Sean Penn leaves Late Show viewers baffled as he chain smokes during interview with Stephen Colbert and reveals he was 'still on Ambien'

  • Sean Penn appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday to promote his new book, 'Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff'
  • At the start of the interview, Penn told Colbert that he was still on Ambien 
  • He then lit up a cigarette and continued to smoke throughout the interview
  • Colbert asked him to quit smoking, to which Penn responded that it was 'job security for oncologists' 
  • Penn was in breach of NYC law, which bans smoking in all theaters 

By Associated Press and Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Sean Penn made a smoky appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote his new book.

The actor told the host Monday that he was still feeling the effects of an Ambien he took to 'get to sleep after a red-eye flight'. 

'Now I've interviewed you before, how do you tell Sean Penn on Ambien from Sean Penn not on Ambien because you lay back in interviews in a really big way. You're very, very low key,' Colbert asked

'It's pretty much the same, there's a lot of times I'm just regular tired,' Penn said as he took out a cigarette to light.

Colbert, who appeared annoyed, took out an ashtray saying, 'I thought you might'. 

Not to mention, Penn appears was breaking the law, since smoking in banned inside all theaters (actors in productions are allowed to smoke herbal cigarettes, however).

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Sean Penn lit up during an appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday night

Sean Penn lit up during an appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday night

The actor was on the show to promote his new novel, 'Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff' 

The actor was on the show to promote his new novel, 'Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff' 

Later in the interview, Colbert asked him to consider quitting.   

'Please don't smoke anymore. I don't mind, I mean my parents smoked them as 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,' Colbert said.   

The actor said it was 'job security for oncologists.'

Penn was on the show to discuss his new novel, 'Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff'. 

The novel follows a man who dreams of assassinating a Trump-like character. 

Penn told Colbert that he was still on Ambien after taking the sedative to sleep after a red-eye flight

At one point, Colbert asked Penn to quit smoking and he said he continued to do it as 'job security for oncologists' 

At one point, Colbert asked Penn to quit smoking and he said he continued to do it as 'job security for oncologists' 

When asked about his motivations for writing the book, Penn said it was a kind of therapy for him living through the Trump era.  

Above, the cover of Penn's new book, which follows a character who fantasizes about killing a President  Trump-like character

Above, the cover of Penn's new book, which follows a character who fantasizes about killing a President  Trump-like character

'This is a fiction about fictional people. It is, on the other hand, also a kind of venting.

'What happens as you get older is your idealism gets chipped at a bit and then you're looking for hope... and in my case, to get to 57 years old and when I need hope the most it's harder and harder to find. This is a way to have a kind of operating room laughter and not just spend my time angry or part of the divisive discussion or part of the culture of complaint,' he said. 

Many responded negatively to Penn's appearance online. 

'Why is Sean Penn smoking on Stephen Colbert show [sic], he can't go without a cigarette for 10 minutes. REALLY,' one Twitter user wrote.

 Others made comments on his discheveled appearance. 

'At what point in his life did Sean Penn turn into Popeye the Sailor Man?' another user asked. 

DailyMail.com reached out to CBS for comment on Penn's smoking, but did not immediately hear back Tuesday afternoon. 

Many responded negatively to Penn's appearance on the Late Show online 

Many responded negatively to Penn's appearance on the Late Show online 

Sean Penn

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