WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK, NY – A massive gathering of over 1,500 โsmokers descendedโข upon washington Square โฃPark last weekend for an impromptu, and ultimately dispersed, mass cigarette break, fueled โฃby the social media โคpresence of New York entertainer Terry.
The event, which drew โa crowd ranging in age from 18 too 78, began with โthe playing of Survivor’s โ”Eye of the Tiger” and chants ofโข “Bob, Bob, Bob” – a nod to Terry’sโฃ online persona, “Breaking Bob.” Terry, a comedian and performer with experienceโ in stage, television, and film,โ recently returned toโข Newโ York from Los โขAngelesโ and is a member of the comedy collective โฃOld Jewish men. he advertised the smoke break, promisingโข a โcigarette to anyone 18 or older.
“It was off the richter โขscale,” Terry said of theโ turnout,โ having distributed fliers promoting theโ event.โ The gathering quickly โattracted attention, โwith onlookers like an NYUโ student asking, “What’s going on?” to which a smoker jokingly โreplied, โข”It’s โConor mcgregor.” Terry himselfโข gained recent viral attention forโฃ successfully completing a “Blind Cigarette Taste Test” viewed by 33 million people โคonline.
The smoke break lasted approximately 30 minutes before being broken up by at least 20 NYPD officers.Despite the intervention, the crowd erupted inโ aโฃ chant of “One more cig,โฃ one more cig, one more cig,” prompting Terry to light โคup again as Frank Sinatra‘sโค “Newโฃ york, New โฃYork”โ played.
Whileโฃ Guinness world Records does not currently recognizeโข a record for the largestโ organized smoke break, the event highlights a resurgence of smoking in popular culture, โขparticularly among younger generations.โ Terry โคacknowledges theโ health risks โassociated with smoking – โit causes a hostโฃ of deadly diseases, damaging the heart,โข lungs โand โother organs – but maintains, “I would [quit], but the stress would kill me,” adding that his doctorsโ are โsurprised by the health of his lungs despite his habit.
