One of the most legendary stories about Willie Nelson is that he once smoked weed on the roof of the White House. This was during the Jimmy Carter administration, and in the new documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, the former POTUS himself addresses the tale.
The film was released yesterday, and as the Los Angeles Times notes, in it, Carter was asked about Nelson’s story. He laughed and revealed one of his own sons actually joined the musician in his rooftop smoke session: “[Nelson] says that his companion that shared the pot with him was one of the servants at the White House. That is not exactly true. It actually was one of my sons.”
The POTUS’ son, Chip Carter, confirmed the story, which began on September 13, 1980 during a Nelson performance at the White House. Chip said, “In the break I said, ‘Let’s go upstairs.’ We just kept going up ’til we got to the roof, where we leaned against the flagpole at the top of the place and lit one up.’ If you know Washington, the White House is the hub of the spokes — the way it was designed. Most of the avenues run into the White House. You could sit up and could see all the traffic coming right at you. It’s a nice place up there.”
Watch a trailer for Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President below.
