Joe Rogan Experience #1291 - C.T. Fletcher

1. 0:03 – 2:03

   One-year heart transplant anniversary: “Feels like I died and this is a dream”

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:03

      Boom, and we're live. What's up, brother? How are you?

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher0:05

      Man, Joe Rogan, I am so happy to be here. I-

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:09

      I'm so happy to see you.

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher0:11

      Fuck!

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:12

      You've gone through a journey.

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher0:13

      Oh, man, since the last time I seen you.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:15

      Is t- yesterday was one year-

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher0:17

      Yes.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      ... from your heart transplant anniversary.

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher0:20

       Exactly.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:20

       Wow.

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher0:21

       One year. And, Joe, if I told you it was easy, I'd be lying. But, man, it was so worth the journey and it ain't even funny, man.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:31

       What does it feel like right now? Like having-

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher0:33

       Uh.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:33

       ... another person's heart in your body? What does that feel like?

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher0:35

       Well, a lot of times you'll, it feels like I actually did die and this is just a dream that I'm-

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Wow.

   18. CFC.T. Fletcher0:41

       ... living right now. Yep.

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:43

       Wow.

   20. CFC.T. Fletcher0:44

       This, this is, uh, I think this, this would be my heaven.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:47

       You look great. You're still-

   22. CFC.T. Fletcher0:48

       Well, thank you.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:48

       ... jacked.

   24. CFC.T. Fletcher0:49

       No, no, I d- I don't think it's-

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       You're not losing any weight.

   26. CFC.T. Fletcher0:52

       Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm-

   27. JRJoe Rogan0:53

       Yeah, but I mean, you still look, you're still jacked. You still got-

   28. CFC.T. Fletcher0:55

       Well-

   29. JRJoe Rogan0:55

       ... muscles.

   30. CFC.T. Fletcher0:56

       Uh, (laughs)
2. 2:03 – 6:01

   Flatlines, pacemaker shocks, and what “death” felt like in real time

   1. CFC.T. Fletcher2:03

      (smacks lips) Uh, it's night and day. You know, before I got the transplant, it, it had got really bad, you know, really bad. I had, uh, flat-lined two more times, uh, you know, before the actual transplant and it was, I couldn't go through one, another flat-line. I mean, that would've been it. But, uh, the difference now, I mean, it feels, I, I-

   2. JRJoe Rogan2:26

      When you say flat-line, like your heart stopped?

   3. CFC.T. Fletcher2:27

      Yes. Uh-huh. Yeah.

   4. JRJoe Rogan2:28

      Whoa. And what did they do to start it back up again?

   5. CFC.T. Fletcher2:31

      Okay. Um, (sighs) after I had this last heart attack, um, they asked me, they said, "Mr. Fletcher, do you want, uh, us to put in a pacemaker?" And I, you know, I thought about it a, a lot because my brother, my older brother Walt, had a pacemaker installed before he passed away and his pacemaker was actually going off, uh, when he, when he died. So I'm like, "Nah, it didn't really do any good for him." So I was like going back and forth, um, and then, you know, just something in my voice said, "Yeah, go ahead and get it." And so I told them, yeah, put it in. The pacemaker saved me.

   6. JRJoe Rogan3:05

      Wow. So it went flat? Like so your heart gave up and then the p- what does the pacemaker do exactly?

   7. CFC.T. Fletcher3:10

      It's like a, a defibrillator, you know, like they, they have the paddles that give you electric shock, you know? That's-

   8. JRJoe Rogan3:16

      Mm-hmm.

   9. CFC.T. Fletcher3:16

      That's what the pacemaker does.

   10. JRJoe Rogan3:17

       Just gives you a little jolt to pump it-

   11. CFC.T. Fletcher3:18

       Yeah, it's on the inside, uh, you know, inside, and it's connected directly to your heart.

   12. JRJoe Rogan3:23

       Wow.

   13. CFC.T. Fletcher3:23

       And when that sucker flat-lines, it gives you a jolt.

   14. JRJoe Rogan3:27

       Wow.

   15. CFC.T. Fletcher3:27

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan3:28

       Did you feel it?

   17. CFC.T. Fletcher3:29

       (laughs) No.

   18. JRJoe Rogan3:30

       No?

