Filmmaker Kevin Smith honored Jason Mewes‘s most recent achievement: the Jay and Silent Bob star is proudly marking 13 years of sobriety.
Smith took to Twitter to uplift his friend and collaborator by retweeting his celebratory post, and heaping praise on the resilient father of two.
Mewes expressed gratitude for the support of friends like Smith throughout his recovery journey in a video recorded, while walking down a palm tree-lined street.
“Today is 13 years sober, and I gotta say thank you very much for all of the people like Kevin and Jordan and my family and everyone out there supporting me [by] watching Jay and Silent Bob.”
He recalled how the structure of the promotional tour was helpful for his recovery.
“It kept me busy. It kept me accountable.”
He reflected on how sobriety has transformed his life over the past decade. The Jay and Silent Bob star was especially thankful for his marriage to Jordan Monsanto, with the couple having been married since 2009. They welcomed a daughter, Logan, in 2015 and a son, Lucien, earlier this year.
Mewes established a successful acting career when Smith cast him as the gravel-voiced big-mouth stoner Jay in his directorial debut Clerks. He reprised the role in Mallrats, opposite Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, and Claire Forlani. The character became an iconic figure in the View Askewniverse, which includes Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and Clerks III.
In 2019, Mewes directed and starred in the film Madness in the Method, which also featured Smith among a star studded cast that included Teri Hatcher, Vinnie Jones, Gina Carano, Danny Trejo, and Stan Lee.
His commitment to his sobriety is an inspiration to anyone struggling to overcome self-destructive behavior and a powerful reminder that there is hope.