The Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience #1310 - Sober October 2019 Preview

Joe is joined by Ari Shaffir, Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer to discuss this year's Sober October challenge.

Joe RoganhostBert KreischerguestTom SeguraguestAri Shaffirguest

Jun 4, 20193h 1mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Joe Rogan, Kreischer, Segura, Ari Debate Brutal Sober October Rematch

Joe Rogan, Bert Kreischer, Tom Segura, and Ari Shaffir reunite to debrief the insanity of past Sober October challenges and brainstorm what the 2019 version should be. They relive Kreischer’s overtraining and dehydration, Ari’s late surge to second place, and how the competition strained marriages, health, and friendships. The group cycles through ideas like running mileage, hip‑hop dance choreography, social‑media detoxes, and even harsh punishments for whoever finishes last, while constantly roasting each other’s delusions and weaknesses. Around this, they wander into long, loose conversations about touring, morning TV, podcast history, Howard Stern, travel‑channel burnout, drugs, bombing on stage, and bizarre travel stories.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Past Sober Octobers pushed them to unhealthy extremes.

Kreischer describes severe dehydration, near‑rhabdo, setting off a gym fire alarm with sweat, and PTSD‑like anxiety from the 2018 fitness tracker contest, while Rogan notes they were working out six to seven hours a day just to beat each other.

Competition format dramatically changes behavior.

The fitness‑point system led to obsessive late‑night workouts, sandbagging, and strategic posting of scores; they now debate how to keep competition objective (miles run) versus subjective (dance judged by experts or fans).

Marriages and family life are collateral damage of obsessive challenges.

They joke but also acknowledge that Sober October upsets spouses, hijacks schedules, and creates stress at home, with several of them admitting their wives were fed up with the intensity and time commitment.

Social media addiction is a real mental‑health concern for them.

Ari pushes hard for a month‑long phone/social‑media break, spotlighting their screen‑time stats (multiple hours per day) and arguing that stepping away would make them happier, even as others worry it would kill fan engagement.

Career pivots often come from blunt advice and seeing peers succeed.

Kreischer credits Dice, Rogan, and Bill Burr for telling him to leave TV travel shows and commit to standup, and seeing Segura jump to theaters while he was falling off waterfalls made him fear missing his moment completely.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I still have PTSD from last year’s Sober October.

— Bert Kreischer

You came in last and had no consequences. That’s not right.

— Ari Shaffir

It shouldn’t be fun. This should be terrifying.

— Joe Rogan

When you first started going on the road with me, you’re way further ahead now than I was back then.

— Bert Kreischer to Tom Segura

I believe in my own abilities. I genuinely believe in myself in this moment.

— Bert Kreischer

Sober October history and impact on their health, careers, and home livesDebating the 2019 challenge format: running mileage, hip‑hop dance, social media detox, diet rulesTouring life, tour buses, and the escalation from clubs to theaters and arenasThe evolution of comedy promotion: morning TV, radio, podcasts, and social media addictionWar stories: Travel Channel stunts, cancellations, fat‑shaming, bombing, and brutal openers/featuresPodcast and media pioneers (Tom Green, Anthony Cumia, Howard Stern) and how they influenced JREDrugs and vices: cocaine, weed, mushrooms, alcohol, coca leaves, and their social dynamics

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