   19. CFC.T. Fletcher3:31

       I was, I was dead, Joe. Let me tell you-

   20. JRJoe Rogan3:34

       Whew.

   21. CFC.T. Fletcher3:34

       ... when you're dead, you don't feel nothing, man.

   22. JRJoe Rogan3:36

       So you had blacked out too?

   23. CFC.T. Fletcher3:37

       Oh, uh, it's not a, a blackout or a, uh, like you doze off when you're sleeping. Death is totally different, totally different. And you, I knew that I was dead before, uh, I died, before I flat-lined. It was just me and my wife and, at home, and I was talking to her just like I'm talking to you, and the next thing, phew, all the lights went out. It was like, uh, one of those old-fashioned TVs. I don't know if you're old enough to remember, uh, these black and white TVs.

   24. JRJoe Rogan4:12

       Oh, where they go shwoom.

   25. CFC.T. Fletcher4:12

       Yeah. Yeah. That's exactly-

   26. JRJoe Rogan4:14

       Yeah.

   27. CFC.T. Fletcher4:14

       ... how it was. They were just shh-

   28. JRJoe Rogan4:15

       Yeah, to a tiny pul- tiny pin prick of light.

   29. CFC.T. Fletcher4:18

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan4:18

       Yeah.
3. 6:01 – 7:12

   Getting the 2:40 a.m. call: joy, guilt, and the reality of organ donation

   1. JRJoe Rogan6:01

      Wow. So they tell you, "Okay, Mr. Fletcher, we have a heart for you."

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher6:07

      Yeah.They called me at, like, 2:40 in the morning, I think it was.

   3. JRJoe Rogan6:11

      Oh. So, th- you have to get in there right now? Is that how it works?

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher6:14

      No, no. I had hours, uh, before I had to actually be at the hospital. They said be, be at the hospital, I think, like, 6:00 or 7:00 that morning.

   5. JRJoe Rogan6:22

      (sighs)

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher6:22

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan6:22

      And then you're thinking, "Oh, boy."

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher6:25

      Uh, I was happy and sad when I got the call. I was happy for myself, um, because I didn't think I could go through another flat line. But I was sad for the donor and the donor's-

   9. JRJoe Rogan6:39

      Oh.

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher6:39

       ... family. Yeah. I knew somebody had to pass away in order for me to get that heart.

   11. JRJoe Rogan6:43

       Yeah.

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher6:43

       So I felt real bad about that.

   13. JRJoe Rogan6:46

       So, they put it in you, you wake up. What does that feel like?

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher6:52

       Um, it felt like, uh, um, being born again, a rebirth. Another try, another go at life.

   15. JRJoe Rogan7:04

       Wow.

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher7:05

       Yeah. I get another start, another chance at it. My set ain't over. (laughs)

4. 7:12 – 9:09

   Surgery aftermath, scars, and how weak he really was before the transplant

   1. JRJoe Rogan7:12

      (laughs) Wow. So, from the mo- th- so, they have to open you up, right?

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher7:17

      Oh, yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan7:17

      They do that chest spreader thing?

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher7:18

      Mm-hmm.

   5. JRJoe Rogan7:19

      And, uh, and what is all that like?

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher7:22

      Well, uh, y- of course I... don't-

   7. JRJoe Rogan7:24

      You were out, of course.

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher7:24

      Yeah. (laughs) But-

   9. JRJoe Rogan7:25

      But when you wake up and you look down, you're covered with stitches, right? I mean, there must be a giant scar, right?

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher7:29

       Oh, well, they, i- i- it's... They are so good now, dawg, that i- i-, you know, I, I have a scar, but considering... A- and this is my second time being split open. You know, the first time-

   11. JRJoe Rogan7:41

       (sighs)

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher7:41

       ... uh, in '05, when they, uh, put a metal valve in, uh, I flat-lined during that, uh, operation three times on, you know, on the table during the, the operation itself. Uh, so, um, me and flat-line, you know, five flat-lines, I think I'm at my limit, man. (laughs)

   13. JRJoe Rogan7:59

       Wow.

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher8:00

       So, um, I seen the scars. They, they had to take the pace- the pacemaker out. They took the metal valve out of the... Well, they took the, the old heart had the metal valve in it, so they took the old heart out and put in a new heart. And, uh, it's just... man, it's, uh, unbelievable. 'Cause before, a shower would kill me. If I took a shower, I'd be done for the rest of the day.

