The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1440 - Fortune Feimster
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 2:31
New specials everywhere + Tom Segura’s “makeup disaster” promo
Joe and Fortune open by talking about how many comedy specials are dropping lately, including Fortune’s newly released Netflix hour. The conversation quickly detours into Tom Segura’s promo clip, where Joe and Fortune roast the heavy-handed makeup and lipstick used on him.
- •Fortune’s special has been out about a month; the current boom in standup specials
- •Tom Segura’s bilingual skills and upcoming Spanish special
- •The Instagram promo clip and why Tom’s makeup looks absurd
- •Why Joe refuses broadcast makeup and thinks it can distort a performer’s image
- 2:31 – 3:54
Makeup vs reality TV: UFC broadcasts and the swollen-forehead example
The makeup tangent expands into Joe’s UFC work and how ridiculous “looking polished” can be next to fighters who’ve just taken real damage. He cites Joanna Jędrzejczyk’s infamous swollen forehead after her war with Zhang Weili to make the point.
- •Joe is the only UFC broadcaster who won’t wear makeup
- •Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs Zhang Weili as a historic, brutal five-round fight
- •How cosmetic presentation clashes with the reality of combat sports
- •Fortune’s reactions and questions about fight pacing
- 3:54 – 6:08
Why fights can end instantly (and why that’s part of the thrill)
Fortune asks whether fans feel cheated by quick knockouts, and Joe explains the unpredictability of combat sports. They compare MMA’s sudden endings to sports that must run the full clock, then mention record-fast finishes.
- •Early stoppages: excitement vs disappointment at big events
- •Cerrone vs McGregor as an example of a lightning-fast finish
- •MMA/boxing as the only major sports where the contest can end in seconds
- •Masvidal’s record-setting quick KO and how live cards have many bouts
- 6:08 – 7:09
SiriusXM morning show reality: early wake-ups, no metrics, old-school radio energy
Joe pivots to Fortune’s SiriusXM Netflix-channel morning show with Tom Papa. Fortune describes the brutal schedule, and they joke about the strange experience of broadcasting without meaningful audience numbers.
- •7–9 AM schedule and the mismatch with comedians’ late-night routines
- •Netflix’s SiriusXM channel and the lack of listener data/analytics
- •The appeal of ephemeral “live-only” radio like classic Stern-era chaos
- •How call-ins become the only proof anyone is listening
- 7:09 – 9:15
Howard Stern memories, Anna Nicole Smith, and celebrity “cash-in” culture
The radio talk becomes a nostalgia riff on Howard Stern on E! and Anna Nicole Smith’s reality-celebrity era. Joe jokes about the spectacle of her marriage to J. Howard Marshall and the legal fight over inheritance.
- •Stern’s cultural impact when broadcasts felt “you had to be there”
- •Anna Nicole Smith as an early template for modern influencer fame
- •The J. Howard Marshall marriage, money, and family disputes
- •Joe’s comedic framing: billionaires, consent, and public perception
- 9:15 – 11:03
Coronavirus anxiety, wet markets, and the ‘course-correction’ theory
Joe brings up a recent expert guest on COVID-19 and broadens into pandemics, overpopulation, and ecological ‘course correction.’ They discuss wet markets, animal crossover risks, and the fear of what could be next.
- •Why COVID felt uniquely nerve-wracking early on
- •Overpopulation and disease as nature’s ‘correction’ mechanism
- •Wet markets as a ‘test tube’ for zoonotic crossover
- •Permafrost melt and fears of ancient bacteria resurfacing
- 11:03 – 13:13
‘Sweet and sour bat’: shocking food images, big bats, and gross-out curiosity
The pandemic discussion turns visual as they look up wet-market bat photos and react in disbelief. Joe riffs on survival eating, while Fortune jokes about preferred takeout and the sheer absurdity of what’s for sale.
- •Bats as a suspected origin story and why it’s so unsettling
- •Graphic market photos: teeth, wings, and ‘werewolf’ comparisons
- •Cultural differences in what counts as food under scarcity
- •Comedy through disgust: exaggeration, dragons, and ‘juicy bat’ jokes
- 13:13 – 17:46
Dog puke heroics → pets, home security, and gun-safety talk
Joe abruptly shifts to catching his dog’s vomit in a coffee cup while driving, leading into a warm pets exchange. That becomes a discussion about home protection, guns, training, and the importance of basic safety rules.
- •Joe’s golden retriever stories vs Fortune’s tiny dogs
- •Small dogs as alarms; practical realities of home security
- •Fortune’s hesitation about owning a gun vs learning safe handling
- •Core gun-safety rules and why accidents happen (the streamer clip)
- 17:46 – 20:18
Self-defense laws, escalation, and the uneasy balance of gun ownership
From accidental discharges, they move into legal and ethical scenarios—like shooting an intruder or a repo man. Joe frames guns as both a societal problem and an individual equalizer, with caveats and contradictions.
- •Texas-style self-defense stories and why outcomes vary by state
- •The moral tension: protection vs the danger of widespread firearms
- •Guns as ‘equalizer’ in a world of physical size disparities
- •How assumptions about intruders collide with real-life edge cases
- 20:18 – 35:45
Pop culture detour: crossbows, The Walking Dead realism, and character kill-offs
Bow-and-arrow talk turns into a critique of The Walking Dead’s action logic—especially endless arrows and skull-piercing ease. They vent about the show’s creative decisions and how major character deaths changed their interest.
