Dakota Johnson and several other celebrities called out for promoting 'dangerous' trend

Dakota Johnson has sparked a debate after promoting an unhealthy habit during her latest appearance on Saturday Night Live.

The 37-year-old actress, who’s currently promoting her new movie Verity, hosted the comedy show on Saturday (3 October), which featured a surprise appearance from Taylor Swift during her opening monologue.

In a black-and-white promotional photo ahead of the appearance, Johnson posed in rabbit ears and a black bodysuit, while holding an unlit cigarette in her mouth.

And while the comments have been flooding in about how amazing she looks, some fans admitted they have been left disappointed by the inclusion of smoking.

One Reddit user penned: “Cigarettes are making a big comeback,” while a second joked: “Vapes are out, and ciggys are back in. Progression!”

And a third questioned: “We're glamorizing smoking again? Sigh.”

“Can we stop with the cigarettes?” penned a fourth, while a fifth agreed: “So sick of the cigarettes. So off-putting. It’s NOT cool. It’s cringe.”

A sixth brutally wrote: “It's tied to the whole Y2K indie sleaze aesthetics, and then shallow people jump onto the trend. This era is mostly stolen remakes with little to no deviation from the original, then sold as homages, references, or reprisals. It's so unoriginal that death sticks are back on trend. Whenever a celebrity does posing with their cigs, it only shows how vapid they are.” Ouch.

Meanwhile, others chimed in with: “Smoking isn't sexy” and “STOP ADVERTISING FOR CIGARETTES! Have we not learned absolutely anything as a society? I keep seeing cigarettes being commercialised everywhere suddenly. Who is paying these creators and photographers?”

And Johnson isn’t the only one to face this kind of criticism, as cigarettes have been popping up left, right, and centre at the moment, despite the UK's recent aim to create a 'smoke-free' generation.

Back in July, Kylie Jenner was met with similar backlash when she posted a snap to Instagram sipping wine and smoking.

One critic slammed: "Smoking is not cool,” while a second agreed: "Please don’t smoke on social media, we don’t want this to become a trend again..." and a third questioned: "Why are we making cigarettes a thing?"

Others, however, didn't see the issue, as a fourth pointed out: "She's an adult; she can smoke if she wants to. Chill out."

And a fifth stated: "No different to drinking, and everyone promotes that. Both are bad for you but legal. Both are choices you can make for yourself when you’re an adult."

In February, researchers at Haypp discovered that a significant number of Brits have noticed the smoking resurgence, with many perceiving it as a symbol of style or status.

A third of respondents reported seeing more photos of celebrities smoking than in previous years, and nearly 30 per cent thought that smoking appears to be 'back in fashion'.

Popular celebs like Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, and Paul Mescal have been seen with a cigarette in hand, while Addison Rae sings: “Need a cigarette to make me feel better" in her 2025 single 'Headphones On.”

No matter which side you’re on, though, it’s impossible to ignore the facts - smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in England, accounting for more than 80,000 deaths each year, as per the NHS.

It’s linked to a number of health conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic respiratory illnesses.

If you want to quit, local stop smoking services are free, friendly, and can massively boost your chances of quitting for good. You can find more information on the NHS website here.

Tyla has contacted NBC and a representative for Johnson for contact.