A MINI MOMENT WITH: NITA FREEMAN, OUR LIFT UP MUSE

If you’re subscribed to emails or our IG broadcast channel, buds only, you may have seen her. A radiant 80-year-old who shimmies with ease. A Filipina matriarch with eight grandchildren, seven-figure aura points, and a clear familiarity with a joint.

She’s Nita Freeman, the star of our Lift Up campaign for Jewels, and she’s a MOTHER, literally, spiritually, and culturally. About 2.7 minutes into our first conversation with her, we knew she had the perfectly joyful, creative, and extroverted energy to match Lift Up’s bouncy vibe.

In this Mini Moment With, the woman who stole the show both behind and in front of the camera shares a few chapters from her colorful life, offers advice on navigating smoking with grandkids, how to get the most out of life, and some of the best one-liners we’ve ever heard.

Where do we begin? Tell me about yourself.

My life has been like a book. A great book. It started in the Philippines. I moved to the US when I was 26. One of my husbands was in the military, I lived all over after that. Scotland. Japan. Antarctica. I’m on my 4th husband now—John. We’ve had 42 years of wedded bliss. Four is an important number for me. I have four kids, eight grandkids, and great-grandchildren. It’s always been my dream to be the matriarch in a big family. I grew up with my grandmother, who was a gourmet matriarch. Best cook in the Philippines. She’d take me to the market and pick fresh ingredients. Chorizo and bilbao from Spain. Olives from Greece. No one was doing that like her. That’s where I got my cooking gene.

Have you modeled or acted all your life?

Oh, no. I got interviewed coming out of jury duty once, on the local news. I also did something for a retirement home. My family has a lot of actors and actresses and models. My daughter went to school with Jeff Goldblum. She still models. My granddaughter, Heaven, is very active in modeling. That’s how I got involved with this.

What are your other passions?

I love to dance. I crochet every day. I give away blankets, like when new babies are being born. I play mahjong. I play poker. I go to the casino. I love to travel. I love our dog, Sammy, and the cats Arthur and Matilda. I love to eat out. I love to cook. Even now, I cook probably 4-5 times a week. I can cook any Filipino dish. I have friends from Poland, Italy, Thailand — I’ve learned from them too.

Do you remember the first time you smoked cannabis?

When I was 21, I was a desk clerk in a military office. Lots of fighter pilots. I had a house by the beach at the time, and they would bring me Thai sticks and we’d have a party at my house. Oooh, that was the best. They had the little handle, so you don’t have to hold the roach. They were so good!

What is your preferred form of consumption?

I like hybrid strains. I used to do pipes and joints, but now I use a vaporizer. At least twenty years now. Or a one-hitter pipe because it looks like a cigarette. It’s not so much fun anymore because it’s legal. Ha!

What's your perfect high setting?

I can do anything when I’m high. I like to smoke in the evenings, when I’m done with what needs to be done. And then I smoke all night long. I crochet, watch TV, walk on my treadmill. I like crime shows and period shows, like Marie Antoinette. I didn’t like Bridgerton, though. That’s for children. I loved Shogun. So good.

Do your grandchildren know they have a cool grandma who vapes?

I never hid the fact that I smoke, not from my kids, my husband, or my grandkids. It’s my house and I do what I want. It’s better to be honest, hiding things is not for me. I have smoked with two of my kids. I was a grandma when I was 40, so I’ve smoked with my grandkids, too. They buy me vape pens so I can smoke in the casinos. I think that’s how I get all my stuff because Heaven talks about me and gets free stuff.

Have you ever faced judgment for your consumption habits?

Oh yeah. When I play mahjong and I go outside to smoke, they are always judging. Especially other Filipinos. I don’t care. It’s not like I have a disease. Or that it’s bad like drinking. Doesn’t hurt my kidneys. I’d rather smoke than drink. I do weights, I go to a gym twice a week. I don’t care what other people say about me because I know me. If I can’t handle it, then I don’t do it. That’s what I teach my kids: Do whatever you want to do, just be able to handle what comes with it.

What was your favorite part of the Lift Up shoot?

I loved playing with the phone. And being lifted up. Oh my god, it was so fun. I wish it was moving, though! I was just up there. I wanted to fly around. I could see the whole neighborhood. It was so fun. All the kids and the other extras, they wanted to do it too.