   15. JRJoe Rogan8:22

       A shower?

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher8:23

       Yeah. A shower would kill me for the rest of the day. And when I had a seat in the shower, you know, uh-

   17. JRJoe Rogan8:28

       How would a, how would a shower kill you? What, what do you mean?

   18. CFC.T. Fletcher8:30

       Oh, man. It was... Th- that amount of physical activity. And you know, uh, how, you know, y- people take, taking a shower for granted, but that amount of physical activity would kill me. I'd be wiped out.

   19. JRJoe Rogan8:44

       Just for washing your shower?

   20. CFC.T. Fletcher8:45

       Yes.

   21. JRJoe Rogan8:46

       Wow.

   22. CFC.T. Fletcher8:46

       For the rest of the day, man. It was-

   23. JRJoe Rogan8:48

       So, you were hanging by a thread?

   24. CFC.T. Fletcher8:49

       Oh, yeah. Definitely, definitely.

   25. JRJoe Rogan8:51

       Wow.

   26. CFC.T. Fletcher8:52

       It was, you know, killing m- d-... You know. And my wife was opening jars for me, you know?

   27. JRJoe Rogan8:57

       Phew.

   28. CFC.T. Fletcher8:57

       Here I am, former bench press world champion-

   29. JRJoe Rogan9:01

       (laughs)

   30. CFC.T. Fletcher9:02

       ... and I got my wife, "Hey, baby, could you open this jelly jar for me?"
5. 9:09 – 12:35

   The brutal first six months: learning to walk again and rebuilding strength

   1. JRJoe Rogan9:09

      How long did you have to stay in the hospital for?

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher9:11

      Um, we were in the hospital not very long. I mean, we got out of, uh, we went straight to in- intensive care. They keep you there for, like, three days. But I think I was probably released, um, within two weeks total.

   3. JRJoe Rogan9:29

      Wow.

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher9:29

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan9:30

      And then are you using a walker? Are you walking fine? Like, what is it?

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher9:34

      Uh, I wouldn't say I was walking fine, but I was walking.

   7. JRJoe Rogan9:38

      Just walking slowly?

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher9:39

      Oh, big time. Big time slowly. (laughs)

   9. JRJoe Rogan9:43

      (laughs)

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher9:43

       Yeah. I was crawling along, man.

   11. JRJoe Rogan9:45

       Wow. And how long did it take t- for you to get to where you're at, like, now? Like, d- now, I'd have no idea that you had a heart transplant.

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher9:53

       Really? Well, I appreciate that, Joe.

   13. JRJoe Rogan9:55

       No, when I saw you, I mean, you looked very happy.

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher9:58

       Oh, I am happy.

   15. JRJoe Rogan9:59

       You look like-

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher9:59

       I'm extremely happy.

   17. JRJoe Rogan9:59

       ... like you're glowing.

   18. CFC.T. Fletcher10:01

       I'm extremely happy just to be alive. When you come that close to dying, man, every day is just a blessing, man. And people ask me, "How you doing, CT?" I'm blessed, man. I'm so... I got no complaints.

   19. JRJoe Rogan10:17

       Legitimately blessed.

   20. CFC.T. Fletcher10:18

       Oh, yes. No complaints whatsoever, man.

   21. JRJoe Rogan10:21

       Yeah.

   22. CFC.T. Fletcher10:21

       I'm doing... I seen ya, I wanted to hug you. Ha- Joe, I'm so happy to see you. (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan10:25

       I'm so happy to see you too, man.

   24. CFC.T. Fletcher10:27

       I'm alive. (laughs)

   25. JRJoe Rogan10:28

       Wow.

   26. CFC.T. Fletcher10:28

       'Cause we... You know, last time I was on, we talked about, um, me needing a transplant, and I needed the transplant, and now I'm back. I had it, and the first, uh, six months were rough.

   27. JRJoe Rogan10:42

       Yeah.

   28. CFC.T. Fletcher10:42

       The first six months after it was-

   29. JRJoe Rogan10:44

       Like, how so?

