Why did Jason Momoa quit smoking? Perez Hilton reacts to Aquaman actor’s wild surfing scare that made him stub out for good

Perez Hilton has weighed in on Jason Momoa’s shocking revelation about a surfing accident that convinced him to quit smoking for good. On August 14, 2025, Hilton shared his reaction on X with a post captioned:

"Jason Momoa Reveals TERRIFYING Near-Death Experience That Finally Helped Him Quit Smoking."

Perez Hilton

@PerezHilton

Jason Momoa Reveals TERRIFYING Near-Death Experience That Finally Helped Him Quit Smoking 🔗

In the article on his website, linked to the aforementioned post, Hilton discussed Momoa’s recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast on Monday, August 11, 2025.

During the episode, Momoa recounted a life-threatening surfing expedition at Peʻahi, a famed big-wave spot in Maui, Hawaii. He added that the intense surfing experience pushed him to give up smoking entirely.

Hilton reflected on Momoa’s recollection, noting that the incident was frightening but also transformative for the actor.

"Jason Momoa had a terrifying brush with death… But one majorly good thing came out of it! He’s actually far less likely to die young now!"

He further remarked that this incident gave him a “ new lease on life”, adding that he and all his fans were “glad he made it out alive!”

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Jason Momoa details his near-death experience while surfing, says it made him quit smoking

During his August 11, 2025, appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Jason Momoa opened up about a terrifying near-death experience that forever changed his life. The 46-year-old Hawaiian-born actor recounted the day he almost drowned while surfing off the coast of Maui.

Speaking to co-hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, Momoa described paddling about 13 miles down the coast with friend Joe Flanigan and professional surfers Dave Kalama and Laird Hamilton.

They were nearly a mile offshore when disaster struck; the leash attaching him to his surfboard snapped.

"It’s so windy on Maui, so the board just went… I couldn’t see it anymore," he told the hosts.

Massive 10-foot Hawaiian waves began pummeling him, each one threatening to strip him bare.

"I took quite a few [waves] on the head. They were pretty big, like 10-foot Hawaiian waves… The waves were so big they basically took my shorts off. I reached down, put my shorts back on," he added.

As the waves kept coming, even his friends lost sight of him. Exhausted and fighting to stay afloat, his thoughts turned to his then three-month-old daughter, Lola Iolani.

"I looked in… my daughter at that time was three months old, and I just lost my s***… I couldn’t move anymore. My arms and my legs gave up … I was out there for a while," he said.

Jason Momoa (Image via Getty Images)

Eventually, Jason Momoa revealed how he clung to the sharp coral of the outer reef, barely able to lift his mouth above water. It helped him "get a break," but at that point, he had "already given up." To him, it felt like he had "already given up and died." But then got a "second chance" as he "stayed up for 10 minutes" hanging on the side of this reef.

At that moment, Laird Hamilton reached him, circling and paddling from behind to return his surfboard. The two then paddled several more miles before making it back to shore. In the process, Momoa cut his feet on coral after slipping beneath the water.

The ordeal left more than physical scars. Momoa revealed it was the turning point that finally made him quit his long-time smoking habit.

He explained how he "used to smoke almost two, three packs a day." He further added that he "couldn’t stop" himself for his "kids" or even his "ex-wife". He "couldn't stop smoking" before, but the moment he came out of the water after the horrifying incident, he "never smoked again."

"I just died. I tried, I tried, but I couldn't do it again because I just gave up. I gave up my life," Jason Momoa added.

Momoa, who shares daughter Lola, 18, and son Nakoa-Wolf, 16, with ex-wife Lisa Bonet, said that he “was pretty hard on myself that night” after returning from the ocean safe.

"I did a lot of stupid s**t, and I just really was pissed at myself for the position I was in and probably tortured myself even more for the stupid s**t that I did... So I don’t know. It was a bit of a hard learning curve, but I feel like I’ve always had th,at where it’s just like my learning curves are pretty hard on me," he added.

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At present, Jason Momoa's Chief of War series is streaming on Apple TV. His upcoming movies include Animal Friends, Dune: Part Three, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.