Joe Rogan is a comedian, MMA commentator and television and podcast with massive following that love his no holds back attitude and diverse range of podcast guests. His show, Joe Rogan Experience, has been producing episodes for a decade and has seen a wide range of podcast guests, from athletes and actors to politicians and authors. Rogan does have several MMA, wrestling and boxing related guests on his show, but his podcast is hardly meant for just fans of professional fighting.

Related reading: the 13 best Joe Rogan Experience episodes

Joe Rogan’s episodes are typically long, sometimes crossing the three hour mark, which allows him to get deep inside the mind of his guests. Fans love his ability to engage with guests from a wide range of fields and from all sides of the political spectrum. Not one to stay away from a controversial interview, Joe Rogan has had his fair share of newsworthy moments and the show has essentially stayed in the iTunes Top 100 shows consistently since it was introduced in 2009.

This is one of the better known episodes of Joe Rogan Experience, mostly because of the memes that stemmed from the livestream. However, behind the funny moments are a lot of interesting discussions, especially Musk’s explanation of the Boring Company’s “Not A Flamethrower” and his discussion of why he loves tunnels so much.

Sam Harris is a neuroscientist and author of the New York Times bestseller, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape, as well as an accomplished podcaster himself. Harris and Rogan run in the same circles, and this three-hour discussion included topics ranging from mindfulness and spirituality to the ethics of violence.

Matthew Walker wrote the popular Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, and in this episode from 2018 he goes in depth into the topics explored in the book, especially things like why we oversleep and the impact of drugs on sleep. Whether or not you have read the bestseller, you can enjoy this look into it and will definitely learn more about sleep than you ever knew there was to learn.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a Ph.D in biomedical science and expert on nutritional health, is a frequent guest on Joe Rogan Experience. In this episode, and most of her appearances, she speaks to science-based health and nutrition tips and ways to improve your mood, concentration, energy, strength and physicality. Fans of Joe Rogan Experience have called her out as a great guest because sometimes she is asked questions by Rogan that she admits to not knowing the answer to, but often returns in later episodes to answer them.

Former heavyweight boxing champion and forever controversial figure Mike Tyson has had a long, interesting career that included biting a competitors ear off and owning three pet tigers. Of course, he discusses his pets and his boxing career in this interview, but he also talks about mushroom trips, the future of fighting and more. It’s one of the most popular episodes on Joe Rogan’s Youtube channel and it is not surprising why.

Episodes 360, 417, 725 and 872 also feature Graham Hancock, a British writer and journalist who specializes in ancient civilizations, ancient myths and astrology. In this first appearance, topics include origins of man and evolution, ancient Egypt, Atlantis and Ayahuasca. The episode also features Duncan Trussell, a fellow podcaster that is also a frequent Rogan guest.

Nick Yarris was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 22 years on death row, and recently was the subject of the Netflix documentary “The Fear of 13.” Some of his stories are horrific and it is hard to listen to reflection on two decades on death row. However, it is also a unique look into the criminal justice system and Yarris, now an author and public speaker, is a great storyteller.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson has been on Joe Rogan Experience a few times, but this is the best episode because of how open and willing he is to talk about some topics he does not typically talk about. About halfway through the episode, pair do an in-depth breakdown of the idea and concept of infinity, which is perhaps the best known part of this interview.

Tim Ferriss has been on Joe Rogan Experience several times, and while the episodes can get a bit repetitive it is still worth listening to at least one. Ferriss is an entrepreneur, author and podcaster, especially known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek and his discussion and involvement with the life-hacking movement. In this interview, he discusses his personal and character development, his morning routine and the role of meditation in his life.

This interview is perhaps the most open Armstrong has been about his doping scandal, a testament to Rogan as an interviewer. However, despite focusing heavily on the decline of one of the careers of a great cyclist, there are also moments of inspiration as Rogan acknowledges that even after Armstrong’s fall his story is still one of triumph and strength. Rogan clearly admires Armstrong and is excited just to have the chance to talk to him for a couple hours.

One of the things that makes Joe Rogan’s podcast so unique is the willingness to give guests without name recognition the chance to speak to such a large audience for two or three hours. Randall Carson is a geological and anthropological theorist with theories about asteroids, ice ages, global shifts in geology and more. Whether or not you buy what he’s selling, it is fun to listen to Rogan dig deeper into the mind Carlson in this episode, as well as the other episodes later on where Carlson returned.

Billy Corgan, the lead singer and primary songwriter of The Smashing Pumpkins, is a bit elusive and this two hour interview is one of the best looks into his mind. Popular segments are Corgan’s discussion of the importance of Nirvana, as well as his answer to Rogan’s question of what it is really like to be a rockstar. He also provides great insight into how the music industry has changed in the past twenty years, and gives advice for musicians trying to navigate the music business.

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