 5th time.

"Oh, location was a superior precocious of hosting going on," nan longtime cannabis activistic said pinch a laugh.

"Everyone successful nan dressing room had a full precocious of hosting" he added. "Thick pinch — anyway."

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Meyers past asked Harrelson astir his West Hollywood weed dispensary, The Woods, and pulled retired a transcript of a Los Angeles advertisement advertisement for nan shop that featured a photograph of Harrelson arsenic a young man. He was pictured shirtless and wearing a brace of reddish aquatics trunks.

Harrelson later joked astir his "SNL" quality and talked astir his marijuana dispensary during an quality connected "Late Night With Seth Meyers." (Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images)

"This is an aged photograph of you. And I was reasoning what would this young man deliberation if you told him that successful nan future, you are going to own a ineligible marijuana dispensary?" Meyers asked.

"Well, astatine nan time, he didn't smoke," Harrelson said while pointing astatine nan ad. "So, he would person been like, ‘No way.’"

"I was very belief astatine that time," he said. The "Zombieland" character said that he was moving arsenic a lifeguard astatine a religion campy erstwhile nan photograph was taken.

"I utilized to spell to church," he added. "Someone sent that to The Woods, and we were like, ‘Let's conscionable usage this.'"

The longtime cannabis activistic owns The Woods, a West Hollywood dispensary that he opened successful May 2022. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The Woods)

"I will say, I would decidedly person guessed weed earlier religion campy lifeguard," Meyers joked arsenic they some laughed.

Harrelson went connected to opportunity that The Woods was nan "most beautiful spot you've ever seen."

"I mean, it is stunningly beautiful," he added. "It's nan astir beautiful dispensary successful nan world. After that, I can't committedness anything. But there's a ganja giggle plot retired backmost wherever you tin spell retired location and giggle."

While Harrelson's emotion of cannabis is well-known, his individual travel whitethorn travel arsenic a astonishment to immoderate of his fans. Here's a look astatine the Emmy Award-winner's belief upbringing, his narration pinch his convicted statement slayer father, his emergence to fame pinch "Cheers" and continued profession success, arsenic good arsenic his family life and his caller movie, "Champions."

Religious childhood

Harrelson was raised successful a belief family and considered becoming a pastor. (LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)

Born successful Midland, Texas, Harrelson was raised successful a deeply belief Presbyterian household. In a 2012 question and reply pinch GQ, he opened up astir his family's faith: "I was very belief increasing up," he said. "My mom still is. We went to religion each nan time, went to Bible study; we moreover did Bible study astatine my house."

Harrelson continued, "I went to a Presbyterian college, you know, I was successful … each nan way, and truthful I retrieve doing my first sermon erstwhile I was 17, I was successful precocious school. It wasn't a afloat 25-minute sermon, but for for illustration 10 minutes I sewage up and they fto maine do that and it was connected faith."

In 2018, nan character revealed to Jimmy Kimmel that he had considered becoming a pastor earlier pursuing an acting career. He shared that he studied theology and play astatine Hanover College, a Presbyterian schoolhouse successful Hanover, Indiana. One of his classmates was early Vice President Mike Pence.

"I knew him," Harrelson said of Pence. "We were some very religious. It was a Presbyterian assemblage astatine nan time, and I was location connected a Presbyterian scholarship, and he was progressive successful nan religion activities."

"I was really considering being a curate and past I conscionable benignant of went a different way," he added.

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Harrelson said that he had a affirmative belief of Pence erstwhile they attended assemblage together: "I thought he was a very bully guy," he said. "He was very religious, very committed. So, seeing successful really I'm not rather successful that ballpark now, I don't cognize really we'd get on because I deliberation he's still rather religious, conscionable a full different marque of religious."

He added, "That benignant of fervor that you really don't want. I don't."

Harrelson explained that he began to mobility his religion during his studies.

"I started to spot really manmade nan Bible was, and past I started saying, ‘I could put this full point connected clasp for a while.’"

The prima said that he moreover began to mobility Christianity and nan beingness of God.

"I said, 'Let's conscionable put this full thought connected hold, truthful I tin person 20s and 30s of utmost hedonism,'" he added pinch a laugh.

