Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American television and film actor, film producer and internet radio show host. He has played Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films.

Biography

Substance abuse
Mewes has openly talked about his struggles with substance abuse, which began in his early 20s. He first began using heroin shortly after appearing in Mallrats, and was soon addicted; he was under the influence while filming Chasing Amy and Dogma. Smith entered Mewes into the first of a series of drug rehabilitation clinics in 1997, after noticing Mewes would spontaneously fall asleep, which he initially attributed to narcolepsy. Mewes sobered up until about a week into the Dogma shoot, when he learned he could pass his urine tests by abstaining from drugs for three days beforehand and then shooting up the rest of the week. It was also during filming for Dogma that Mewes' mother was diagnosed with AIDS. In another attempt to get clean, Mewes moved in with his mother, who gave him OxyContin to ease the withdrawal symptoms; Mewes was soon addicted to that substance as well.

In 1999 Mewes was arrested in New Jersey for heroin possession. His probation sentence included community service, drug counseling, and regular court appearances in New Jersey. In late 2001, after he failed to make a court appearance, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Mewes' mother died of AIDS in 2002. On April 1, 2003, he surrendered himself at a Freehold, New Jersey court and pleaded guilty to probation violation charges. He was ordered to enter a six-month rehab program, and would be allowed to return to Los Angeles, but was told if he violated probation again, he could face up to five years in prison.

Smith had taken Mewes in to live with him and his wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, but evicted him after catching him using drugs again. During this period, he stole Smith's ATM card and charged $1,100, and had heroin shipped to the hotel where a press junket for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was being held. Smith had Mewes check into various rehab facilities, including Promises in Malibu, where his visit coincided with frequent costar Ben Affleck's stay for alcoholism. These attempts were unsuccessful for Mewes, whose problem was so severe that Smith declined to give him a part in 2004's Jersey Girl.

Mewes continued to use drugs, and has related that he decided to turn himself in and get help after waking up on Christmas morning 2003 to find that he had started a fire after falling asleep near a lit candle while on heroin. Estranged from Smith and his other friends, Mewes returned to New Jersey, where he was given the choice of attending six months of court-mandated rehab or a year in jail. Mewes waited a year before attempting to revive his career, and eventually obtained a new agent at the Endeavor agency. In a July 2006 interview he reported that he was sober, and harbored no urges to drink or use drugs. He relapsed in 2009 after having surgery.

To help Mewes maintain his sobriety, Kevin Smith created the Jay & Silent Bob Get Old podcast as a "weekly intervention" to let Mewes talk through his history of substance abuse, amongst other topics. He has been clean since June 28, 2010.


Marriage
Mewes married his wife Jordan Monsanto in a civil ceremony on January 30, 2009, with a larger wedding planned later that May. Their daughter, Logan Lee, was born on April 1, 2015.