Vaping has crossed over from a niche alternative to smoking into a fully mainstream habit, and nowhere is that more visible than in the lives of celebrities. Over the past few years, sightings of actors, musicians, and even athletes with vape pens have become routine.
Red carpet photographers, festival audiences, and even candid street shots reveal how common vaping is in the world of fame.
What was once considered edgy or unconventional now feels like part of the background. Just as cigarettes once defined a certain image in Hollywood, vape pens and slim pods are shaping today’s celebrity culture.
The question is less who vapes? and more, how often do they do it, and what devices are they choosing?
Key Points
- Vaping has become common at festivals, film sets, and award shows.
- Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Zayn Malik, and Adele have all been spotted with vape devices.
- Device choices range from slim pod pens to larger box mods, depending on preference.
- The habit mirrors the way celebrities once normalized cigarette smoking.
Why Celebrities Turn to Vaping
For decades, Hollywood had a romance with cigarettes – iconic actors holding them in films, musicians photographed with them at afterparties. That image, however, has steadily declined as smoking lost cultural approval. Vaping slid in as the modern replacement.
For celebrities, the reasons often blend practicality and image:
- Convenience: No lingering smell or ash, easy to carry during long filming schedules.
- Health perception: While debated, many see vaping as a “less harmful” alternative.
- Style: Vape pens look sleek and futuristic, fitting effortlessly into the aesthetics of modern stardom.
The appeal lies in the combination of subtlety and control. Unlike cigarettes, vaping can be done discreetly – no need to step outside or shield from cameras. That subtle accessibility has made it particularly attractive in industries where appearances matter.
Music Festivals and Public Performances
Some of the most candid celebrity vaping moments happen at festivals, where stars often feel freer on stage or backstage.
In June 2025, Zayn Malik was photographed at Glastonbury with a slim pod device in hand. Malik has spoken before about managing nicotine use, and the sight of him casually vaping between performances reinforced that narrative.
Lana Del Rey took things a step further at a European festival in May 2025. Mid-performance, she interrupted the show to ask her crew if anyone had seen her vape. A staff member returned the small pen on stage, and the moment was posted on the festival’s official social channels. Fans responded with amusement, but the episode also underlined how normalized vaping has become – even in front of thousands of people.
These examples show how vape pens have moved from the sidelines to the spotlight. Unlike cigarettes, which often brought backlash, vapes now blend into the rhythms of modern performance life.
Award Season and Red Carpet Moments
Hollywood’s award season is another hotspot for celebrity vape sightings.
In January 2025, Katy Perry was seen holding a sleek vape pen outside a Golden Globes after-party in Beverly Hills. The images circulated through international wire services, reminding fans that vaping is now a red-carpet accessory as much as a personal habit.
A month later, Leonardo DiCaprio appeared at pre-Oscar events with a compact vape in his pocket. DiCaprio is no stranger to vape headlines; he was caught on camera using one during the 2016 SAG Awards broadcast, prompting the Academy and other institutions to introduce stricter no-vaping policies during televised ceremonies. Even with these restrictions in place, DiCaprio continues to be associated with vaping in the public imagination.
These high-profile appearances demonstrate how the habit has shifted from backstage privacy to visible, if casual, red carpet reality.
@lealocalclub Leonardo Di Caprio vaping next to me : what a time to be alive #leonardodicaprio #festivaldecannes #cannes #dailyvlog
Device Preferences ─ What the Stars Choose
While the act of vaping may look the same from a distance, the devices celebrities carry reveal personal differences.
Singers and pop performers tend to prefer slim, discreet pens that fit easily in handbags or stage costumes. Zayn Malik, Katy Perry, and Dua Lipa are all regulars with this style.
It’s also notable that some celebrities have gone beyond nicotine. Delta 9 vapes, CBD pens, and THC cartridges have become part of the mix, particularly in California and other places where cannabis-derived products are legal.