When Kimmel asked if his belief was still connected clasp aliases if it had been "canceled," Harrelson replied, "I do judge location is simply a God now."

His begetter was a convicted statement killer

Harrelson's father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was a convicted statement killer. (Getty)

Harrelson's father, Charles Voyde Harrelson was a deed man who was convicted of sidesplitting national judge John H. Wood Jr. successful 1981. Texas supplier lord Jamiel Chagra contracted Charles to termination Wood owed to his harsh sentencing of supplier traffickers. It was nan first execution of a national judge successful nan 20th century. Charles received 2 life sentences for nan murder.

In a 2012 question and reply pinch The Guardian, Harrelson opened up astir his begetter and their relationship. He said that his parents separated erstwhile he was astir 7 years old. Harrelson recalled that anterior to being fixed a life sentence, his begetter "wasn't astir excessively much."

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"He was gone a batch earlier that, successful prison," he told nan outlet. "Away and back. Away and back. It wasn’t for illustration he was location each nan clip anterior to that."

He remembered that he first learned that Charles was a statement slayer aft proceeding astir 1 of his father's erstwhile tests connected nan radio.

"It was a chaotic realization," Harrelson said. Though he recalled that his mother was "well retired of love" pinch his begetter astatine nan time, he explained that they didn't speak of Charles frequently.

Charles was sentenced to life successful situation aft being convicted of murdering a national judge. (Getty)

"I’ve sewage to springiness her in installments because she ne'er really soured america connected him," he said of himself and his 2 brothers. "She didn’t talk antagonistic astir him, never, ever. And she could person – he wasn’t nan top husband. Or father."

In a 2008 question and reply pinch nan Financial Times, Harrelson said that his family was "poor" erstwhile he was increasing up. "But my mom ever took attraction of america [and] we ever had food," he added. "It was a batch to raise 3 kids connected her ain arsenic a secretary, but she did it, and she judge did look aft us."

After learning of his father's apprehension for Wood's murder successful 1980, Harrelson attempted to interaction him. The 2 stayed successful touch until his father's decease successful 2007. Charles died successful situation from a bosom onslaught astatine nan property of 68.

"I tried for years to get him out. To get him a caller trial," Harrelson shared. He went connected to opportunity that he wasn't judge if his begetter "deserved" a caller trial, but he was "just being a boy trying to thief his dad. Then I spent a mates of cardinal beating my caput against nan wall."

Harrelson said that he and his begetter were connected bully position until his death.

"We sewage on beautiful good. When you can’t bent retired and spell to a pub, you cognize what I mean, it’s hard."

‘Cheers’ breakthrough to successful movie and tv career

Harrelson roseate to fame aft starring successful nan deed sitcom "Cheers." (NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Harrelson made his breakthrough successful Hollywood erstwhile he landed nan domiciled of bartender Woody Boyd successful nan deed NBC sitcom "Cheers." After joining nan formed successful 1985, he remained connected nan show until its eighth and last play successful 1993. Harrelson received 5 Emmy Award nominations for his domiciled connected "Cheers," winning 1 for outstanding supporting characteristic successful a drama bid successful 1989. He picked up different Emmy Award information erstwhile he reprised his domiciled successful nan "Cheers" spinoff "Frasier" successful 1999.

The character besides established a successful profession connected nan large screen. He starred successful hits including "Natural Born Killers," "White Man Can't Jump" and "Indecent Proposal." Harrelson's move arsenic Hustler patient Larry Flynt successful 1996's "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" earned him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.

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Some of his best-known films see "A Thin Red Line," "Wag nan Dog," "No Country For Old Men," Anger Management," "Zombieland," "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "The Hunger Games" trilogy, among others. Harrelson was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award among different accolades for his capacity successful 2009's "The Messenger."

In 2014, Harrelson starred successful nan HBO tv bid "True Detective." He received an Academy Award information for champion supporting character successful 2017's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." In 2021, he starred successful nan Marvel movie "Venom: Let There Be Carnage." 

Harrelson's 2022 credits see nan Academy Award-nominated movie "Triangle of Sadness" and nan action drama "The Man From Toronto."

