by the El Reportero staff
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, the pioneering comedy duo whose humor helped bring Chicano identity and 1970s counterculture into mainstream entertainment, have been selected to receive a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce named Cheech & Chong to its Class of 2027 in the motion pictures category. The selection was announced July 23 after the Walk of Fame Selection Committee chose 32 honorees from hundreds of nominations and the Chamber’s board ratified the choices.
No ceremony date or star location has been announced. Honorees generally have two years from their selection to schedule the dedication, and the Chamber usually releases ceremony details shortly before each event.
The distinction recognizes a partnership that began more than five decades ago. Richard “Cheech” Marin, a Los Angeles-born Mexican American, met Canadian musician and comedian Tommy Chong in Vancouver during the late 1960s. Their contrasting personas developed into comedy routines that mixed social satire, cannabis humor and sharply observed portrayals of American life.
After building a following through live performances and successful comedy albums, the pair reached movie audiences with Up in Smoke in 1978. The film became a counterculture landmark and led to several more collaborations, including Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie, Nice Dreams and Still Smokin.
Their influence has endured through changing attitudes toward cannabis and Latino representation. Their story received renewed attention in Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie, a documentary combining archival footage, animation and a present-day road trip. After premiering at South by Southwest in 2024 and entering theaters in 2025, it began streaming on Paramount+ in 2026.
Marin also established a major independent career as an actor, director and voice performer. His credits include Born in East L.A., Nash Bridges, Tin Cup, The Lion King, Cars and Coco. Away from film, he has become one of the country’s most prominent advocates and collectors of Chicano art.
In 2022, the Riverside Art Museum opened the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, known as “The Cheech.” The center houses a collection of nearly 500 works donated by Marin and promotes exhibitions, research and public dialogue about Chicano art.
The Walk of Fame honor therefore celebrates more than the duo’s familiar characters. It recognizes two artists whose comedy challenged cultural boundaries, created space for Mexican American voices and remained influential across generations in American film and popular culture today.
– Sources: Hollywood Walk of Fame; Riverside Art Museum; Paramount+
