Kid Cudi Needed Rehab After Weed Habit Exploded: “It Truly Ruled My Life”

Kid Cudi re-evaluated his marijuana use and acting process after a rehab stint last fall that preceded the release of his memoir and latest album.

The 41-year-old artist, born Scott Mescudi, told People he checked himself into treatment in November 2024 to address what had become a dependency on weed.

“I just was in this place where I was abusing it,” he said. “I was really abusing it. I was smoking maybe 15 blunts a day, wake up in the mornings, get high. It truly ruled my life.”

Cudi said he gave up smoking entirely for two months before reintroducing it in moderation.

“And now I just get after it at night or on the weekends when I have the free time and I’m just relaxing, but I’m not smoking nowhere near as much weed as I was smoking before,” he said. “A joint lasts me all day, damn near. So my relationship has changed with that in a major way. And I’m just more interested in being sober a lot more and being more present.”

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The change has already impacted his work on screen. Known for roles in Don’t Look Up and How to Make It in America, Cudi said he used to be “blitzed out of my mind” while filming. But during a recent project, he remained sober and noticed a shift.

“Granted, it’s not like it hinders me in any type of way because I was smoking so much that I wasn’t really getting high,” he said. “So people have seen me act for years and they love my acting. They love the stuff I’ve done, but it’s just something different when you’re on set and you’re sober and you can feel the emotions.

“Because in this movie, I cried a handful of times and it was easy to get there because I was sober. There’s no way I could have done this if I was high as s###.”

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Cudi’s memoir, Cudi: The Memoir, released alongside his 11th studio album, Free, explores his upbringing in Cleveland, his rise in Hip-Hop and his personal battles with addiction and healing. The book has since landed on the New York Times Best Seller list.

“I hope it gives [fans] some hope that you do come out on the other side and into the light and God puts us through things because he wants to teach us something,” Cudi said. “It’s always a lesson in there, always. Even if it doesn’t seem like it could be possible, because in the moment, everything just seems like all is lost, you know what I mean? But if you really think about it, everything happens for a reason.”

Cudi: The Memoir is available now through Simon & Schuster.  Free is out via Wicked Awesome and Republic Records.