These products are especially popular at parties, recording studios, and film sets, where they sit alongside traditional nicotine vapes in the same social circles.
On Set and Between Takes
Film and television sets, once filled with cigarette smoke decades ago, now often see cast members step out with vape pens during breaks. Actors, by contrast, show more variety.
- Isla Fisher was spotted in Sydney in September 2024, vaping with a slim pod device between filming scenes.
- Sean Bean took a similar approach outside a UK television studio in August 2024, photographed casually vaping after an interview.
- Ben Affleck has become one of the most frequently photographed celebrity vapers, seen multiple times stepping away from Los Angeles film sets to use his pod device.
These moments are less about spectacle and more about habit. Just as smoking breaks were once commonplace, vaping breaks now fill that role in modern productions.
Residencies, Tours, and Backstage Life
Touring musicians and residency performers often live under stressful schedules that make downtime precious. Unsurprisingly, vaping has become part of that environment.
Adele, who has openly spoken about her past habit of smoking 25 cigarettes a day, has since transitioned to vaping. In May 2025, she was seen with a slim vape pen in the corridors of her Las Vegas residency venue. For Adele, the switch reflects both a personal health decision and the practical realities of life on tour.
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp has been documented using his box mod vape while touring with the Hollywood Vampires. In December 2024, photographers captured him backstage at European venues, vape in hand. For performers juggling long rehearsals and travel, vapes have become as standard as bottled water.
London Nights and European Scenes
The UK has its own share of celebrity vaping moments, often documented in nightlife coverage.
In October 2024, Dua Lipa was photographed leaving a London festival afterparty with a slim vape pen in hand. The photos appeared across tabloids and music blogs, signaling how seamlessly vaping has blended into the nightlife of British stars.
From Soho clubs to festival stages, these sightings confirm that vaping is not just a Hollywood trend but a global one.
Rules, Restrictions, and Public Image
Despite the regular sightings, celebrities face the same rules as everyone else.
- Award ceremonies under scrutiny: Institutions such as the Academy have tightened rules after high-profile incidents like Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2016 SAG Awards vape moment, ensuring no devices appear on live broadcasts.
- Production environments with structure: On film and TV sets, vaping is typically confined to designated outdoor areas, mirroring the same regulations applied to smoking.
- Nightlife and festivals as exceptions: While private parties and concerts often see looser enforcement, photographers document these settings extensively, making celebrity habits highly visible.
- Public statements vs. silence: Stars like Adele acknowledge vaping in interviews, while others, such as Katy Perry or Dua Lipa, rarely comment, leaving their public image to be shaped by captured moments rather than personal narratives.
This balance between public compliance and private choice explains why celebrity vaping attracts both fascination and criticism. It highlights the blurred boundary between personal lifestyle and the responsibility of being in the spotlight.
The Frequency of Vaping Among Celebrities
Patterns suggest that some stars vape frequently, while others are caught only in isolated moments.
DiCaprio, Malik, and Affleck appear in multiple photo sets across different months and years, suggesting vaping is a consistent part of their routines. Others, like Dua Lipa or Isla Fisher, appear only once or twice, which could indicate lighter use – or simply better privacy management.
The cycle is predictable: photographers capture the moment, agencies distribute the images, entertainment outlets publish them, and fans amplify the content online. Increasingly, official channels themselves, like the festival account that posted Lana Del Rey’s vaping moment, treat these sightings as ordinary enough to share without hesitation.
Conclusion
The era of cigarettes dominating celebrity culture has passed. In its place stands vaping – slimmer, sleeker, and more in tune with contemporary ideas of convenience and image. From Zayn Malik at Glastonbury to Katy Perry outside a Golden Globes party, these moments highlight how common the devices have become in the daily lives of stars.
The choices of device – slim pens for singers, box mods for actors, or cannabis-derived products reveal differences in lifestyle and preference. But collectively, they signal the same shift: vaping has moved from being a curiosity to being an accepted part of celebrity culture.