   30. CFC.T. Fletcher10:45

       Oh, s- the jelly jar, opening the jelly jar. Just not being able to do, you know, normal things. Uh, um, the first thing I tried to do was walk, so they had me walk around, I guess, a city block, maybe a city block. (sighs) Joe, when I first tried to, to walk around a city block, I'd have to stop probably 12, 13 times, and take a seat, and get up, and try to walk. And it was, it was killing me, man. My, my-
6. 12:35 – 14:11

   Living on anti-rejection meds: 21 daily medications and constant tradeoffs

   1. JRJoe Rogan12:35

      So now, do they have you on medication-

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher12:38

      (sighs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:38

      ... to make sure that the heart doesn't get rejected by your body?

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher12:41

      Most definitely. And, uh, and people who are out there who have had transplants, I know they're, they're like, "Oh, man." Yeah. I take about 21 different medications every day.

   5. JRJoe Rogan12:50

      Whoa.

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher12:52

      Yeah. Yep.

   7. JRJoe Rogan12:53

      21 different medic-

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher12:54

      Mm-hmm.

   9. JRJoe Rogan12:54

      And what are the side effects of this stuff?

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher12:56

       Um, they used to be worse. But now, you know, my, uh, feet are swollen pretty much every day. Um, something, uh, in the medic- kind of kicks my arthritis... I have arthritis too, so it kind of kicks in. My toes are stiff, you know, and pretty much every day. But when I compare the side effects to the... what could possibly happen (laughs) , which is death, them side effects ain't shit. (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan13:24

       (laughs)

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher13:24

       I'll take 'em. (laughs)

   13. JRJoe Rogan13:26

       Well, now, d- will you have to take this medication forever?

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher13:29

       Uh, it gets less, less and less. When I go back, uh, this month, back up to Palo Alto where they did the transplant, um, they're gonna take off about four or five different medications. So, I'm a year out now, they're less, and then the further you get out, the less medications. They're thinking eventually we'll get down to two or three.

   15. JRJoe Rogan13:47

       But you'll always have to take something?

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher13:49

       Oh, yeah. Definitely.

   17. JRJoe Rogan13:50

       And is this because your body doesn't understand why it has someone's heart in it?

   18. CFC.T. Fletcher13:55

       Um, for a while, that's... That... In the beginning, like, that's why I'm taking 21 now. It's because, you know, uh, to keep the chances of rejection down, infection-

   19. JRJoe Rogan14:05

       Why, why do bodies reject? Do they, do they understand that?

   20. CFC.T. Fletcher14:08

       Yeah. W- it wasn't the one that you was born with. (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan14:10

       Right.

7. 14:11 – 15:42

   A woman’s heart in a man’s body: shaken faith, survival stats, and a heart that ‘grew’

   1. CFC.T. Fletcher14:11

      It's a foreign, you know, a foreign heart, and I, I really wanna talk to you about that heart, what I know about it. Um-

   2. JRJoe Rogan14:17

      It's a woman's heart, right?

   3. CFC.T. Fletcher14:19

      Yeah. So you know, you know already.

   4. JRJoe Rogan14:21

      Yeah. No, I'm following you, bro.

   5. CFC.T. Fletcher14:21

      I thought I was gonna drop a bomb on you. (laughs)

   6. JRJoe Rogan14:23

      No, I'm following you. I follow everything.

   7. CFC.T. Fletcher14:24

      He knows... Uh, very good. Very good. (laughs)

   8. JRJoe Rogan14:27

      (laughs)

   9. CFC.T. Fletcher14:27

      Yeah. About one... And then, but I tell you that that threw me for a loop.

   10. JRJoe Rogan14:32

       Yeah.

   11. CFC.T. Fletcher14:33

       And I was, you know, you know, I'm, I'm always talking about, uh, how strong my faith is, and, you know, um, pssh, um, faith, faith, faith, faith, man. A superman of faith. Um, I, and I could have so much faith to nothing can't phase me. You know, I went into the operation, "Hey, I'll see you guys on the other side of this because, you know, I got... I know I'm gonna be all right. I got so much faith that, you know, I'm gonna get through this. So I'm gonna see you guys." But when the doctor came in and told me that I had a woman's heart, that socked the shit out of my faith, man.

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:07

       Wow.

   13. CFC.T. Fletcher15:08

       Because I had done study, you know, I looked, you know, studied on this, the, the, uh, survival rate of male to female, and it wasn't good. The studies that I had read wasn't good. When they do, uh, female to male... I'm sorry, female to male, the tra- it's not good. And I was like, "Everything I had read said it's not a good thing." The doctor comes in and says, "Yep, you got a woman's heart, and she wasn't that much younger than you are." I'm going, "Fuck."

