Sean Penn Admits He’s A ‘Little Bit’ On Ambien During His Odd Appearance On Colbert

You should never drive or operate heavy machinery after consuming the sleep medication Ambien. Talk show appearances, however, are fair game.

Sean Penn exhibited some bizarre behavior during his most recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. While promoting his new book, Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff: A Novel, the actor admitted to taking a little bit of Ambien to help him sleep on a red-eye flight. When Colbert asked the visibly woozy star to explain the difference between “Sean Penn on Ambien” and “Sean Penn not on Ambien,” the actor replied that it’s “pretty much the same…” before lighting up a cigarette.

Ever the hospitable host, Colbert provided an ashtray for his guest.

“Jimmy Carter’s my guest on Friday. He’s 93,” Colbert said. “Let’s see if you can bring more energy to this interview than Jimmy Carter’s gonna bring on Friday. Is that fair?”

Penn’s response? A less than enthusiastic “yeah.”

Talk show host may not be the most strenuous job in the world, but Colbert earned his cheddar during this interview.

Eventually, Penn’s chain smoking led to a plea from Colbert.

“Please don’t smoke anymore,” the host urged. “I don’t mind. My parents smoked when I was a child, so it gives me happy memories to smell cigarette smoke. But, you know, we want you to be around for a long time and those things are bad for you.”

Penn acquiesced by finally putting out his cigarette, but not before adding, “This is job security for oncologists.”

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