Snoop Dogg shocked fans recently when he announced he was "giving up smoke," but all is not what it seems... Taking to social media last Thursday, the rapper wrote: "After much consideration and conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time." The 52-year-old - whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr - surprised fans with this news as he is widely known for his love of smoking weed, he appeared to have a puff ahead of his Super Bowl performance last year and had fans desperately to fill his blunt roller vacancy. He even has a cannabis-focused digital media platform called Merry Jane which he launched in 2015, and also invested the THC-infused savory snacks called TSUMo Snacks. So this announcement left fans divided as some wished him well on this new chapter, while others weren't convinced this was true, believing it to be a publicity stunt. And it turns out they were right, as it was revealed to be part of an advert for smokeless fire pit company Solo Stove. "I have an announcement," Snoop Dogg says in the advert. "I’m giving up smoke. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Snoop? Smoke is kinda your whole thing?’ “But I’m done with it. I’m done with […] my clothes smelling all sticky icky. I’m going smokeless. Solo Stove fixed fire, they take out the smoke, clever.” Fans have been sharing their reaction to the publicity stunt, with some calling the move "one of the most brilliant marketing plans," and "the biggest prank of the year". It's fair to say Snoop got us all good with this stunt. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

'GMA' star Robin Roberts' nephew Jeremiah Craft shared some unseen pics from her aunt's wedding which had a famous Hollywood director grooving on the dance floor

Jesse Watters also attacked the only Democrat on the panel and rotating host Jessica Tarlov

EA Originals is an Electronic Arts initiative that sees the world-famous publisher partner with independent

A coalition of professional sports teams in Missouri is backing a new proposal to put the legalization of sports betting on the 2024 ballot

Olivia Rodrigo is going on tour and she’s bringing the next generation of pop talent, as well as a beloved ’90s alt-rock band, with her

Donald Trump attended a UFC fight with Mel Gibson, Roger Stone and UFC president Dana White

'The thing is with trust is obviously it can be broken in an instant. Right? But it takes a long time to heal,' said Amy Duggar King

Robert De Niro was on hand to introduce the Historical Icon and Creator Tribute Award for his critically acclaimed movie 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'

Billy Bob Thornton was engaged to Laura Dern when he 'ghosted' her to marry his ‘Pushing Tin’ co-star Angelina Jolie

The restraining order bars Al 'Bubba' Baker, his wife Sabrina, and his daughter Brittani from speaking out publicly against Daymond John

Ana Navarro also pointed out the complexity of relationships, telling Sunny Hostin she's 'very lucky' she has a good marriage