History Main / OfCourseISmoke

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Persepolis}}'', Marjane steals a cigarette from her uncle's stash and smokes it in protest of her mother punishing her for skipping school. She admits that it tastes awful, but finishes it anyway and claims that it was her first step toward adulthood.

* In ''Literature/TheHuntForRedOctober'', Jack Ryan was an occasional smoker: Smoke for a while, quit for a while, but never more than two or three a day at his worst. He tries to break the tension of the initial meeting between Americans and Russians by bumming a smoke off the Russian engineer. He immediately begins coughing; fortunately, this provides the levity needed to break the ice. The Russian cigarette was described as "like smoking asphalt through a cardboard tube."

** Also happens in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E2BrothersLittleHelper "Brother's Little Helper"]] to Ned Flanders as he and Maude play hippies in a fire safety play. Though his cough from smoking is the least of his problems as he inadvertently sets his pants ablaze.
** Parodied in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E7TheGreatMoneyCaper "The Great Money Caper"]]. After failing to con Flanders, Homer and Bart hide in the treehouse, where Grampa is waiting for them in a dark corner with a pipe.

'''''[[RuleOfFunny OUGH COUGH COUGH GAGGHHHH!]]'''''

-->'''Homer:''' Geez, why don't you have a cigarette or something?
-->'''Marge:''' Mm, I suppose I could.

-->'''Grampa:''' Amateurs! ''[lights up]''
-->'''Homer:''' Dad?!
-->'''Grampa:''' That's right!
-->'''Bart:''' You don't smoke a pipe.
-->'''Grampa:''' That's right! ''[coughs]''

'''[[RuleOfFunny OUGH COUGH COUGH GAGGHHHH!]]'''

[[folder: Anime/Manga]]
* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', the 9-year-old Dieter tries to impress a bunch of men at a bar by entering smoking a cigarette, ordering a drink, slurping it up, and leaving the bar. Once outside, he rushes to an alley to cough and puke, wondering why adults do those things.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest'': Albert attempts to smoke a roll-up cigarette with Anna. After coughing, he admits he has never smoked before.
* In ''Film/ThoroughlyModernMillie'', Millie does this to act casually outside of a Chinese opium den. [[StuffBlowingUp It didn't end well]].

* Variation in ''Film/BeingThere''. Chance and Ben Rand are having an after-dinner discussion and the latter enjoys a cigar. Chance has a habitual tendency to imitate what he sees others do, so he tries to do the same, but finds he cannot light it -- as he didn't see Ben slicing off the tip of his cigar beforehand. Ben doesn't notice his problem, [[spoiler: but Dr. Allenby does, furthering his suspicions about who Chance really is]].

* In ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'', the first meeting between the Soviet officers and the Americans is tense and silent. Jack Ryan breaks the tension by asking for a cigarette from Chief Engineer Melekhin, even though Ryan had refused cigarettes over the course of the film. His cough amuses the Soviets and lightens the mood for them to begin talking.
-->'''Melekhin:''' He's turning green!
* ''Film/DesperatelySeekingSusan:'' Roberta, suffering from amnesia and finding some cigarettes among "her" stuff, decides she must be a smoker and lights one up. Coughing ensues. (The tobacco company that had paid for the ProductPlacement asked for their money back.)

* Anna does this once in ''Literature/MySistersKeeper'' when she's in the car with Jesse.

* The first time Pudge smokes in ''Literature/LookingForAlaska'', he tries to act cool about it and then nearly coughs up a lung, though he ends up smoking pretty regularly.

* Esme Squalor in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' [[FashionVictimVillain is obsessed with what is "in"]], and in the 10th book, she smokes what she thinks are cigarettes [[spoiler:(they're actually flares)]], and despite bluntly stating she hates the smell, the taste, and the fact that they're bad for you, she remains on the hunt for more to smoke [[spoiler:which the Baudelaires use to bait her]].

* The old ''Series/Batman1966'' TV show used this when Robin/Dick was trying to infiltrate a gang of "{{delinquent}}s".
* On ''Series/TheWonderYears'', in an episode where the Arnold family goes on a vacation at a lake house, Kevin tries to flirt with a girl who smokes that he just met by showing that he smokes, too, resulting in a coughing fit.
* On ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', George tried this to get out of the planned marriage with Susan. It doesn't work, either.
** Another time, Kramer tries to get close to Jerry's accountant, who he thinks is a coke addict, by sitting at the bar smoking a cigarette and chugging a glass of beer. While he claims he chain smokes, it's very obvious he's not used to it.

