Kathleen Gates THE PURAPHY 20

Kim Kardashian Tops Our First Hot List Of CBD Stars

The PuraPhy 20 is a ranked list of individuals who fit in different categories who—right now—wield significant influence in the world of hemp oil/CBD be it with consumers, businesses, governmental officials, regulatory agencies or others. PuraPhy believes that to hold genuine power is to have the ability to persuade and influence wide swaths of relevant stakeholders. PuraPhy 20’s categories will include celebrities, politicians, athletes, scientists, influencers and more.

The inaugural PuraPhy 20 list ranks some of the biggest celebrities on the planet based on just how influential they are in shaping public opinion about the use of hemp oil/CBD and how it impacts both the exploding industry as well as the pop cultural zeitgeist in the US. From Kim Kardashian to Morgan Freeman and from John Legend to Martha Stewart, the roster of celebrities who use and love hemp oil/CBD is as eclectic as one might expect.

BY RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA

**The PuraPhy 20 is meant to illustrate the individual’s public statements about hemp oil/CBD and in no way states or implies any medical benefits from such use.

1. KIM KARDSAHIAN

No one needs to read another solitary word about the actual, mind-blowing power Kim Kardashian and (most) other members of her dynastic family possesses. I mean, her baby sister Kylie Jenner was recently dubbed by no less an authority than Forbes as the “youngest self-made billionaire ever” and Kim’s own 153 million Instagram followers hurts the brain to even contemplate. Love her (as I do), or loathe her and everything her family represents is irrelevant to the influence discussion because, without question, Kim K’s foray into the hemp oil/CBD world can only mean one thing: Kim Kardashian lands at No.1 with a bullet on the first-ever PuraPhy 20: Celebrities list. From throwing an all CBD baby shower in April 2019 to ingesting gummies at bedtime, the world’s most famous reality star—and business-savvy supernova—is determined to spread the word about hemp oil/CBD. And that, friends, is power.

2. MARTHA STEWART

Everyone should take notice when Martha Stewart, that most civilized of lifestyle (home/cooking/entertaining) moguls prepares to enter a new business category, even more so when that industry is the sizzling hemp/CBD sector and her corporate partner happens to be the planet’s largest cannabis conglomerate, the Canadian company Canopy Growth. Stewart, who will focus on hemp oil/CBD products for humans and pets, has the clear potential to impact millions upon millions of her devoted fans to try something many of them are probably just learning about now. The woman is a force of nature.

3. GWYNETH PALTROW

The Oscar-winning actress and founder of Goop and Goop Health has entered the hemp oil/CBD industry in a major way. The movie star and high-end lifestyle CEO, who for some inexplicable reason seems to annoy the most people in the country, (though I count myself decidedly in her corner—have you seen how amazing she is in Ryan Murphy’s The Politician on Netflix? Genius!)—is apparently unfazed as she forges ahead with hemp oil/CBD-infused beauty and-sure-to-be luxurious products Goop lovers expect.

4. WHOOPI GOLDBERG

The formidable EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) holder and longtime host of ABC’s ratings juggernaut, The View, has entered a nearly mythical status among her fans. Goldberg, not unlike, say, Dolly Parton, is seen by a vast majority of the public as a person driven by good. Think about it: Who doesn’t love Whoopi? So, when Whoopi started talking cannabis and, later, hemp/CBD, everyone started to pay a little bit more attention. Under the brand name of Whoopi & Maya (Maya Elisabeth is Goldberg’s business partner), Goldberg and Elisabeth released a line of Epsom salts and targeted rubs that Goldberg believes is consistent with her lifelong practice of standing up for issues important to her. Don’t mess with Whoopi.

5. JOHN LEGEND

Et, tu, ‘Sexiest Man Alive’? People’s current title holder and Grammy-winning superstar with the mellifluous vocals, has entered the red-hot hemp oil/CBD industry with his partnership with PLUS Products to introduce a line of edibles. The reigning coaching champion of NBC’s smash, The Voice, Legend is heading into the hemp oil/CBD business with determination. And as one-half of arguably America’s favorite celebrity couple—along with his supermodel/TV personality wife, Chrissy Teigen—Mr. and Mrs. Legend have also conquered Twitter. A required skill these days.