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:37

       (laughs)

   15. CFC.T. Fletcher15:37

       That, that, you know, socked me. That-

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:39

       Yeah.

   17. CFC.T. Fletcher15:40

       ... tested my faith big time.

8. 15:42 – 27:15

   Connecting to the donor: recurring visions, talking to ‘Lady,’ and wanting to meet the family

   1. JRJoe Rogan15:42

      How did she die?

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher15:43

      I have no idea. I have no idea. But, um, the thing... (sighs) I have feelings. I, I, and I haven't talked to the family. I would love to. I don't know anything about it, but I have these feelings, and I really would like to know if what I'm feeling is right, you know? I want... I really want to meet the family and let them, you know, let them know that I'm out here doing everything I can to raise donor awareness, and that their mother, or their wife, or their sister, or their aunt didn't die in vain. And that I'm doing my absolute best to carry on and let people know that, you know, she was a donor, and that it's so utterly important for people to donate, to give the gift of life.

   3. JRJoe Rogan16:29

      What are these feelings that you're having?

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher16:30

      I have feelings that, uh, for some reason, I can see that, uh, I feel like she was an Oriental lady.

   5. JRJoe Rogan16:39

      Really?

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher16:39

      I real- Yeah. And I, and I, you know, I don't know why, uh, but I really have feelings like that, and I feel like I can see this woman, um, telling her husband, you know, "I'll see you when you get home from work," and making plans with her kids for the weekend. And I have no idea if this is right or not.

   7. JRJoe Rogan16:58

      Wow.

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher16:59

      But I just have those feelings.

   9. JRJoe Rogan17:00

      Are they recurring?

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher17:01

       Yes.

   11. JRJoe Rogan17:02

       And-

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher17:03

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan17:03

       ... do you, do you, like, do you remember it like a memory?

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher17:06

       Uh, it's, um, it's like I get to look into her, you know, her existence, her, her life. And I, you know, have no i-... I could be totally wrong.

   15. JRJoe Rogan17:20

       Oh.

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher17:20

       She could be a Jamaican lady, you know? (laughs)

   17. JRJoe Rogan17:23

       Right. (laughs)

   18. CFC.T. Fletcher17:23

       I have no idea, uh, uh, if, if I'm in the ballpark or not. I just have this feeling. I just have a feeling.

   19. JRJoe Rogan17:31

       Wow. Do you have any unusual cravings or anything?

   20. CFC.T. Fletcher17:33

       Mm-hmm.

   21. JRJoe Rogan17:34

       Like food or-

   22. CFC.T. Fletcher17:35

       Uh, I don't think... Uh, no, I don't think I have any. And I, I do talk to her, and I feel like that, uh, you know, when, when, like, when I was walking around and I try- I'm trying to make it around that block, uh, I would often ask her for help to, uh, help me make it around that block.

   23. JRJoe Rogan17:55

       Wow.

   24. CFC.T. Fletcher17:56

       Yeah. Of- I talked to her a lot.

   25. JRJoe Rogan17:58

       Wow.

   26. CFC.T. Fletcher17:59

       Yeah. "Come on, lady. I need your help." You know what I mean?

   27. JRJoe Rogan18:01

       (laughs) Do you have a name for her?

   28. CFC.T. Fletcher18:02

       I just call her Lady.

   29. JRJoe Rogan18:03

       (laughs)

   30. CFC.T. Fletcher18:04

       "Come on, Lady. Come on, Lady. I need your help."
9. 27:15 – 33:25

   New priorities after survival: donor awareness, clean diet, rest, and travel restrictions

   1. JRJoe Rogan27:15

      What matters to you now?

   2. CFC.T. Fletcher27:17

      Uh, the, the... uh, really important things are, of course, my family, uh, I'm... and spreading, um, donor awareness is so... it's so important.

   3. JRJoe Rogan27:28

      Uh-huh.

   4. CFC.T. Fletcher27:28

      'Cause so many people die just waiting to get a heart.

   5. JRJoe Rogan27:32

      Mm-hmm.