* In the ''Series/SmallWonder'' episode "Smoker's Delight", Jamie experimented with tobacco in hope of becoming more popular as a freshman in junior high school.
* Donna does this in the first season of ''Series/TwinPeaks''. Apparently, she's the only person in her high school who ''doesn't'' smoke.
* In ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Niles ends up pretending that he came outside to smoke, too embarrassed to admit that he and his brother couldn't get tickets and are waiting for them in the cancellation line.
* [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Captain Picard]] in the season one episode "The Big Goodbye", during his first time on the holodeck as Dixon Hill. He takes a drag on a cigarette [[SmokingIsCool very suavely]], and then chokes and puts it down. He may have become more accustomed to smoking, though, because later on in the series he smokes as Hill again, with no trouble. Or maybe since it was on the holodeck, Picard just changed the settings to make it less realistic.
* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', Walter White bums a cigarette from Jesse Pinkman in an attempt at conviviality. It's obvious that Walter has never smoked a cigarette in his life.

* [[AbhorrentAdmirer Terri]] from ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' [[SmokingIsGlamorous has a cigarette with]] hapless Opposition MP Peter Mannion, in order to flirt with him. (He doesn't notice either the flirting or that she is rather obviously not a smoker.)
** One quick scene from "The Rise of the Nutters" shows Malcolm Tucker, of all people, having a cough attack over a cigar. The waiter seems amused.

* A variation occurs in ''Series/FullHouse''; Stephanie is offered a cigarette by her peers, and she declines, saying she's trying to quit.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Vampire Harmony tries smoking because she ''is'' a [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking villain after all]]. Moments later she starts coughing, [[FailedAttemptAtDrama ruining the whole thing]] (her inability to become a genuine menace is a RunningGag).
* Rigsby in ''Series/TheMentalist'' smokes a high-grade joint while undercover as a pot baron. Amazingly, his reaction doesn't blow his cover.

* ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'': Touched on in the "Smoking" episode. At the end of the show, Moose gives special thanks to Les Lye, a nonsmoker who, being the only adult on the show, had to do all the smoking required for the sketches. Les steps out of character as Ross the floor manager to directly address the camera. Looking slightly ill, he asks "Why do people do this?".
* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Michael lights up a cigar when Pam gives birth, before being told to put it out by a doctor. Later, he lights up again and immediately starts coughing.
* ''Series/DeathInParadise'': In "The Stakes are High", D.I. Mooney and the team are reacting to the events leading up to the death of the VictimOfTheWeek. Mooney, who is playing the role of the victim, lights up a cigar -- as the victim had done -- and immediately starts coughing.
* When Donna was going through her rebellious phase on ''Series/That70sShow,'' she asked Eric to hold her cigarette while she looked through her purse for something. Unfortunately, they're still in the school parking lot, and a teacher comes over and sees Eric with it. Donna's quick to take responsibility, but Eric waves her off so she won't get in trouble. Though it's downplayed, in that he doesn't have a massive coughing fit. He ''does'' smoke (pot), and another episode showed that his mom and at least one of his friends do smoke cigarettes, so it's not a total shock to his system.
* One episode of ''Series/MadMen'' opens with Pete trying out a cigarette despite his protests. He then spends the rest of the scene in a coughing fit.

* In ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'', the titular character does this to ''himself''. He lights his pipe, inhales, and... discovers that when his white mage brother Gregory healed him earlier, he also cured his smoking habit.

[[folder:WebOriginal]]

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', Kif does this, causing incredible reactions from his alien body.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', Tim the bear becomes an evil boss so Cleveland has to smoke to get a break.
* The plot of the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Secondhand Spoke" starts when Peter tries to pick up smoking to get breaks at work.
* An early example can be seen in the Creator/RankinBass ''Tales of the Wizard of Oz'' animated series episode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDpEp5JFrZA "Get Out the Vote"]], when the [[TheDitz literally-brainless scarecrow]] [[IronicName Socrates]] tries smoking a cigar as part of his getting into politics. He figures "all politicians smoke cigars," and mentions he'd never smoked before, and then he takes a puff and immediately starts coughing and hacking, to the shock of the other Munchkin politicians.
* In the Soviet cartoon series "The Return of the Prodigal Parrot", the third short ends with the titular character trying to present himself as a tough guy who spent the summer doing farming work. The last thing he does is light a roll-up... cue coughing all over the ending titles.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'': In "[[Recap/TheRaccoonsS5E10JoinTheClub Join the Club!]]", when Bert catches Lisa smoking cigarettes with Donna, Lisa lies that she's been smoking for months. However, after Donna offers her a light, she immediately coughs up smoke.

* [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Captain Picard]] in the season one episode "The Big Goodbye", during his first time on the holodeck as Dixon Hill. He takes a drag on a cigarette [[SmokingIsCool very suavely]], and then chokes and puts it down. He may have become more accustomed to smoking, though, because later on in the series he smokes as Hill again, with no trouble.

* In the 11th ''[[Manga/CaseClosed Detective Conan]]'' film, ''Anime/DetectiveConanFilm11JollyRogerInTheDeepAzure'', Detective Takagi tricks a suspect into giving him his fingerprint via asking him for a light and pocketing the matchbook the suspect hands him.

* In one recent sketch on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', one candidate for the Covid vaccine(Creator/BowenYang) tries to convince the panel he smokes[[note]]Being a smoker was one way to get pushed up the waiting list for the vaccine.[[/note]]. The panel is not fooled for a second.

