Donnell Rawlings: Comedian and actor known for Chappelle's Show, The Wire, and The Corner, promoting his Netflix special It's a New Day.
What this episode covers
Donnell Rawlings joins Joe Rogan in a sharp suit, declaring it 'a new day' and reflecting on his start as a professional heckler turned dramatic actor before comedy. The pair discuss the craft of acting versus stand-up, the collapse of Hollywood under AI and tools like Sora, and the death of sitcoms and the agency model. A long stretch covers COVID lockdowns, vaccines, and the nostalgia of the pandemic bubble, plus politics and the 2024 election. The conversation wanders into wildlife in captivity, thousands of monkeys overrunning a Thai city, and finishes with Donnell confronting Tony Hinchcliffe by phone over an allegedly doctored Kill Tony clip.
Recommended on this episode
Portrait of a Lady (Frederic Malle)
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle
“a portrait of a lady oh it's a Arabic company um that's all I know and I got a guy that outsources my colog”— Donnell Rawlings
Uncut Gems
Josh and Benny Safdie
“he's in um that uncut gems movie and he's great he's not an actor”— Joe Rogan
The guest's own work
The Corner
David Simon
“I had did HBO's the corner where I played a heroin addict I played the character bread”— Donnell Rawlings
The Wire
David Simon
“when I was doing HBO's to wire there's one scene when I get pulled over in the car”— Donnell Rawlings
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Law & Order
Dick Wolf
“Law and Order first off Law and Order is one of the most respected franchises in the history”— Donnell Rawlings
Sora
OpenAI
“as soon as he saw what is it called sora Sora create it can create entire scenes entire scenes that look realistic”— Joe Rogan
Apple Vision Pro
Apple
“they just started releasing these Apple Vision Pros I saw those which are crazy you can walk around in them”— Joe Rogan
Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla
“when I told you I wanted to get one of those cyber trucks I was like I know you got a hookup get me on the list”— Donnell Rawlings
Kill Tony
Tony Hinchcliffe
“the last time I did Kill Tony it was probably like three or four years ago”— Donnell Rawlings
Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip
Richard Pryor
“you remember live at Sunset Strip Richard prior one of the funniest lines you remember when he was like look white people left”— Donnell Rawlings
Big reveals from this episode
- Donnell started in comedy as a professional heckler whom audiences came specifically to watch heckle other comics.
- Writer David Simon cast Donnell in The Corner because he 'threw the lines away' and didn't lean into the addiction stereotype.
- Donnell reveals 'It's a New Day' was shot three separate times before Dave Chappelle approved it.
- Joe argues COVID policy was driven more by money than care, citing Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
- Donnell claims his Kill Tony 'walk-off' was doctored and he actually went to the bathroom then left for a sushi reservation.
- Tony Hinchcliffe is called live on the podcast and denies editing the clip, escalating the long-running beef.
Worth remembering
- There are multiple Law & Order franchises, with a 'hate crimes' spinoff reportedly in development.
- Dave Chappelle got noticeably better at stand-up after he quit drinking.
- Tyler Perry reportedly paused construction of an 800 million dollar studio after seeing what Sora could do.
- Donnell claims driving 28 mph on certain New York avenues catches every green light from 33rd to 115th.
- Joe cites an increase in all-cause mortality and excess deaths he attributes to vaccine side effects.
- In India, monkeys reportedly killed roughly 250 dogs in a revenge massacre after a dog killed a monkey.
- A Thai city has been overrun by thousands of monkeys forming rival gangs, worsened during the tourist-free pandemic.
- A wolf's lifespan is up to 20 years in captivity but usually no more than 10 in the wild.