As we are approaching the end of 2019, it is time to look back on a year jam-packed with Joe Rogan Experience highlights. Instant classics like Alex Jones Returns, Sober October 3, or his episodes on Twitter come to mind.

Here at jrefacts.org we like to over-analyse things, so clearly some random top 10 list wasn’t up to scratch. We analysed data from google, reddit, and youtube to give you the definitive analysis of JRE’s most popular guests of 2019 (or for you negative Nancies check out the worst JRE episodes of 2019)

Whether you’ve listened to all of 2019’s JRE episodes or you’re looking for episodes to listen to, you’ve come to the right place. So, let’s jump right into it.

The top 10 JRE episodes 2019

#10: Graham Hancock (JRE #1284).

The British author has been on the JRE multiple times over the years to talk about lost civilisations. His piece the resistance, Fingerprints of the Gods, has a loyal following, although it has been criticised by the scientific community. While his scientific reputation is debatable, his appearances on the show are highly anticipated, which is reflected in the numbers: Most notable are almost 6 million youtube clicks and 96% likes (at the time of writing), which earn Mr Hancock spot #10.

#9 Dr Phil (JRE #1254)

The host of the TV show ‘Dr Phil’ is someone who does not need an introduction. His recent appearance on the JRE is a testament of how big the podcast has become and what array of diverse guests it now attracts. The conversation focused on his TV show, the opioid epidemic, and mental illness. For people who know Dr Phil only from TV, this is a great chance to see a different side of the psychologist. Both reddit and youtube approve of Dr Phil with a 96% like/dislike ratio. For those wanting more of Dr Phil, he started his own podcast DrPhilintheblanks.

#7 Bill Burr (JRE #1348)

The comedian, podcast host, helicopter pilot, and drummer is one of the funniest and brutally honest people on the show (5 minutes into the podcast, Bill is already roasting one of Joe’s ad reads). On this episode Bill is promoting his new Netflix special ‘Paper Tiger’, which has been a huge success. Their comedic dynamic is just fantastic and this episode feels like you’re hanging out with two of your buddies talking about random sh*t.

#8 Neil deGrasse Tyson (JRE #1347)

It’s been about 1 year since the astrophysicist, cosmologist, author of ‘Astrophysics for People in a Hurry‘, and science communicator has been on the show. His latest appearance certainly made a splash, but not without some backlash. NdGT’s constant interruptions made Joe Rogan look like the guest in this episode. Nevertheless, Tyson remains a great science communicator and the two talk about telescopes, the uniqueness of the element of water, and the use of carbon fuels. More than 2,000 reddit upvotes and 5,000,000 youtube clicks make up for the slightly lower like/dislike ratios, and result in spot #8.

#6 Kevin Hart (JRE #1278)

One of two people that makes Joe feel lazy in this world. Kevin Hart is arguably the most successful comedian in the world right now, filling entire stadiums, starring in blockbusters and writing books. Listen to this episode, if you want to hear about anecdotes from early in his career, the recent Oscar’s controversy surrounding him, and his work schedule and success. This episode will leave you highly motivated and entertained.

#5 Bob Lazar & Jeremy Corbell (JRE #1315)

Bob Lazar was this year’s biggest surprise of the JRE. Although it was his first time on, it feels like he has been part of the podcast for years. Joe had been talking about aliens and Area 51 pretty much since day 1. The new documentary of Lazar’s story was discussed on this episode and a follow-up with Jeremy Corbell and Cmdr. David Fravor (which almost made it into our Top 10). To add to almost 10,000,000 clicks and 98% likes on youtube, this episode sparked the massive meme and online movement to Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us. This is an old-school Joe Rogan episode recorded in 2019, which conspiracy fans have been waiting on for years.

#4 Mike Tyson (JRE #1227)

There have been many fighters and boxers on the show in recent times, but no one coming even close to Mike Tyson. Imagine only knowing Tyson as the youngest heavyweight champion ever, a registered sex offender, and a guy who bit someone’s ear off. Then one morning you wake up to this episode in your podcast feed. Tyson literally surprised everyone with his kind, humble and thoughtful ways. This is a podcast about a kid who grew up only knowing fighting and who is now a transformed man. This is a podcast about redemption.This is truly inspirational. Having the most Google results, this episode reached the widest range of audience. His reddit and youtube stats aren’t too shabby either with about 5k upvotes and 10,000,000 clicks, respectively. For those wanting to know more about the new Mike Tyson: his biography, The Undisputed Truth, was a NYT bestseller, and he also started a podcast Hotboxin.

#3 Bernie Sanders (JRE #1330)

Joe Rogan has been feeling the Bern for a while, and this time his studio was on fire. Bernie Sanders was one of a number of high profile politicians and potential future presidents who came on the show. Tulsie Gabbard (#15), Andrew Yang (#12) also visited Joe to talk about policies and world views. These discussions really highlighted the advantages of the JRE’s long form interview style, and gave listeners a chance to get a full picture of the person, rather than just a snippet. This episode was reddit’s #1 with an unbelievable 47k upvotes. Slightly lower google and youtube results land Bernie spot #3 in our list of top JRE episodes of 2019.

#2 Edward Snowden (JRE #1368)

Edward Snowden has been on many fans’ wish lists for some time and this year it finally happened. Freedom of speech is one of the JRE’s central themes; combine this with this year’s increased interest in politics and you’ll get an amazing episode with the American whistleblower. Snowden, who joins the podcast from a remote location, talks about the events leading up to him leaking highly classified information. They discuss his current life, mass surveillance, and his recent book Permanent Record. This episode blew up on all platforms, racking up more than 30k upvotes on reddit and more than 11,000,000 views on youtube.

#1 Alex Jones Returns (JRE #1255)

What other podcast hosts Bernie Sander, Mike Tyson, and also Alex Jones? This episode is more evidence that Joe Rogan is ‘Oprah for dudes’. This episode featuring the publisher of InfoWars (and Eddie Bravo) is the perfect storm of comedy, conspiracies and ramblings. Yes, some people will complain about giving Alex Jones and his conspiracy theories a platform (and we have done a debunking of his adrenochrome and vampire stories). However, if you’re only watching one comedy special this year, watch this one. You’ll be crying-laughing for hours. With 17,000,000 clicks Alex is 2019’s youtube king. His google and reddit numbers following closely behind show that this episode reached the hardcore fans and average Joes alike. Maybe surprisingly, his like/dislike ratios (74% on reddit, 96% youtube) were pretty good and show that people weren’t taking him too seriously.

All stats and rankings of all JRE episodes of 2019

Also, be sure to check out 2019’s most controversial JRE guests.