Statement from Todd Phillips:
This was a joke. I make comedies.
If you read the story, it doesn't even make sense. "On the set of her new film, she won't stop smoking cigarettes". Umm. Really? Maybe just take them away from her. Or at least take her money away so she can't buy them any longer.
When you are doing press for a film, it tends to get repetitive, lots of the same questions over and over. Sometimes I like to mix it up with the journalists. Obviously, the monkey in the film NEVER smoked a single cigarette. There are people on set whose sole job is to protect that monkey. Even if I wanted her to smoke it wouldn't be allowed. By the way, she also appears to do cocaine in the movie, but I guarantee you that she didn't do that either (I can't, however, comment on Ken Jeong's cocaine use in the film).
Sorry for the confusion, but it definitely is a funny headline "PETA pissed after Todd Phillips gets Hangover 2 monkey addicted to cigarettes." Definitely one for the office wall.
Ah, comedy. Thanks for the clarification, Todd! PETA-sponsored movie trip to see The Hangover: Part II (in theaters May 26) is back on!