Hey Kari Lake, Your Favorite Music Is by Potheads

You may have heard that Fox 10’s Kari Lake doesn’t think highly of Phoenix New Times because we’re a “bunch of 20-year-old dopes.”

She called us out for our marijuana ads several weeks ago. Then, she dropped the f-bomb in our direction. Last year, she claimed that the #RedForEd movement was a “nothing more than a push to legalize pot."

We got the message: Lake isn't down with the sticky icky (despite the drug's numerous health benefits).

The New Times’ music department applauds her efforts to live a drug-free lifestyle. To show that we're genuine in our admiration, we're passing her an olive branch, not a joint.

We glanced at Lake’s social media feeds for songs that she likes (because she hasn't blocked us yet). She has good taste. She's not listening to Pink Floyd or the Grateful Dead, but most of the artists she likes have been known to smoke up.

As a service to her (and others who choose to abstain), we're making Lake aware of these musicians so she can update her Spotify playlists accordingly. We wouldn't want her being influenced by their bad behavior.

Chris Stapleton


Lake tweeted out last week that “A Simple Song” by country artist Chris Stapleton “wrecks the heart.” The 2017 track from From A Room, Volume 2 does hit you right in the feels. The songwriter also likes to ease his mind and put it to music, as evidenced by “Might As Well Get Stoned” on his 2015 album, Traveller.

The J. Geils Band


Lake showed her love for “Centerfold” by The J. Geils Band on a tweet from the Fox 10 Twitter account in 2013. The Boston-based rockers were known for their spirited performances in the early '80s when the hit came out. On their live album Showtime!, lead singer Peter Wolf gives a monologue about Adam and Eve smoking weed in the Garden of Eden before launching into “Love Stinks.” That sounds like drug behavior to us.

Aretha Franklin



When Aretha Franklin died, Lake sent out a Facebook post asking fans what their favorite song of hers was. She even stated that a copy of The Queen of Soul’s greatest hits compilation has been in her car for over a decade. We hate to break it to Lake, but Franklin has long been rumored to puff and pass, so she might have to clean out her car soon. That’s a shame, because no one can dispute the power of Franklin’s voice.

Barry Manilow


On a Facebook video posted last year, Lake let her followers know she’s a fan-ilow of the Manilow by cranking up his hit “Mandy” on her car radio. (Let's hope she wasn't driving at the time she was filming it!) During the songwriter’s heyday, it was rumored that the seemingly squeaky-clean singer would escape fame and his legion of followers with a joint. Who knows? Maybe it was marijuana that helped write the songs.