“I didn't have a direction until I became a stand-up comedian. I was pretty nervous about my future. I couldn't imagine myself working a 9-to-5 job.”
– Joe Rogan on his career
“Damn straight I’m checking out that dope EDC on Gallantry on the reg.”
You may not see him much on cable these days, but if you’ve browsed the world wide web at any point over the past decade, there’s a very solid chance you’ve got a glimpse of the legend known as Joe Rogan. And, as every Gallantry Man knows, behind every legend is a story.
The legend of Joe Rogan begins on August 11, 1967. Born Joseph James Rogan, the son of a hippie and a cop (explains a lot, right?) the young Joe had a tumultuous childhood, one that involved him moving all over the country. Upon finally settling down in Boston, Joe, terrified of being a “loser”, began practicing martial arts. By age 19, he had already won the US Open Championship Taekwondo as a lightweight. While pursuing a career in kickboxing, Joe’s peers began to suspect that Joe had another calling, specifically stand-up comedy. Though a huge fan of comedy icons like Richard Pryor, Joe himself had never seriously considered pursuing the medium professionally before.
With the support of his friends, Joe participated in his first open-mic night at Stitches Comedy Club in Boston in 1988. What began as a dare quickly turned into something more, and, by the ripe old age of 21, Joe retired from martial arts competitions and dropped out of college in order to pursue stand-up full time. One might say that this was the pivotal turning point in Joe’s “Hero’s Journey” (as coined by Joseph Campbell, our greatest mythologist of the twentieth century), as, after some local success (the 80’s was boom times for comedy clubs) and a short stint in New York City, Joe eventually moved to L.A at the age of 27 in order to take his career to the next level.
An extremely young Joe Rogan, circa 1994, on the set of NewsRadio.
An extremely young Joe Rogan, circa 1994, on the set of NewsRadio.In 1994, Joe, who had been performing regularly at The Comedy Store in Hollywood (where he would continue to perform for the next 13 years for free), finally caught his big break, signing an exclusive development deal with Disney in 1994 and replacing Ray Romano in the role of Joe Garelli, a laid-back, street-smart handyman, in Paul Simms’ ensemble NBC sitcom NewsRadio, a half-hour weekly comedy that focused on the personal and professional lives of the employees at a New York City AM news radio station. The role allowed allowed Joe to play to his natural strengths, and in a twist that foreshadowed a major feature of Joe’s future trajectory, his character was perhaps best known for his love of conspiracy theories, particularly those involving the government’s suppression of information about UFOs.
Joe and the cast of NewsRadio, including the late, great Phil Hartman.
In 1997, Joe Rogan caught another break and began working for the American mixed martial arts promotion company, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), as both an interviewer and a color commentator, a side hustle that allowed him to capitalize on his existing love, knowledge, and experience of the space. When Dana White was named the new president of the UFC in 2001, he and Joe, both larger-than-life personalities, became fast friends.
“When you talk about talent, [Joe] is the best ever. Part of the reason we’ve grown so fast is because [of] Rogan’s ability to walk you through what’s going on while it’s happening. He’s brilliant, he’s so good, and he’s so passionate about the sport. You feel it when you’re watching. This isn’t a guy who’s just there for the paycheck. This is a guy who loves this stuff. We didn’t pay Rogan the first twelve events he worked. He did them for free. He’s got a great voice for it, too. His voice is great.”
– Dana White
In 2000, at the age of 33, Joe released his first comedy special, I'm Gonna Be Dead Someday. From there, Joe’s success just continued to catapult, and by 2001, two years after the cancellation of NewsRadio, Joe was hired to be the host of the wildly successful NBC game show Fear Factor, a wildly successful gig that he would continue to hold for 5 years (i.e. 6 seasons) while continuing to release stand-up specials.
Who better to host a show about confronting your fears than a man who lives to confront his own?
For a short while, Joe even became the co-host of Comedy Central’s The Man Show (alongside fellow comedian Doug Stanhope) for its fifth and final season following the departure of original hosts Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel.
The Man Show hosts Joe Rogan & Doug Stanhope (2004)
Joe Rogan’s infamous confrontation with Carlos Mencia at The Comedy Store, circa 2007. Joe’s verbal lashing, which consisted of him calling out Mencia for stealing all of his jokes from other, more talented comedians, quickly became a viral sensation on YouTube.
Joe Rogan’s “Anthony Cumia, who I have to give props to - he’s the reason I started the podcast.”
- Joe Rogan
“Anthony Cumia, who I have to give props to - he’s the reason I started the podcast.”Inspired by the fast, fun, and loose style of discussion of Opie and Anthony , a New York City-based radio show that he had frequently appeared on, Joe launched his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience in 2009 (coincidentally, this was the same year that his The Man Show predecessor, Adam Carolla, began his podcast). The medium was a logical and organic fit for Joe, one that allowed him to indulge in all of his interests across three types of episodes, including the “main episodes” (the most frequent and popular), the “MMA show episodes”, and the “Fight companion” episodes, all of which continue to stream live.
Martial Arts. Fitness. Pop Culture. Politics.
The Joe Rogan Experience has a dash of everything.
