Woody Harrelson has long been considered among Hollywood's most recognizable liberal faces.
But it seems that may have just been for his recreational pot consumption.
Because Harrelson just went on Bill Maher’s podcast and torched Gavin Newsom’s state with one brutal truth.
Maher and Harrelson Slam California Cannabis Tax as Businesses Keep Leaving
Bill Maher and Woody Harrelson co-own The Woods, a cannabis dispensary and lounge in West Hollywood. On April 20, Maher recorded an episode of his Club Random podcast right there on the shop floor – and the conversation went places his Democrat allies probably wish it hadn't.
"It's not easy to make a business work in California," Maher said, explaining the recording location.
Harrelson didn't hesitate. "California just messes with every business."
Then Maher said what conservatives have been saying for years – word for word.
"I don't want to, like, start this off… well, why not? Like, just sh—ing on California," Maher said. "California deserves to be sh—on for a lot of this kind of stuff. And people know. This is why people flee the state."
He wasn't done. "California sucks as far as… well, all businesses, but certainly this one. They still treat it like it's poison, whether it's legal or not."
Harrelson zeroed in on the tax burden. "They treat it like you're lucky that we allow you to do this, and so we're going to tax you 35 percent, which is way more – it's more than double anything."
"It's ridiculous that they can just tax the f—k out of you and make it so hard," he added. "They don't allow you to write anything off, and they tax you 35 percent."
California's base excise tax on cannabis sits at 15 percent – but local levies stack on top, pushing combined rates past 30 percent in many markets and as high as 38 percent in some jurisdictions.
California Exodus by the Numbers: Tesla, Chevron, Palantir and the Billionaire Tax Driving It
What Maher and Harrelson stumbled into on a pot shop podcast is the lived reality of every small business owner in California – conservative or otherwise.
California carries the highest top personal income tax rate in the nation at 13.3 percent. Its corporate rate of 8.84 percent ranks among the worst in the country for business climate. The results are exactly what you'd expect. Since 2018, the San Francisco Bay Area alone has seen a net loss of 156 corporate headquarters. Tesla left for Texas. Chevron left for Texas. Palantir moved to Miami. A Pacific Research Institute report released this month found that California's job growth since COVID has run at less than half the national rate.
And now, with a proposed 2026 Billionaire Tax Act threatening a one-time 5 percent levy on assets above $1 billion, the flight is accelerating. Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya estimated that $1 trillion in wealth fled California ahead of the January 1 deadline the proposed retroactive tax would target. Google co-founder Larry Page moved his family office and key business entities out of state. Mark Zuckerberg purchased a home in Florida.
Bill Ackman put it plainly: California is "on a path to self-destruction."
The Verdict Liberals Can't Walk Back
Here's what makes the Maher-Harrelson moment different from the usual celebrity grumbling.
These are not conservatives. These are two men who spent decades cheerleading the exact politicians and policies that created this mess. Maher has given generously to Democrat causes for years. Harrelson lobbied Gavin Newsom directly on cannabis legislation – and Newsom obliged.
Now they're sitting in their own shop, counting the tax bills, and saying Newsom's California "deserves to be sh—on."
That's not commentary. That's a confession.
Every working family that watched a small business close in their town already knew what Maher and Harrelson just discovered at their dispensary: Democrat tax policy doesn't build anything. It bleeds everything. And when even the people who bankrolled the politicians start saying it on camera, the argument is over.
California conservatives have been right all along. The only difference now is that Hollywood finally admitted it.
Sources:
- Alana Mastrangelo, "Woody Harrelson, Bill Maher Slam California Taxes: State 'Deserves to Be S**t On,'" Breitbart News, April 22, 2026.
- "Bill Maher, Woody Harrelson Sound Off on California Business Climate," Fox News, April 22, 2026.
- "Tech Insider Warns California Tax Hikes Will Trigger Mass Billionaire Exit," Fox News, January 9, 2026.
- "Billionaires and Businesses Fuel Growing Exodus from Blue States," Fox Business, April 2026.
- J.D. Tuccille, "High Taxes and Burdensome Regulations Are Killing California," Reason, April 20, 2026.
- "California's 'Billionaire Tax' Will Be 'Disastrous' and Cause Wealthy to Flee, Economist Predicts," Fox Business, February 6, 2026.