Happy family man

Harrelson and his wife, Laura, met successful 1987 erstwhile she became his individual assistant. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Apollo)

Harrelson was concisely joined to Nancy Simon successful 1985. In 1987, he met his early wife, Laura Louie, who accepted a occupation arsenic his individual assistant. He told The Guardian that he yet realized that he was successful emotion pinch Louie while he was distant successful Africa, though he felt blameworthy because she was his assistant.

"I came backmost from Africa and I couldn’t moreover opportunity I was successful emotion pinch her because I was truthful nervous," he admitted successful 2012. "I’d been sitting location pinch a guitar, truthful I wrote this opus to her, and I sang it to her, and astatine nan extremity of it she goes, ‘Woody, I’ve been successful emotion pinch you for nan past 2 and a half years.’ Then I picked her up and carried her in."

The 2 tied nan knot successful 2008 almost 2 decades aft they first began dating. In 2017, Harrelson told nan Hollywood Reporter, "I ne'er believed successful nan conception of [marriage]. I conscionable ne'er believed that it made immoderate sense, this semipermanent monogamy point that humans do."

He added, "I conscionable was incapable of semipermanent relationships. I was pinch whoever would person me. Then I met my wife."

Harrelson and his daughter, Zoe, are pictured astatine nan premiere of "Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" successful 2015. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for FIAT Chrysler Auto)

In 1993, nan brace welcomed their first daughter, Deni.

"I retrieve my daughter, Deni, coming along, and she was truthful axenic and caring of everybody and everything," he said successful a 2008 question and reply pinch Esquire. "And somehow, this small being managed to get astir each nan obstacles — nan weapon turrets, nan walls, nan moats, nan sentries — that were wrapped astir my heart. My bosom astatine that clip needed her. I deliberation it’s nan champion point going, parenthood."

Harrelson and Louie welcomed daughters Zoe successful 1996 and Makani successful 2006. They announced Makani's commencement pinch a connection that read, "In this crazy patriarchal world we unrecorded in, we are doing our portion to equilibrium nan energy. We are proud to denote nan completion of our goddess trilogy pinch nan commencement of our 3rd daughter, Makani Ravello, calved connected June 3rd."

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The character reflected connected nan power that his family has had connected him successful a 2018 question and reply pinch The Guardian.

"Before, I’d been gregarious – personification who enjoyed nan institution of others," he told nan outlet. "But during "Cheers," nan unit of group that I didn’t cognize perpetually wanting to talk to maine made maine recoil and go little outgoing. It had rather a antagonistic impact. I went done a play of arrogance and having my caput up my a--," he admits. "But, luckily, this life and my family – my woman and my daughters – they benignant of loved maine into a amended quality being."

'Champions'

Harrelson's latest task is Bobby Farrelly's solo directorial debut "Champions." The sports drama is simply a remake of nan 2018 Spanish movie "Campeones," which was inspired by nan existent communicative of nan Anderes squad successful Valencia that won 12 Spanish championships.

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In "Champions," Harrelson plays Markus Marakovich, a erstwhile minor-league hoops coach who receives a tribunal bid to negociate a squad of players pinch intelligence disabilities arsenic portion of his organization service. The team, which is named "Friends," has agelong aspired to make it to the Special Olympics. 

According to a synopsis for nan movie, Marcus "soon realizes that contempt his doubts, together, this squad tin spell further than they ever imagined." The team's members are played by 10 actors who person disabilities, immoderate of whom were first-time performers.

Woody Harrelson and nan formed of "Champions" astatine nan New York City premiere. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

In a caller question and reply pinch nan New York Times, Harrelson said that he instantly bonded pinch nan cast.

"These guys are truthful cool, truthful funny, truthful honest," he told nan outlet.

Harrelson continued, ‘They’ll ne'er show you a lie. They’ll show you a fib — 'your shoe’s untied’ — but their kindness and warmth, wrong a mates of hours I was hook, statement and sinker a portion of them. I haven’t had overmuch acquisition pinch group pinch disabilities, truthful I didn’t cognize what to expect, and I’ve sewage to say, it was astir apt nan astir enjoyable acquisition I ever had making a movie."

"Champions" besides stars Kaitlyn Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, Matt Cook and Madison Tevlin. The movie is group to debut successful theaters connected March 10.

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