   6. CFC.T. Fletcher27:33

      You know, on the list, there's 21... I think 21 people a day pass away just waiting, trying to get it. And I was so fortunate, so blessed-

   7. JRJoe Rogan27:42

      Mm-hmm.

   8. CFC.T. Fletcher27:42

      ... to be able to get one, that I wanna try to make sure that other people get one too. So if... whatever I can do to try to raise awareness about that.

   9. JRJoe Rogan27:50

      What is the problem? Like people putting, uh, that they'll donate their organs on that driver's license?

   10. CFC.T. Fletcher27:54

       Yeah. Yeah. It's so simple. It's... you could do it online now d- on your driver's li-... in California you can. I don't know about other states. But in California you can, uh, do it all online, you know, and, and through the DMV and get your dot on your driver's license and, "I wanna be a donor." And I mean, you can't take the stuff with you, no way, so... (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan28:15

       No. You... people get paranoid too. I've heard people say, "Uh, I'm worried about doing that because what if they don't resuscitate me because they need someone to get a heart or a liver or something?" Like, I don't know, man. I really don't think that's what doctors are into.

   12. CFC.T. Fletcher28:28

       No. No. It's, it's, uh... h- uh, I had a... I, uh, younger, you know, when I first got my driver's, I was 16 years old, and they asked you, "Do you wanna be a donor?" I'm like, "No."

   13. JRJoe Rogan28:40

       Right.

   14. CFC.T. Fletcher28:40

       "I'm taking everything that God gave me with me. I ain't leaving that. Uh, uh, uh."

   15. JRJoe Rogan28:46

       Right.

   16. CFC.T. Fletcher28:46

       No. (laughs) "I ain't donating nothing." But, you know, uh, time brings about a change, man. You get a little older, a little more wisdom, and, uh, and if I can... got something that somebody else can use, definitely, most definitely take it. Yeah, my mother and all nine of her brothers and sisters all passed away from heart.

   17. JRJoe Rogan29:06

       Really?

   18. CFC.T. Fletcher29:06

       Uh-

   19. JRJoe Rogan29:06

       So it's just something that's in your family?

   20. CFC.T. Fletcher29:08

       Oh, yeah. It's family. And my older brother, Walt, uh, passed away, uh, just a couple years ago from congestive heart failure and other complications. So heart problems are... run big time in the Fletcher family.

   21. JRJoe Rogan29:20

       That's a crazy one, right? That does run in families.

   22. CFC.T. Fletcher29:24

       Yep. It is crazy, yeah. But it's reality.

   23. JRJoe Rogan29:30

       Yeah. So now, um, do you... d- what kind of diet do they have you on?

   24. CFC.T. Fletcher29:35

       Uh, I eat very clean now. So, um, I guess, uh, um... I- I ha- have my, uh, my kids crack up at times. I'm a Presbyterian, but actually, uh, that's, that's pescatarian. I, I-

   25. JRJoe Rogan29:48

       (laughs)

   26. CFC.T. Fletcher29:48

       ... fish (laughs) ... I eat fish, you know, and vegetables, and, um-

   27. JRJoe Rogan29:54

       It's no bullshit.

   28. CFC.T. Fletcher29:55

       Yeah. No bullshit.

   29. JRJoe Rogan29:57

       Yeah.

   30. CFC.T. Fletcher29:57

       No bull-
10. 33:25 – 50:19

    CT Fletcher 2.0: dropping online fights, rejecting hate, and ‘we’re interchangeable’

    1. CFC.T. Fletcher33:25

       Um, I categorize my, my, uh, emotional feelings as being probably better than ever.

    2. JRJoe Rogan33:34

       Really?

    3. CFC.T. Fletcher33:34

       Yes. Uh, um, I see things in such a different light, uh, after coming that close to dying. The things that I thought were important are... just don't even matter no more.

    4. JRJoe Rogan33:48

       Like what? Give me an example.

