Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey recently shared the story of his nicotine addiction, what prompted him to quit, the struggles of tackling the withdrawal symptoms, how he relapsed, and more. In an episode of the Harley and Malarkey Podcast, released on July 14, 2025, titled Brian Has a Confession to Make, the Food Network star discussed the impact smoking had on his life.While reflecting on his life story, Brian revealed that as a child, he had a negative opinion of smoking, as he considered it to be a life-threatening habit. Since all his family members engaged in it, it bothered Brian even more, adding to his worries about their well-being. However, things took a turn when he reached high school, and more so, when he entered the culinary kitchen.Shedding light on how common smoking was among chefs, the Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host admitted to making nicotine a daily part of life. However, he felt compelled to change his ways after considering his children's opinions.While he approached a healthier lifestyle, the journey beyond was not without challenges. Brian faced bigger obstacles when he relapsed into his nicotine addiction a few years later.Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out alum Brian Malarkey on being addicted to nicotine vapes View this post on Instagram Instagram PostBrian's first interaction with cigarettes was through his parents, who he recalled used to smoke inside the house, in the car, and everywhere else, in his presence. Although he grew up disliking the practice and worrying about his parents' well-being, he admitted to playing around with smoking cigarettes in high school.However, he noted that he smoked occasionally when he was in school. The practice transformed into a habit when he entered the culinary industry. Brian revealed that cigarette-smoking was a "massive" trend among chefs, and it was something that he also caught on to."Loved it. Loved every minute of it," he added.Brian mentioned that he eventually started smoking regularly, even when he was at home. While he tried sneaking out into the backyard to avoid his five-year-old children's eyes, he could not hide the smell from them. Once his children started realizing what was going on, Brian decided to quit smoking cigarettes. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host spent years without smoking, and eventually quit drinking as well. However, things took a turn when someone introduced him to vaping during a celebration."Nicotine is so strong and so addictive that, then, I started smoking a nicotine pen," Brian confessed.The Food Network star admitted to falling in love with nicotine vapes. However, Brian quit after eight or nine months, but that only lasted for a short period before he relapsed. While reflecting on his vaping addiction, Brian shared that it was much more difficult than quitting cigarettes because the former had a higher concentration of nicotine.The Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out star added that vaping eventually became his go-to practice during stressful situations. With that, he found himself "totally addicted to vape again.""Nicotine just pulls you and pulls you and your brain can't stop thinking about it... It is so intense, how strong that is," he remarked. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostOnce he realized he had spiraled yet again, he decided to seek help. Consequently, his partner, Danielle, the co-host of the podcast, introduced him to "clean nicotine," which was without any chemicals and came in the form of lozenges. However, she clarified that it was not the ultimate solution, but only a step toward a healthier lifestyle.Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host further shared the withdrawal symptoms, noting that his head and muscles hurt whenever he went without the lozenges for a period. He concluded by encouraging listeners to face their addiction and not delude themselves by finding excuses to pick up a cigarette or a vaping pen.Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out episodes are available for streaming on Discovery+.