6. SETH ROGEN

It’s not what you think, exactly. Yeah, yeah, of course you almost leave any Seth Rogen film stoned from the contact high coming at you from the screen, but the funnyman movie star comes to the hemp oil/CBD industry authentically, not recreationally. A true-blue activist and passionate advocate for hemp oil/CBD use, Rogen has even testified before Congress on the subject. As he would certainly say, when it comes to hemp oil/CBD edification, Rogen’s more than just a pretty face.

7. MICHAEL J. FOX

It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly three decades since Michael J. Fox, the star of Family Ties and Back To The Future films, was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The neurological disorder altered the course of the then 29-year-old actor’s life. Through The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the world’s largest non-profit researching a cure for Parkinson’s, has also earmarked a portion of funds into researching hemp oil/CBD—something the foundation’s champion also says he uses.

8. JENNIFER ANISTON

Is this the most beloved actress in the past half century from the most beloved show of in the past half century? I say, yep, and I’m here for it. As the celebrity most celebrities want to be actual friends with, Aniston is America’s Girl Next Door personified. And when America’s Girl Next Door says she uses hemp oil/CBD, guess what Americans do? They listen to America’s Girl Next Door. So, there’s that.

9. TOM HANKS

I’m excited to talk to you about the nicest/best actor in our orbit and why he’s a Top 10 choice on this ranked list of hemp oil/CBD celebrity influencers. Apparently, the two-time Oscar winner was being falsely used as a spokesperson for a “black hat” hemp oil/CBD company by fabricating out of whole cloth a quote about the alleged benefits of the compound. With this simple post on his verified Instagram account, “FRAUD! INTERNET FAKE! Just so you know. Hanx,” the movie star let us know that we were all being fed a bill of goods. He never said any such thing. That post, as you can surely imagine, caught fire and sparked a conversation on what hemp oil/CBD actually is and the prevalence of fraudulent companies trying to pull a fast one over us. I keep wondering, why would that company choose Tom Hanks: Didn’t they see him in Saving Private Ryan or Forrest Gump or Cast Away? This is one tough dude.

10. MELISSA ETHERIDGE

The dynamic Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has been a longtime advocate for medicinal marijuana (something she says helped her tremendously during her battle with breast cancer that began more than a decade-and-a-half ago) and has now embarked on a business venture, Etheridge Farms, that will combine two of her biggest loves: hemp oil/CBD and wine as she introduces CBD-infused wine. A nice chianti will definitely entice more of us to ‘come to her window’ for sure. Photograph by Lauren Dukoff

11. JERRY SEINFELD

This really should be a dual nomination for both Jerry Seinfeld and his entrepreneurial wife, Jessica. The funnyman co-creator of Seinfeld and force behind Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee really met his match with Jessica Seinfeld, mother of three, multiple cookbook author and, yes, hemp oil/CBD enthusiast. Mrs. Seinfeld has been most vocal about her love of Lord Jones Pure CBD Body Lotion, telling Bazaar, “I’m a big proponent of cannabis-infused lotion, and I love Lord Jones.” I believe her. Photo courtesy Netflix.

12. MANDY MOORE

Every week, while I’m drying off my obligatory tears, after yet another hour of heart-breaking, emotional truth bomb-telling and expertly acted television on a little show called This Is Us, I often harken back to a time exactly two decades ago when I spent an entire day with This Is Us’ matriarch, Mandy Moore, (and her own mother!) on the set of a photoshoot for JUMP, a magazine of aimed at teen girls where I served as Editor in Chief. Teen girls are a loyal, half-crazed demographic that absolutely loved Mandy Moore as a baby Britney, but also her monster pop smash, “Candy.” Moore was professional, kind and a ton of fun that day so many years ago, and up to try anything fun. So, it’s no wonder she’s a big fan of hemp oil/CBD. That young lady grew up to be quite an accomplished woman—and she makes me cry on a regular basis. Powerful, indeed.

