The Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience #1990 - Bert Kreischer

Bert Kreischer is a stand-up comic, podcaster, and actor. He's the host of "The Bertcast" podcast and YouTube cooking program "Something's Burning." He's also the co-host of the "2 Bears, 1 Cave" podcast with fellow comedian Tom Segura. Look for his new movie, "The Machine", on May 26.www.bertbertbert.com

Joe RoganhostBert Kreischerguest

Jun 26, 20242h 54mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Bert Kreischer, The Machine, and Comedy’s Wild New Golden Age

Joe Rogan and Bert Kreischer spend the episode reflecting on their friendship, the evolution of stand‑up comedy, and how surrounding yourself with ‘killers’ elevates everyone’s career.
They dig into insecurity, jealousy, and why supporting other comics (on stage, in podcasts, and now in movies) has created a whole ecosystem where many of their friends are now arena acts.
Bert tells extended stories: meeting Dave Chappelle and Israel Adesanya, partying in New Zealand, making and promoting his movie *The Machine*, and how weird it is to watch your own life become a film.
They also wander into movies, cultural shifts, war history, drugs, predators, social media pile‑ons, and why getting people back into theaters for R‑rated comedies matters for the future of the art form.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Surround yourself with people who are better than you.

Both Rogan and Kreischer stress that being around ‘killers’—comics who are better, sharper, and more disciplined—forces you to level up and keeps ego in check. If you feel like the top dog in your friend group, you’re probably in the wrong group.

Jealousy wastes energy; turn it into inspiration instead.

Rogan describes consciously reframing jealousy in his early career, deciding to be inspired by others’ success rather than resentful. That mindset enabled him to genuinely promote friends instead of seeing them as competition.

Celebrate your wins and ‘earn your Mondays.’

Bert shares his wife Leanne’s idea: work so hard on shows, press, and projects that you truly earn a day where you don’t have to do anything. He admires Israel Adesanya’s post‑fight celebration tours as a model for honoring big victories.

Movie theaters are critical if you want more big, risky comedies.

They explain that box‑office success, not just streaming numbers, is what convinces studios to fund more R‑rated, hard‑hitting comedies and green‑light projects from people like Kreischer, Shane Gillis, Tim Dillon, and others.

Being yourself publicly is hard, but it’s what actually works.

Kreischer admits he overshares to please people and struggles with self‑worth, while Rogan notes that audiences connect most when comics drop the façade and are fully themselves, even if that’s messy, emotional, or unpolished.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

You gotta surround yourselves with the motherfuckers.

— Bert Kreischer

We all rise up together. A rising tide raises all boats.

— Joe Rogan

Once you’re yourself, you’re truly yourself, that’s when you’re the most appealing.

— Joe Rogan

Without good friends, nobody really succeeds, ’cause you don’t appreciate it if it’s just you.

— Joe Rogan

If The Machine does well this weekend, we get a green light on Fat Astronauts Monday.

— Bert Kreischer

Friendship, mentorship, and the ‘rising tide’ philosophy in comedyBert’s movie *The Machine*: making it, promoting it, and what success would meanComedy culture then vs. now: competition, jealousy, and collaborationFame, social dynamics, and how people behave around celebritiesThe business of stand‑up: arenas, sound, lighting, and podcast‑driven careersCultural change: old problematic comedies, language taboos, and online activismDanger, predators, and environment: from gators and sharks to war and history

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