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Maybe you know Bri Pruett from when she landed on WW's inaugural Funniest Five list in 2013. Or maybe you saw her featured on Comedy Central's Roast Battle, or came across her hilarious TedTalk about reclaiming beauty standards. Or maybe you just went to Clackamas High with her.
Pruett may have traded Stumptown for Hollywood, but the comic has stayed on the local radar nonetheless. She's coming back to town—virtually speaking, anyway—this Friday to host the 420 Social Smoke Session, as part of WW's Willamette Weed digital cannabis week, featuring a budtender-guided smoke sesh, special guests and live music.
In anticipation of the occasion, Pruett sat down for a stoner heart-to-heart about how dope it is to get high alone on the top of Mount Tabor, her obsession with tarot cards, and that time she dabbed herself into oblivion while hanging with Doug Benson.
WW: What differences have you noticed between the weed cultures in SoCal and Oregon?
Bri Pruett: The first thing I want to talk about is dispensaries. I hate L.A. dispensaries. Portland dispensaries are gorgeous. Portland figured out boutique dispensaries before anywhere else. People are not as connected to the horticulture in L.A. It's all about big business. In California, you've got to find your spots, otherwise you could be giving your money to someone who also owns a pharmaceutical company. The kind of mom-and-pop stuff, which is sort of the norm in Portland, you have to hunt out down in L.A.
What's your favorite thing to do when you're high in Portland?
Ooh, girl, here is the move. Get a bagel from Henry Higgins—cream cheese, scallions, capers, tomato, the works. Wrap that bitch up. Walk up Mount Tabor, march to the top. Smoke a joint on one of those benches on, like, a Tuesday at 11:30 am. Nobody can touch me. I am the highest.
Since the pandemic, you've pivoted from your High Priestess live comedy, weed and tarot shows to hosting your own motivational podcast, You Can Do It With Bri Pruett. But you still pull cards during every episode. What is your relationship with tarot?
I am called to various spiritual explorations. I also believe in science, just in case anyone was concerned, but tarot cards were something I developed as a practice when I started smoking weed. I would pull a card and I would usually ask the question, "What do I need to expect today? What needs to be on my radar?" And I'd pull, like, King of Pentacles, and this card says I need to bring Daddy energy into some part of today. That's sort of the lessons I get from tarot. There are probably 20 cards I could pull on a given day that will remind me of what I need to know. Ritual, beliefs and symbols really assist me in all of the magical things I want to do.
What can listeners expect from You Can Do It?
This is a pep-talk podcast. I bring on performers and I cheer them up about anything they struggle with. It's a lot more tender than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be light and stupid, but people have a lot on their plate. The thing is, being fat, some people come to me for emotional support anyway, so I just thought I'd formalize it, but I'd get something out of the deal. I like that I am a nurturing person. And it is very empowering to offer that service to people I love—mostly women, though, just for my own sanity.
What is the most ingenious smoke utensil you've ever had
to come up with?
I started smoking pot as an adult, so I didn't need to do any of that dumb shit. I had glassware. In fact, it is sort of a passion. That's like a status symbol to me, having really gorgeous smokeware. I love to smoke from really beautiful pieces.
What's your glass collection look like?
Uh, bad. I use a bong I brought from Portland that I got it on Hawthorne in the "glassware district." It's a sturdy little guy, but all the potions and brews just can't get it pristine clean. So I'm ready to upgrade. Right now, I'm a major joint roller because it just feels like the right time for joints.
Tell me about the last time you got way too high.
Very recently I was on Doug Benson's YouTube program, Getting Doug With High. And what they do, because of safety, is they send a car to your house. At the end of the show, I do a dab on camera. Cool. Then after the show, I do another dab. I'm cool. I'm trying to hang out with these Hollywood professionals. I don't do dabs in my home life. But I'm trying to fit in, so I do another dab. And I should have stayed there and hung out. But I was too nervous, so I left immediately. I get back into the fancy town car, and as this man was driving me back home, I threw up. And I am a person who knows they're going to throw up and is just like, "What is the most effective way I can do this?" So what your girl did—I am a fucking pro—I took the handkerchief I had on my head, and I put it on the seat next to me. I opened my purse. I dumped all the contents of my purse onto the handkerchief. I threw up effectively into my purse. Then I closed my purse and tied up all of the contents of my purse into the handkerchief like a bindlestiff.
I texted my boyfriend. I said, "Hey, I'm coming home in 20 minutes, get all of the cash in the apartment." I thought the fancy driver was going to tell Doug Benson that I had thrown up in his car and he would never drive for this show again. I was so high. My boyfriend came out and he gave me like $30 that I had stashed away. I said to the driver, "This is a tip." And he was like, "Thank you?"
SEE IT: Bri Pruett hosts WW's 420 Social on Friday, Oct. 23. 4:20 pm. Registration is free or $30 with the 420 Social Box from Gnome Grown. Go to here for tickets.