    5. CFC.T. Fletcher33:49

       Uh, I used to... I'll give you one example. You know, people... I used to tell... Okay, you asked me about this the last time I was on this show. And I tell people, they say, "Oh, it's..." About the steroids. Steroids? "Oh, CT, you, you can't take steroids." And I tell them the same thing that I've been saying for fucking 25 years in magazine articles and stuff. I tried them. Yes, I tried them when I was young and didn't work for me. I stopped taking them many, many years ago. Nobody, nobody... A lot of people don't believe that. They don't believe that and they'll tell me, "Oh, you're full of shit, CT. You're lying." Da, da, da, da, da, da, da. And yo, that used to bother the fuck out of me. People just lying. I'd be arguing with people online and shit. Fuck y'all. I'll take a goddamn drug test anytime, any 24 hours a day you can test me. I'll fucking... I'll tell you what, I'll give you 10,000 bucks if I fail your drug test, all you gotta do is get off fucking social media. Nobody ever took that, by the way. By the way. But, uh, I don't give a fuck if people say I take steroids now. I don't care. Who cares?

    6. JRJoe Rogan34:48

       Right.

    7. CFC.T. Fletcher34:49

       I don't care. Now, it's a fucking compliment.

    8. JRJoe Rogan34:51

       Do you, uh... You don't still go back and forth and argue with people online though?

    9. CFC.T. Fletcher34:55

       Oh, no. No, not anymore.

    10. JRJoe Rogan34:56

        (laughs)

    11. CFC.T. Fletcher34:56

        But I... You know, I sure did.

    12. JRJoe Rogan34:58

        Sure did.

    13. CFC.T. Fletcher34:58

        I'm like, "Oh, shit." I would, I would jump on them in a minute, Joe.

    14. JRJoe Rogan35:02

        (laughs) I used to see you doing it and I'd shake my head.

    15. CFC.T. Fletcher35:04

        Oh, shit.

    16. JRJoe Rogan35:04

        I'd be like, "Why is he doing that?"

    17. CFC.T. Fletcher35:05

        Oh, man. Just because that was my mentality.

    18. JRJoe Rogan35:08

        Yeah. Mm-hmm.

    19. CFC.T. Fletcher35:08

        You attack, I attack back.

    20. JRJoe Rogan35:10

        Mm-hmm.

    21. CFC.T. Fletcher35:10

        You hit me, I'm gonna hit you back, man.

    22. JRJoe Rogan35:12

        Yeah.

    23. CFC.T. Fletcher35:12

        Try to hit you harder than you hit. Let's, let's go.

    24. JRJoe Rogan35:15

        All caps.

    25. CFC.T. Fletcher35:16

        Oh, yeah.

    26. JRJoe Rogan35:16

        (laughs)

    27. CFC.T. Fletcher35:17

        Well, you know, I do the all caps. People talk to me about, "You're yelling, you're yelling, CT." But I, you know, I can't half see. So I make it all caps so I can read what I'm, you know, what I'm typing.

    28. JRJoe Rogan35:26

        Right, right, right.

    29. CFC.T. Fletcher35:27

        They're like, "Oh, you're yelling." I said, "Can you actually hear that? Can you actually hear that thr- those words?"

    30. JRJoe Rogan35:32

        (laughs)
11. 50:19 – 1:15:13

    Near-death peace, faith vs. religion, and C.T.’s Pentecostal upbringing

    1. JRJoe Rogan50:19

       The problem with that is, then what? We gonna live forever?

    2. CFC.T. Fletcher50:22

       Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

    3. JRJoe Rogan50:22

       You gonna be happy living forever? Like, what if when you die, it's amazing? What if when you die, there really is a heaven? You really do, you really do go to some spectacular dimension filled with love and peace and, and happiness. And there's no emotions like we think about here. There's no fear. There's no- none of the things that hold people back, none of the anxiety and the angst. It's just consciousness and love. And then you're wasting your time here just trying to stay alive, taking pills to live to be a million. (laughs)

    4. CFC.T. Fletcher50:54

       Boy, um, you opened a big ass can of worms right there. Well, I, I will tell you, um, Joe, without a shadow of a doubt, none whatsoever, death is not the end.

    5. JRJoe Rogan51:12

       You don't think so?

    6. CFC.T. Fletcher51:13

       I know. I know, Joe.

    7. JRJoe Rogan51:15

       How do you know?

    8. CFC.T. Fletcher51:15

       'Cause I've been dead.

    9. JRJoe Rogan51:17

       Right.

    10. CFC.T. Fletcher51:17

        Yes, I've been dead.

    11. JRJoe Rogan51:18

        But what about, what about that experience cemented it in your head?