[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ofcourseismoke2_9203.jpg]]

* In ''Manga/LoveHina'', Keitaro attempts smoking at one point in the manga after failing his exams. He immediately begins coughing and spluttering.

* In ''Film/ThoroughlyModernMillie'', Millie does this to act casual outside of a Chinese opium den. [[StuffBlowingUp It didn't end well]].

* ''Film/DesperatelySeekingSusan:'' Roberta, suffering from amnesia and finding some cigarettes among "her" stuff, decides she must be a smoker, and lights one up. Coughing ensues. (The tobacco company that had paid for the ProductPlacement asked for their money back.)

* Peggy (before she started smoking) and Pete have both done this on ''Series/MadMen''. Peggy also chokes on a drink to similar effect while trying to act like a flashy Manhattanite for a blind date. ("My friend [[FemmeFatale Joan]] orders them for me. They're usually sweeter.")

* Rigsby in ''Series/TheMentalist'' smokes a high-grade joint while undercover as pot baron. Amazingly, his reaction doesn't blow his cover.

* In one recent sketch on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', one candidate for the Covid vaccine(Creator/BowenYang) tries to convince the panel he smokes[[note]]Being a smoker was one way to get pushed up the waiting list for the vaccine.[[/note]]. The panel are not fooled for a second.

* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', Calvin tries smoking a cigarette. At the end of the strip, Calvin comments that it was trusting parents that caused him to smoke and therefore damage his health. It should be noted that his mom knew this trope was coming and let Calvin smoke in order to [[RadishCure teach him a lesson]].

* In the Soviet cartoon series "The Return of the Prodigal Parrot", the third short ends with the titular character trying to present himself as a tough guy who spent the summer doing farming work. The last thing he does is lighting a roll-up... cue coughing all over the ending titles.

* In the 11th ''[[Manga/CaseClosed Detective Conan]]'' film, ''Anime/DetectiveConanFilm11JollyRogerInTheDeepAzure'', Takagi tricks a suspect into giving him his fingerprint via asking him for a light and pocketing the matchbook the suspect hands him.
-->'''Sato:''' Takagi, when did you start smoking?

* In the 12th ''Manga/CaseClosed'' film, ''Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure'', Takagi tricks a suspect into giving him his fingerprint via asking him for a light and pocketing the matchbook the suspect hands him.

'''[[HilarityEnsues COUGH COUGH COUGH GAGGHHHH!]]'''

* In one recent sketch on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', one candidate for the Covid vaccine(Creator/BowenYang) tries to convince the panel he smokes. The panel are not fooled for a second.

* In the 12th ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' film, ''Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure'', Takagi tricks a suspect into giving him his fingerprint via asking him for a light and pocketing the matchbook the suspect hands him.

* ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'': Touched on in the "Smoking" episode. At the end of the show, Moose gives special thanks to Les Lye, a nonsmoker, but being the only adult on the show, had had to do all the smoking required for the sketches. Les steps out of character as Ross the floor manager to directly address the camera. Looking slightly ill, he asks "Why do people do this?".

* The old ''Series/{{Batman}}'' TV show used this when Robin/Dick was trying to infiltrate a gang of "{{delinquent}}s".

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Michael lights up a cigar when Pam gives birth, before being told to put it out by a nurse. Later, he lights up again and immediately starts coughing.

* In ''Film/TheLegendOfZorro'', Elana gets rid of [[RomanticFalseLead Armand]] so she can talk to Alejandro by asking him to buy her a pipe. [[BrickJoke Much later]], after she and Armand have had dinner, a servant brings "her" pipe. Initially she says she needs her stomach to settle first, but when she needs an excuse to be out on the balcony, she's forced to light up.

* Donna does this in the first season of ''Series/TwinPeaks''. Apparently she's the only person in her high school who ''doesn't'' smoke.

* Rigsby in ''Series/TheMentalist'' smokes a high grade joint while undercover as pot baron. Amazingly, his reaction doesn't blow his cover.

* ''Series/DeathInParadise'': In "The Stakes are High", D.I. Mooney and the team are reacting the events leading up to the death of the VictimOfTheWeek. Mooney, who is playing the role of the victim, lights up a cigar--as the victim had done--and immediately starts coughing.

** ''{{WebVideo/Kickassia}}'' has a scene where as part of WebVideo/BennettTheSage' as Surgeon General's [[InsaneTrollLogic new health campaign]] several of the reviewers try smoke and immediately start coughing. Creator/BradJones' commentary points out that you can tell by the way he holds the cigarette that Creator/PawDugan is the only one who actually smokes in real life.

* Happens on ''Series/PubertyBlues'' when the AlphaBitch offers the two protagonists a cigarette as a thank you for not turning her in for cheating and, wanting to be in with the cool girls, they accept.

* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', Calvin tries smoking a cigarette. At the end of the strip, Calvin comments that it was trusting parents that caused him to smoke and therefore damage his health. It should be noted that his mom knew this trope was coming and let Calvin smoke in order to teach him a lesson.