Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey shares how kitchen life and early exposure led to nicotine struggles

Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey recently opened up about his long-term nicotine use on The Harley and Malarkey Podcast, which aired on July 15, 2025.

The chef revealed that both his childhood environment and professional experiences in the kitchen played major roles in the start and continuation of his smoking habit.

On the podcast, Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey discussed how exposure to smoking began early in life and was later reinforced by the smoking culture common in culinary settings.

He shared that while his cigarette use was “on and off” during high school, it became a regular part of his life after joining professional kitchens.

"I remember smoking cigarettes on and off with friends in high school and never really took too much. But then, when I got into the culinary world... cigarettes are massive,” he said.

Malarkey also reflected on how his attempts to quit were met with mixed success, especially after he later took up vaping.

Below are key highlights from the conversation, including how his upbringing shaped his early behavior and how he later dealt with relapse and withdrawal.

Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey shares early exposure and normalization of smoking

Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey shared that his first experiences with smoking began during his childhood due to secondhand exposure at home.

“I grew up in an era where dad smoked cigarettes, mom smoked cigarettes, everyone smoked cigarettes inside the car, windows rolled up,” he said.

Despite disliking the smell as a child, Malarkey said he started experimenting with smoking during high school. While initially casual, this habit became more routine after entering the professional culinary world.

According to him, cigarette use was normalized in kitchens.

“Every break, everything, you’re all sitting out back,” he said, explaining how smoking was part of the kitchen culture.

He described the chef environment as one where “dirty, stinky, smelly, garlicky, greasy, fishy, cigarette smoking, whiskey drinking” behaviors were commonly accepted.

Malarkey added that the intensity of the kitchen environment made it easier to adopt such habits. He recalled smoking regularly through adulthood and even during the early years of parenting.

Eventually, the habit was questioned by his children. He shared,

“I would sneak out back of the house... but then the kids are like, ‘What the f**k you smell like?’”

That moment led him to quit smoking for several years, similar to how he once stopped drinking alcohol, something that also “just clicked” for him at the time.

Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Malarkey about vape relapse and quitting in 2025

Although Malarkey had successfully quit smoking for years, he revealed that a vape triggered a relapse about three years ago. The moment happened during a 4th of July gathering on a boat.

“I’m on the boat, and I took a hit off somebody’s vape. That was it. That was the downfall,” he said.

He admitted that quitting vaping was more difficult than quitting cigarettes, talking about the higher nicotine levels.

“I think it was so much harder to quit the vape because I think the vape has even more nicotine than the cigarettes,” he explained.

Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Malarkey added that the psychological side of the addiction made it harder to quit, saying the habit became part of his routine and was difficult to stop thinking about.

He explained that even small moments of stress would lead him to pick it up again, telling himself he’d just use it a few times.

Despite the challenges, he quit vaping again on January 1, 2025. He did not describe the latest quitting process in detail but indicated that the decision was intentional and driven by health and family factors.

Currently, viewers can catch Malarkey on Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out, available for streaming on Max.

Stay tuned for more updates.