Brian Simpson: Stand-up comedian known for his deadpan, cynical worldview and Netflix special 'Laugh from the Mothership.' A Marine Corps veteran and former martial arts instructor who deliberately avoids the news.
What this episode covers
Joe and Brian open on politics and the machinery behind the presidency before settling into a long critique of for-profit health insurance, which they argue is a financial game dressed up as healthcare. They drift through conspiracy territory, the Cybertruck bomber, the DC plane-helicopter collision, remote-controlled vehicles, LA wildfire arson, and Chinese tech backdoors. The back half turns to pop culture: a deep dive on horror and monster movies (Nosferatu, The Northman, Alien, Predator, Conan), then a long MMA discussion covering Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, and recent UFC title fights. Throughout, Brian plays the fatalist who thinks society is 'cooked' against Joe's more hopeful, fix-it framing.
No purchasable items were genuinely recommended in this episode.
Big reveals from this episode
- Joe recounts the DC Black Hawk-American Airlines collision that killed everyone aboard, including a figure skating team.
- They dig into the Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger and Shawn Ryan's leaked email about gravitic-propulsion drones.
- Joe claims AI-controlled jets beat the best human pilots in dogfights 100% of the time, and that vehicles can be hacked remotely.
- Brian says he reacted to the insurance CEO's killing 'the same way' he reacted to the killing of Osama bin Laden.
- Joe says there is satellite footage suggesting three LA fires started simultaneously and suspects arson.
- Joe declares Nosferatu 'the best vampire movie ever.'
- They discuss El Salvador mass-incarcerating gang members and crime dropping to near zero.
- Brian states flatly that humanity is 'cooked' and past the point of no return.
Worth remembering
- Trump reportedly eats mostly McDonald's, drinks Diet Coke, and still plays tennis at 78.
- Huawei's Porsche Design phone was banned in the US over national-security backdoor concerns.
- OnStar can remotely disable a stolen car, GM Corvettes ship with a mandatory OnStar subscription.
- An OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample contained amino acids, nucleotide bases, and salt-water minerals, fueling the panspermia theory.
- The James Webb telescope found galaxies that formed 'too quickly,' suggesting the universe may be far older than ~14 billion years.
- Charlize Theron gained ~50 lbs and shaved her eyebrows to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.
- Robert E. Howard wrote the original Conan stories in the 1930s; he lived with his mother and died by suicide.
- Umar Nurmagomedov reportedly broke his hand in round one but fought all five rounds against Merab Dvalishvili.
- Joe rates Terence Crawford's switch-hitting (southpaw/orthodox) the best in boxing ahead of his Canelo fight.