Brian Simpson: Stand-up comedian and regular at the Comedy Mothership in Austin, known for his sharp social commentary and a recent Don't Tell Comedy set that went viral.
What this episode covers
Joe Rogan and Brian Simpson open on combat sports, breaking down Islam Makhachev, Khabib's Dagestani training culture, and the brutality of elite wrestling and altitude conditioning. The conversation drifts into the comedy business, meritocracy, and how Hollywood gatekeepers misjudge talent, before taking a long detour into internet subcultures like furries, bronies, and the 4chan-spawned free-bleeding hoax. They dig into government overreach and corruption stories, including Waco, Ruby Ridge, a botched SWAT raid on a Maryland mayor, the Epstein files vote, and Prince Andrew's fall. The back half covers the Tulsa Race Massacre and Comanche history of Oklahoma, then closes on a food-lover's tour of Austin and New York restaurants and a pitch for The Rock's film The Smashing Machine.
Recommended on this episode
Empire of the Summer Moon
S.C. Gwynne
“Got to read this book, Empire of the Summer Moon. Get it on audio. It's incredible. It's all about the Comanche in Texas and in Oklahoma.”— Joe Rogan
The Smashing Machine
Benny Safdie
“It comes out to streaming. I can't recommend it enough. It's a really good movie, and it's not just an MMA movie.”— Joe Rogan
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese
“you see that movie Flower the Flower Moon movie? No, I didn't see it. Oh, but it's kind of like that.”— Brian Simpson
Holy Hell
Will Allen
“What is the the cult members the cult leader's name in Holy Hell? He changed his name twice.”— Joe Rogan
Diablo
Blizzard Entertainment
“Everything I know about Lilith is from Diablo lore.”— Brian Simpson
Big reveals from this episode
- Joe and Brian openly riff on Perplexity as their AI sponsor, using it live to look up rhabdomyolysis.
- Joe and Brian both admit to having worn furry outfits, and Joe recounts stumbling into a furry convention in Pittsburgh.
- They discuss the 427-to-1 House vote to release the Epstein files, with Brian saying 'put that shit in the street' regardless of whose name is on it.
- They marvel that Randy Weaver was acquitted of all major charges after Ruby Ridge, convicted only of failure to appear in court.
- The Maryland mayor SWAT-raid story: police killed two family labs over a misdelivered marijuana package the mayor knew nothing about.
- Brian recounts learning Tulsa only began filtering water to the black side of town a few years ago, while visiting the Black Wall Street Museum.
- Joe reveals The Rock shrank his physique and gained 30 lbs of muscle plus 22 prosthetics to play Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.
Worth remembering
- A man ate roughly 10,000 calories then ran about 30 miles trying to burn it off, showing how little exercise actually offsets eating.
- Fabricio Werdum trained at ~12,000 ft for two months before beating Cain Velasquez in high-altitude Mexico City.
- The modern endurance theory: train at sea level for more reps, but sleep at altitude so your body adapts during recovery.
- Baby Shark is the most-streamed YouTube video at 16.4 billion views, yet ad restrictions on kids' content limited its earnings.
- Enrique Tarrio, former Proud Boys chairman, was revealed to have been an FBI/law-enforcement informant from 2012 to 2014.
- Prince Andrew was stripped of titles and evicted from Royal Lodge, relocated to the Sandringham estate with the king covering basic needs.
- Tulsa's 1921 massacre officially recorded 36 dead but estimates run up to 300, across 35 destroyed city blocks of Black Wall Street.
- Cynthia Ann Parker, kidnapped by Comanches at age 9, became mother of Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanches.
- Elizabeth Warren earned about $429,000 from Harvard for the 2010-2011 period covering two classes while also advising the Obama administration.
- Austin's Dai Due restaurant sources everything from Texas, refusing to even serve a Diet Coke if it's not Texas-made.