13. BUSY PHILLIPS

You know that there are certain celebrities that would shock you if they weren’t exactly as they appear to be on TV. Actress Busy Phillips didn’t disappoint. A decade ago, Busy sat next to me at fabled LA celebrity playground, Chateau Marmont, during an early Friday dinner in the hotel’s cozy outdoor garden (she was sitting with her BFF, actress and her Dawson’s Creek co-star, Michelle Williams) and as I waited for my guest to arrive (another heavy hitter, but I’ve name dropped enough for one paragraph), I overheard Busy prattling on delightfully, full of power and mirth with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, to make me fall in love with her all over again. Excitable, loveable, real, Busy is also a vocal fan of hemp oil/CBD edibles. Keeping it real is Busy Phillips’ only gear. Thank goodness for that.

14. MONTEL WILLIAMS

The award-winning talk show host whose courageous battle with Multiple Sclerosis continues to this day, is a longtime advocate, activist and entrepreneur in the hemp oil/CBD industry. And feeling empowered after a protracted—but, ultimately, victorious—legal fight dealing with fraudulent use of his name, likeness and his non-existent endorsement of products manufactured by “black hat” companies, Williams has continue to surge forward with a multitude of hemp oil/CBD products he proudly markets under his own brand.

15. EMMA ROBERTS

I’m one of those people who constantly confuses people. Charming, I know. So, naturally, my nearly decade-and-a-half and on-going confusion telling the difference between equally talented actresses Emma Roberts and Emma Stone is nearly futile. Roberts, who swears by her hemp oil/CBD bath tonic, is the star most notably in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story anthology series. She’s brillz in that. Stone, incidentally, is a bona fide movie star, with epic roles in everything from The Help to La La Land. Will my confusion ever end? 

16. KRISTEN BELL

Here’s yet another one of my favorite funny/sexy/tough actresses, Kristen Bell, who couldn’t be better in her latest winning role in NBC’s critical and ratings comedy hit, The Good Place (it’s genuinely great television). Bell says she takes hemp oil/CBD by the dropper-full and wants to lift the shame from discussing important issues affecting her and so many millions of others around the planet. Living authentically may be a nice catchphrase, but the heavy lifting actually comes from doing it. Kristen Bell is well on her way.

17. MORGAN FREEMAN

I remember seeing Morgan Freeman at LAX as he was sitting near me waiting to board a flight to New York City, and thinking to myself, now there’s a movie star!” I still feel this way. The man most likely to play God in every movie release for the rest of time, has been a longtime advocate for cannabis legalization. Now, he’s turned his focus to advocating for hemp oil/CBD. When the voice of God is telling you to do something, it’s pretty brave not to do exactly what the man says. Yeah, that’s influence.

18. OLIVIA WILDE

Here, yet again, I confuse two amazing actresses, Olivia Wilde (Tron) with Olivia Munn (The Newsroom—wow!) and vice versa. Wilde, who also counts Lord Jones CBD Lotion as a must-have, co-stars in Clint Eastwood’s buzzed-about film, Richard Jewell, about the falsely accused bomber during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. As part of the next wave of talented leading ladies forging their way to the top in Hollywood, Wilde is well positioned to mark her territory in myriad indelible performances to come.

19. DAKOTA JOHNSON

If you want to feel a little awkward for five minutes or so, go to YouTube and find the 2019 interview with Dakota Johnson on Ellen—it’s uncomfortable in all the best ways. Another of the young and powerful actress based in Hollywood, Johnson also professes her use of hemp oil/CBD as a nightly routine. The daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Johnson famously starred in the series of films based on the book, Fifty Shades Of Gray. In the battle of just hug-it-out talk show weirdness, I must say, I’m solidly on Dakota Johnson’s side on this one. Sorry Ellen.

20. LEIGHTON MEESTER

Though for years of Gossip Girl being on my top of DVR list of must-record-always shows, and really being on Team Serena all the way, Leighton Meester injected her character, Blair Waldorf, with such genuine humor and pathos that it was hard to be rooting against her so often. But Meester, happy to report, is a delight in person. I mean, a truly, nice person. In LA. Weird, right? As for hemp oil/CBD, it’s no surprise, then, that the 32-year-old reaches for a hemp oil/CBD balm on a regular basis. Now, any buzz about that Gossip Girl reboot?