- •Crossbows vs ‘real’ bows and the mechanics Joe nitpicks
- •Why stabbing through skulls and arrow behavior feels fake
- •The Glenn death episode as Joe’s breaking point
- •How long-running series lose viewers through story choices
- 35:45 – 45:32
Comedy writing craft: Fortune’s journalism background and Joe’s 4-step process
Joe asks Fortune how she writes, and she explains her computer-first approach shaped by years as an entertainment journalist. They dig into writing vs “finding it on stage,” editing for efficiency, and tools like Scrivener.
- •Fortune’s path: graduation speech → assistant work → entertainment journalism
- •How journalism trained her to find the ‘interesting part’ quickly
- •Storytelling comics need deliberate writing and word-level tuning
- •Joe’s 4 steps: write, perform, listen back, refine; plus software workflows
- 45:32 – 53:40
Relationships, language, and labels: ‘partner,’ ‘fiancé,’ and social signaling
A discussion about phones and autocorrect evolves into why LGBTQ couples often say “partner,” and why “fiancé” feels pretentious. Joe critiques performative ally language, and they riff on marriage-as-a-contract concepts.
- •Why ‘partner’ became common when marriage wasn’t legally available
- •Joe’s skepticism of progressive ‘partner’ adoption by straight couples
- •The awkward social status ladder: girlfriend → fiancé → spouse
- •The idea of renewable marriage contracts and relationship pragmatism
- 53:40 – 1:08:11
Health, food texture, Whole30 weight loss, and why ‘being poor makes you fat’
They pivot into diet and health, including Fortune’s texture aversions and her Whole30 experience that helped her lose weight. Joe expands into food economics, travel eating problems, and what “healthy choices” look like on the road.
- •Texture sensitivities (strawberry seeds) and how taste/texture drive choices
- •Whole30 as an elimination diet and label-reading wake-up call
- •Travel/touring as a structural challenge for consistent nutrition
- •Food affordability and why low-cost calories skew unhealthy in the U.S.
- 1:08:11 – 1:36:56
Comedy career arc + The Comedy Store’s dark era, revival, and ‘paid regular’ meaning
Fortune shares her rise: starting at The Store in 2007, rapid touring after Last Comic Standing and Chelsea Lately, and finally building into theaters. Joe recounts The Store’s history—its low points, Tommy-era chaos, and the 2014 revival.
- •Fortune’s early Store years: Belly Room reps, late spots, cliquish scene
- •Joe’s perspective on The Store: Mecca myth vs ‘dog shit’ reality in the ’90s
- •2014 turnaround: podcasts, new energy, Ari’s special, mended relationships
- •Why becoming a paid regular felt like a defining professional milestone
- 1:36:56 – 2:01:53
Weed dinners, Joey Diaz doses, and the mental-health edge of strong edibles
Joe encourages Fortune to use cannabis for creativity, leading to her story about an overpowered weed dinner. They trade stories about Joey Diaz’s extreme dosing habits and discuss concerns around high-dose cannabis and mental health risks.
- •Fortune’s weed dinner: funnier than ever, then total memory fog
- •Joe’s caution: tiny amounts, avoid bad experiences, differences in tolerance
- •Joey Diaz’s ‘see the devil’ level edibles and why that can be dangerous
- •Discussion of cannabis potentially triggering severe episodes in susceptible people
- 2:01:53 – 2:19:12
Placebo, homeopathy skepticism, religion-as-sugar-pill, and televangelist grifts
The conversation broadens into belief, placebo effects, and how much “feeling better” can be influenced by expectation. They criticize homeopathy’s lack of evidence and mock televangelists’ fundraising tactics—especially scammy COVID ‘cures.’
- •Placebo as real-but-mysterious; belief as a measurable variable
- •Homeopathy framed as implausible and unsupported by evidence
- •Religion and cult dynamics as ‘theological sugar pills’ for certainty
- •Televangelists, tithing, private jets, and Jim Bakker’s fake COVID cure scandal
- 2:19:12 – 2:45:51
Simulation theory, VR’s future, aliens & nukes, and learning languages as brain training
They end on big-picture speculation: VR advancing toward indistinguishable worlds, simulation theory, and whether aliens would intervene to stop human self-destruction. The talk drifts into language learning, writing systems, and how early training shapes elite skills.
- •VR as ‘infancy’ tech that could become indistinguishable from reality
- •Simulation theory and Elon Musk’s interest in what’s beyond the ‘sim’
- •Aliens as potential ‘nuke prevention’ referees rather than invaders
- •Mandarin/character systems, bilingualism, and how early practice builds mastery
- 2:45:51 – 2:50:25
Closing on standup reps: club rotation, writing new hours, and touring “Sweet & Salty”
In the final stretch, they return to the day-to-day craft: recording sets, getting notes from peers, and taking risks in tougher rooms. Fortune explains why she balances ‘gay rooms’ with broader club audiences, then plugs her tour and special.
- •Why bombings and ‘clunky’ sets are essential for growth
- •Peer feedback loops: Tom Segura, Bert Kreischer, and set refinement
- •Fortune’s strategy: avoid preaching to the choir; win over varied crowds
- •Tour + special plugs: @fortunefeimster and Sweet & Salty on Netflix