While performing comedy and occasionally returning to television to host shows like Joe Rogan Questions Everything on the SyFy channel (an outlet that allowed Joe to continue his fascination with UFOs, much like NewsRadio), Joe continued to grow his podcast. Even more success, and, of course, podcast superstardom, followed soon thereafter. By October 2015, nearly 6 years after its initial launch, the podcast was getting 16 million downloads a month, making it one of the most popular free podcasts of all-time.
During this period, Joe, a dedicated Total Human Optimization advocate, became a spokesperson for Onnit, a wide-ranging fitness product company that specializes in supplements, foods, and equipment.
Speaking of Onnit, we happen to be big fans. In fact, that’s why we use one of our favorite Gallantry everyday carry products, the X-Pak Sling Pack from Code of Bell, to stash ONNIT Black Label Alpha BRAIN® (Joe’s exclusive dietary supplement, a refined formula that helps promote mental processing speed and laser focus for those times when extreme productivity is crucial), fresh HIGHER PRIMATE gear, and print-out of Rogan’s free The Facts of Life Onnit eBook (you can download that boy right here) when we’re on the move.
THE X-PAK SLING PACK FROM CODE OF BELL
The Code of Bell X-PAK sling bag delivers a versatile and modern EDC storage solution -- boasting a waterproof laminated Dimension Polyant VX Series X-Pac and 1680D Cordura ballistic weave nylon exterior, resulting in an extremely-strong-yet-lightweight hauler. With a vertically-integrated roll-up top that affords up to 23L of storage space when fully expanded, a padded sleeve that can accommodate laptops up to 13” in size, fully weatherproof YKK zippers with Hypalon zipper pulls, a collapsible water bottle pocket, and so much more, this quick-access bag puts a modern and functional spin in the traditional messenger bag. Carried via its removable padded grab handle or across the chest via a single, padded, stowable strap — the X-PAK can go from an over-the-shoulder bag to a horizontal duffle in a split-second.
SPECIFICATIONS
- 1680D Cordura ballistic nylon and Dimension Polyant VX Series X-Pac fabric exterior
- 3 easy-access zippered pockets
- 2 mesh slip pockets
- Expandable water bottle pocket
- Removable padded handle grip, chest stabilizer strap, and compression straps
- Stowable padded shoulder strap with D-ring and Fidlock magnetic buckle
- Key hook clasp, multi-purpose attachment points, and custom hardware
- Organizational compartments in the main cavity
- Padded 13" laptop sleeve & vital document compartment
- YKK zippers with Hypalon pulls
- 11L capacity
- Expandable to 23L
Available in Black
UFOs: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
Joe Rogan chats with Bob Lazar in 2019.
On June 20, 2019, Joe took his lifelong fascination with UFOs to the next level by bringing Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist and former Area 51 employee Bob Lazar, as well as filmmaker Jeremy Corbell, creator of the documentary “Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers” (you can stream it for for free with Gaia, rent, or buy it on Amazon Prime here ), on The Joe Rogan Experience (you can watch the full episode here) for a truly deep dive on extraterrestrials. Not surprisingly, due to the popularity of the episode, Joe brought Corbell back on the show again several months later, this time with Commander David Fravor, a retired US Navy pilot who had a close encounter with the so-called Tic Tac UFO in 2004 (you can watch that episode in its entirety right here).
Having cultivated an enormous following after three decades in the entertainment business (by 2019, his podcast was getting 190 million downloads each month), Joe signed a multi-year licensing deal with Spotify worth an estimated $100 million. Since January of this year, new full episodes (with a guest list that includes UFC Fighters, A-list actors, Comedians, Entrepreneurs, Conspiracy Theorists, and more) are now available exclusively on Spotify. To celebrate his massive success, Joe relocated his family from L.A. to Austin, where he currently hosts the show in his brand new studio.
START YOUR MORNING WITH A FRESH CUP OF JOE
“If you want to be free you first have to be a free thinker. Be like Joe.”
- Tim Kennedy , EDC enthusiast , Ranger, Sniper, Special Forces Operator, and recently retired UFC Fighter.
Listen to The Joe Rogan Experience (which now gets more than 300 million downloads and streams per month), exclusive to Spotify, right here , and stream his last two hilarious exclusive Netflix comedy specials, Joe Rogan: Strange Times (2018) and Joe Rogan: Triggered (2016) here and here.
Joe Rogan and Elon Musk
THE FIELD NOTES WALLET FROM FORM FUNCTION FORM
Being a true Gallantry Man, you'll probably want to scribble down some notes when you listen to the Joe Rogan Experience. We suggest the Field Notes Wallet from Form Function Form, which combines a handmade American-made leather wallet with a Field Notes Notebook and Fisher Space Bullet Pen:
SPECIFICATIONS
- Made in the USA
- Horween Horsefront leather
- Six credit card slots
- Catch-all pocket for cash and receipts
- Hand stitched
- Includes matte black Fisher Space Bullet Pen and Field Notes Notebook
Field Notes Notebook Wallet
$128.00
[tab-section data-sc-active-background="#ffffff" data-sc-other-background="#ffffff" data-sc-color="#555555"][tab title="Details"] This superb American made wallet is crafted from hand-stitched Horween Horsefront leather. It features six credit card slots, and a catch-all pocket in which you can store folded cash or receipts. And for those who… read more
Not enough Joe for you? Hey, we’re big fans. We get it. Check our his live tour schedule here.
Commander David Fravor, Joe Rogan, and Jeremy Corbell in 2019.