    12. CFC.T. Fletcher51:22

        Um, when I w- like I said, it was the most peaceful. Um, and, and I, I don't feel like ... It was the most peace, most restful, most ... I was... I woke up laughing. I was-

    13. JRJoe Rogan51:42

        (laughs)

    14. CFC.T. Fletcher51:42

        Yeah, yeah. My wife's helped.

    15. JRJoe Rogan51:44

        Really?

    16. CFC.T. Fletcher51:45

        I was overjoyed.

    17. JRJoe Rogan51:47

        You woke up laughing?

    18. CFC.T. Fletcher51:48

        Yeah. I, uh, I was overjoyed.

    19. JRJoe Rogan51:51

        Do you remember anything about what happened when you blacked out?

    20. CFC.T. Fletcher51:54

        Extre- eh, the, the, the time I was extremely peaceful, extreme... I didn't have a, a worry, extremely joy... And I was not, uh, sad at all, you know? I was overjoyed, very happy, very peaceful, and, uh, it erased any fear that I might have had and, uh, and, and any fear of dying is gone. I don't fear death at all. And so I may- eh, maybe that's why I don't wanna live to be 100.

    21. JRJoe Rogan52:29

        Yeah.

    22. CFC.T. Fletcher52:29

        'Cause it- I mean, I wouldn't mind visiting that place again, man. It was so much peace, so much... And it wasn't like, you know, um, this is, you know, I'm just in the ground. I'm a... And I'm not a plant, uh, just dirt.

    23. JRJoe Rogan52:46

        Mm-hmm.

    24. CFC.T. Fletcher52:47

        You know? I know that I'm in a, a very comfortable place. And, and, you know, I wouldn't mind visiting again. (laughs) I wouldn't mind. So I'll definitely... I hold no fear. And so when I say that it's, it's definitely not the end, your... I believe that your soul, you know, so- people have a different name for it, consciousness or whatever, it's definitely eternal. And because how else could you have these, uh, feelings or emotions or, you know, ex- have that, that sort of comfort, the feeling of comfort and being in the, the right place if something didn't continue? 'Cause my life, my life was gone, the essence of life, my, my body was-

    25. JRJoe Rogan53:29

        Hmm.

    26. CFC.T. Fletcher53:29

        ... you know, gone. It was gone, flatlined, dead, whatever. I told my doctor that I died and he said, "No, you... Actually, it's called some kind of pause or some shit like that." And I said, "Look, if I, if the pause lasted, Doc, I wouldn't be talking to you right now." (laughs)

    27. JRJoe Rogan53:43

        (laughs)

    28. CFC.T. Fletcher53:43

        So, uh, I go, "Okay."

    29. JRJoe Rogan53:45

        Yeah.

    30. CFC.T. Fletcher53:45

        "You call it a pause." I go, "Well, during that pause, I was dead." So, uh, it, it's... It was a wonderful feeling too.
12. 1:15:13 – 1:28:02

    Martial arts, obsession, and escaping the grind: from Quake addiction to the post office

    1. JRJoe Rogan1:15:13

       It's a funny thing. Um, there's a guy named John Danaher who's a jujitsu genius, and, uh, he came to me once, and it turned out he actually knew, but he was playing it off like he didn't know. He, he was telling me that he wanted Georges St-Pierre, who was the-

    2. CFC.T. Fletcher1:15:27

       Oh.

    3. JRJoe Rogan1:15:27

       ... welterweight champion at the time.

    4. CFC.T. Fletcher1:15:28

       You know I know who Georges St-Pierre is.

    5. JRJoe Rogan1:15:30

       Yeah, of course.

    6. CFC.T. Fletcher1:15:30

       One of my fucking favorites, man.

    7. JRJoe Rogan1:15:32

       He's ... Of course, yeah.

    8. CFC.T. Fletcher1:15:32

       Yeah.

    9. JRJoe Rogan1:15:33

       They wanted him to get some coaching on his, uh, spinning back kick. There was like, uh, he's a, he thinks the fundamentals are a little bit off. "Do you know anybody?" And I was like, "All right, this is gonna sound crazy. I know I'm a comedian, and I know I'm just a commentator, but I, I have a really good spinning back kick." I'm like, "I could show you how to do it, and I could show you as good as any human being that's ever lived." I'm like, "I could show you how to do that."

Episode duration: 2:43:41