MY NAME IS EARL STAR POTTY

Life imitates art for Earl star Eddie Steeples!

Like his TV character, Darnell "Crab Man" Turner, the 35-year-old actor loves the ganja, man.

"Eddie loves smoking weed," a close pal told The ENQUIRER. "He likes smoking blunts, which are  made with tobacco leaves - usually grape or peach flavored - and filled with marijuana.

"He's got two sets of friends - his more strait-laced buddies who don't get high and his tight-knit crew who love to get stoned. It's not like he walks around in a 24/7 haze of smoke, but when he's done with work, he  likes  to relax by kicking back with a good smoke.

"Just like Darnell on the show, Eddie doesn't hide his marijuana use," an insider on the set of the NBC series revealed. "As a matter of fact, he doesn't really care who knows that he likes to get high!

"We're like a close family on the set, and Eddie's not one to cover things up. He's pretty much an open book - and in Eddie's book there's plenty of marijuana use."