Who Is Tommy Chong's Wife? All About Shelby Chong (2024)

Tommy Chong has been married to his wife, Shelby Chong, since 1975.

The Canada-born comedian, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in the late 1980s, is best known for his work with Cheech Marin in the duo Cheech & Chong.

However, Tommy has also worked with wife Shelby. She performed as the opening act at some of his shows between 1996 and 2000, and then became his comedy partner during his falling-out with Marin. Since Cheech & Chong began touring together again, she’s gone on to open for them, too.

She explained in a 2012 interview with The Art of Mary Jane what she finds particularly charming about her husband: “His sense of humor and that he’s crazy. He loves to get high and he’s a genius.”

The pair have four children together, and Shelby is stepmother to Tommy’s two older daughters. They also have several grandchildren. On her Instagram account, Shelby often shares photos of her family, as well as pictures and videos of her husband.

So who is Tommy Chong’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Shelby Chong and her relationship with the comedian.

She was born in Los Angeles in 1948

Shelby was born in Los Angeles in 1948, but also lived in Canada as a child. She attended Gladstone Secondary School in Vancouver, Canada, and graduated in 1966.

She married Tommy in 1975

Shelby and Tommy got married in Los Angeles in 1975. In December 2015, Shelby posted a photo of her husband on Instagram with the caption: “It's been over 40 years and I still have a crush on my husband."

Shelby is Tommy’s second wife. He was previously married to Maxine Sneed from 1960 to 1970.

She has four children with Tommy and also is stepmother to his two daughters

With Tommy, Shelby has four children. Daughter Precious was born in 1968, while sons Paris and Gilbran were born in 1974 and 1981, respectively. They adopted their son Marcus, who was born in 1967, in 1978.

Precious, Marcus and Paris have worked in acting like their parents. Precious has appeared in Playing It Cool alongside Chris Evans and written full-length feature films.

Shelby is also stepmother to Tommy’s daughters Rae Dawn and Robbi, whom he welcomed with ex-wife Maxine. She and Tommy also have several grandchildren. Shelby often shares photos of her grandchildren on Instagram, and in September 2021 she wished her grandson a happy ninth birthday.

She’s a comedian, actress and producer

Like her husband, Shelby works in comedy. In a 2012 interview with The Art of Mary Jane, she explained that she started after Tommy split up with Maxine and got lonely touring on his own.

“He said, ‘Shelby, come with me,’ ” she recalled. “I was an actress then, and I said, 'I will but I just don’t want to hang out in the hotel,' so then Tommy said, 'You can start by doing my intro.' It grew and grew, then I got to open the show for Cheech & Chong — so that’s really helped my career.”

Tommy told The Guardian in 2020: “I couldn’t leave my wife at home. She’s too beautiful to leave alone.”

She’s starred in movies alongside her husband

Shelby has appeared in a number of movies, including some in which her husband also starred. She appeared in 1980's Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie and 1981’s Nice Dreams, Cheech & Chong’s second and third feature-length movies. She also appeared in Things Are Tough All Over, another Cheech & Chong film that was released in 1982.

Her other movie credits include 1983’s Sandman and 1991’s Class of Nuke ‘Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown.

She’s a frequent Instagram user

Shelby is popular on Instagram, boasting more than 100,000 followers on the photo-sharing platform where she goes by the name @funnyshelby.

She often posts snapshots of Tommy and their family. For Christmas in 2022, she shared a video of herself dancing with her husband in front of their Christmas tree, and a couple of months earlier, she posted a clip of the couple in their Halloween costumes.

She’s an artist

Aside from her comedy work, Shelby is an avid painter and frequently shares her original artwork on social media. She often paints portraits of her family and friends.

In 2019, she shared a painting of her grand-niece, Bowie, on Instagram, and a year later she posted a photo of a painting she made of a friend's dog.