The guest
Joey Diaz: Cuban-American stand-up comedian, actor, and longtime Joe Rogan friend; former addict and ex-convict turned comedy club owner in Red Bank, New Jersey.
What this episode covers
Joe Rogan welcomes longtime friend Joey Diaz for a sprawling, freewheeling conversation. They cover internet conspiracy culture, the economics of charity scams and student loans, immigration and squatters, and the dysfunction of communism versus American opportunity. Diaz shares vivid stories from his criminal past, his move to Aspen at 18, brushes with celebrities like Hunter S. Thompson and Don Johnson, and his journey from a 450-pound addict to a sober comedian and family man. The back half dives deep into MMA analysis, jiu-jitsu, fitness, weed, and the booming Austin comedy scene.
Recommended on this episode
ProductRecommended
Rhythm cannabis (36%)
Rhythm
“this is me dog; he discovered it and praises its strength”
“that's when I discovered Rhythm because I was like listen I'm here to see the devil... I got this Rhythm 36% Jesus and I'm like this is me dog”— Joey Diaz
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Where the Buffalo Roam
Art Linson
“that's a good one that's a good one”
“the first movie came out the first that was played by Bill Murray played him that was with a buffalo room yeah that's a good one”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Santana Abraxas
Santana
“great Jam; this would be great song great Jam”
“I bought like uh one other one Santana brais that was a song that would come on at parties and everybody just start singing... great Jam”— Joey Diaz
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
ProductReferenced
ABX Edibles
ABX (AbsoluteXtracts)
“when that comes Mr Softy I would give him Edibles those ABX Edibles and tell them put them in my milkshake and he Blended in the milkshake”— Joey Diaz
ProductReferenced
Zyn nicotine pouches
Zyn
“I swallowed like two of these zins what's going to happen I'm going to blow a Zin fart tonight in that Green Room”— Joey Diaz
ProductReferenced
WHOOP fitness tracker
WHOOP
“kbd posted this when he was shoveling snow this winter... look his heart rate's 118 1,200 calories in 90 minutes”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
The Sopranos
David Chase
“even that episode of Sopranos and the chick says my phone's about to get turned off I got no food and Tony gives her money”— Joey Diaz
MediaReferenced
My 600-lb Life
TLC
“what's the name of that show the 600 lb fat dude yeah my 600 lb life you know all this shit's going to we're going to come back bigger”— Joey Diaz
MediaReferenced
American Pie (song)
Don McLean
“first time I got from Columbia House was what byebye Miss American Pie Oh Don whatever his name was... don mlan”— Joey Diaz
MediaReferenced
Sweet Caroline (song)
Neil Diamond
“Sweet Caroline drives me crazy oh my God he does that he sings that one too... it's a great song”— Joe Rogan
ProductReferenced
Mach 1 (Ford Mustang Mach 1)
Ford
“Joey screwhead Jamie said he had a 69 Mach One... it's an old muscle car right yes sir”— Joey Diaz
Big reveals from this episode
- Diaz reveals he got pneumonia last summer from smoking blunts plus a contaminated sleep mask, leading to a health scare involving a heart cyst and kidney issue.
- Diaz explains he quit fundraising for police charities after discovering only 0.5% of donations reached the actual cause while owners drove Maseratis.
- Diaz reveals he once weighed 450 pounds and wouldn't leave his apartment if the elevator broke; his wife tied his shoelaces.
- Diaz recounts fleeing to Aspen at 18 after planning to rob a bookmaker, with police looking for him back home.
- Diaz reveals he enrolled at University of Colorado without a high school diploma, then had to get his GED only after being arrested.
- Diaz states comedy's real value for him was learning how to become a functioning man, not wealth.
- Diaz describes discovering New Jersey's legal weed dispensaries and high-potency Rhythm 36% cannabis in January.
Worth remembering
- The Nigerian prince scam originated around 1910 as 'The Spanish Prisoner Swindle', delivered by mail rather than email.
- Charity navigator data shows Kids Wish Network routes only about 2.5% of raised money to direct cash aid, with most going to professional fundraisers.
- A DHS memo reported over 270 unlicensed cannabis grow sites in Maine operated by Chinese nationals, with notes found suggesting trafficked laborers.
- A gastric balloon is swallowed via a tube then inflated in the stomach to reduce appetite for weight loss.
- U.S. credit card debt reached about $1.13 trillion according to a CNET report cited in the episode.
- Columbia House CDs reportedly cost about $1.50 each to produce and artists like Kurt Cobain received $0 in royalties on the free giveaways.
- Rogan argues UFC fighters have evolved so much that world-champion-caliber fighters from 10 years ago now appear on undercards.
- Diaz notes one of his daytime jiu-jitsu training partners is a 67-year-old black belt in Taekwondo.
- Yoel Romero, in his late 40s, recently beat Thiago Silva in PFL vs Bellator and still looks elite.
- When Xi Jinping visited San Francisco, the city rapidly cleaned streets and removed homeless encampments.
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