The Time Willie Nelson Covered For Jimmy Carter's Son

The late former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had memorable visits from public figures during his time in the White House. Two major music industry artists, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, once stopped by with their son, John, to see Carter in 1977, per the White House Historical Association. Carter later mentioned his closeness with the musicians while giving a speech related to the Help through Industry Retraining and Employment program. He also stated that he and Carter Cash were distant cousins.

In January 2022, iconic singer-songwriter Chuck Berry's official Twitter account shared an image of Carter with Berry and other Black performers smiling on the White House lawn. This was shown in honor of Carter recognizing the contributions of Black musicians and dubbing June Black Music Appreciation Month in 1979, as CNN wrote in June 2022. "President Jimmy Carter held the first-ever Black Music Month celebration, where scores of Black celebrities congregated on the White House lawn, including Chuck Berry," the post from Berry's account read. In addition to these guests, another legendary musician also went to the White House during Carter's term and made an eventful appearance.

Willie Nelson kept things private regarding the identity of his White House smoking partner. Nelson wrote in his 1988 autobiography that he smoked pot on the roof of the White House when he visited Jimmy Carter during Carter's term as president. In a 2015 chat with GQ, Nelson was asked about who he smoked with and coyly said he didn't recall. "I'm trying to find out who that was with me up there. I keep asking people," Nelson said to the interviewer before adding, "Wasn't me and you, was it?"

The 2020 documentary "Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President" explored Carter's love for music and meetings with singers such as Nelson. As People reported, Carter said in the film that Nelson wrote in his memoir "one of the servants in the White House" smoked with him in 1978, but it was really Carter's son, James Earl "Chip" Carter III. "That is not exactly true — it actually was one of my sons, which [Nelson] didn't want to categorize as a pot-smoker like him," Carter said. GQ later added that they called Chip to ask about the incident, who said "[Nelson] told [him] not to ever tell anybody" about their smoke session. In recent years, Nelson has spoken further on his memories of spending time with the Carters.

Willie Nelson and Jimmy Carter shared a tight-knit companionship. In a 2020 CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, Nelson discussed his long-term friendship with the late former president. He said that Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, attended his shows [0:35] "for years" and "always sing the Gospel songs with [him]." Cooper then asked Nelson about what it was like being with Carter at the White House. [0:56] "It was great," Nelson said. "Jimmy and I would jog together and hang out. His son [Chip] and I hung out together at the White House. We had a lot of fun." 

Cooper next brought up the subject of Nelson and Chip having smoked together on the White House roof, which Nelson said occurred after Chip gave him a tour of the mansion.[1:25] " ... We went up on the roof and looked around, and that was pretty cool," Nelson said. The "On the Road Again" singer added that Carter [2:36] "knew me, he knew Chip. He knew we were just kids running around having way too much fun." Furthermore, during a 2015 "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" interview, Nelson called Carter [1:27] "a real close friend" of his. The singer-songwriter then clarified that Carter was initially unaware that he and Chip smoked together, saying he "forgot to tell [Carter]" they were smoking pot on the White House roof.