Joe Rogan Experience #2302 - Ron White

1. 0:00 – 2:19

   Ron’s brutal “new COVID” bout and trying to power through Vegas

   1. RWRon White0:00

      (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience.

   2. NANarrator0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) What up? Hey, fella, what up? What's going on, Ron White?

   3. RWRon White0:16

      Ah, I'm feeling good finally after my little bout with fucking COVID.

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:21

      They gotcha. They got you with the new COVID, so-

   5. RWRon White0:24

      They got me with the new COVID, man.

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:25

      ... I thought the new COVID was total bullshit. I thought it was like a ba- baby cold. But-

   7. RWRon White0:29

      I had, um... You know, my, my girlfriend raised two kids and she said she's never seen anybody puke as much as I did for two days.

   8. JRJoe Rogan0:38

      Wow.

   9. RWRon White0:39

      And, uh, and it was (laughs) it was brutal. It was just bile and... I don't even know if I ever b- I, I've ever been that sick. It only... I lasted that part of it a couple of days.

   10. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       That's interesting. I wonder if you got multiple things at the same time. Do people usually puke a lot if they get COVID, Jamie, do you know?

   11. RWRon White0:58

       I don't remember that being a symptom.

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       I don't remember having that either.

   13. RWRon White1:02

       Well-

   14. JRJoe Rogan1:02

       You might've had a couple things at the same time-

   15. RWRon White1:04

       You know, I, I just-

   16. JRJoe Rogan1:04

       ... 'cause there was a bad flu going around too.

   17. RWRon White1:06

       Well, I went to, uh, you know, I went to Vegas and, uh, early and I had kinda... I just thought I had a cold when I went and, uh, my doctor here gave me a shot of steroids and I felt way fucking better. I mean, I felt better everywhere. I was more flexible. I was like, "Fuck it-"

   18. JRJoe Rogan1:23

       (laughs)

   19. RWRon White1:23

       "... I wanna do steroids every goddamn day."

   20. JRJoe Rogan1:25

       What kind of steroid was it?

   21. RWRon White1:26

       I don't know, but whatever it was, man, I could touch the floor without bending my knees without stretching at all. But I could do-

   22. JRJoe Rogan1:33

       Like a cortisone shot?

   23. RWRon White1:34

       I, I don't know. It... Just-

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:36

       Wow.

   25. RWRon White1:36

       She said steroids. She gave it to me. I don't ask a lot of questions, you know what I mean?

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:39

       So you just felt loose?

   27. RWRon White1:40

       I felt loose and good. I played really good golf-

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:43

       (laughs)

   29. RWRon White1:43

       ... and then I got there and it started catching up with me. I had my girlfriend, I'm staying in the mansion down at, you know, at, uh, MGM Grand, which is pretty sweet, and... And, uh, and I had that show just on Saturday and we got there on Wednesday and I'm like, "Fucking... I'm not gonna make it." I felt it all starting to deteriorate. So I called this doctor-

   30. JRJoe Rogan2:01

       Damn, it was so bad you didn't think you, you were gonna make it on Saturday?
2. 2:19 – 6:02

   Testing positive: the “wrong doctor,” CDC calls, and whether to cancel

   1. RWRon White2:19

      And, uh, you know... But that's not the doctor I got. I... The doctor I got was, "We need to... Let's test you for COVID." I'm like, "No, no, I don't have COVID." He said, he said, "I won't charge you if it's negative," which didn't make any sense to me and I said, "Well, okay." And then it came up positive for COVID and he said, "See there, the T and the X and the, and the thing." And I said, "Yeah, I see it. Let's do it again, uh, because I don't think I have COVID." So we did it again, came up positive again. Not only would he not give me the (laughs) COVID shot, he told me to quit taking the antibiotics I was already on and, uh, and he did nothing except for call the CDC to tell them I had COVID and they both said, "You cannot do the show." I'm like, "Wait a minute, you're the wrong doctor." (laughs)

   2. JRJoe Rogan3:07

      (laughs)

   3. RWRon White3:07

      "I don't want to fucking retire today. Shit. I wanna... Here's the... Your drummer's a junkie, he's out of heroin. Get him some fucking something to get him through this goddamn show."

   4. JRJoe Rogan3:17

      So they were telling you you can't do the show because you had a specific kind of a cold, a COVID cold. So if you had the flu, would he have stopped you from doing the show?

   5. RWRon White3:27

      I'd say absolutely not. I mean-

   6. JRJoe Rogan3:29

      That's so weird.

   7. RWRon White3:29

      I don't think it would even come up.

   8. JRJoe Rogan3:31

      That's so weird because-

   9. RWRon White3:32

      And-

   10. JRJoe Rogan3:32

       ... right now, like, the deaths from COVID now are so low, like, the idea that this is still a pandemic and they still have to treat it differently than they do a cold.

   11. RWRon White3:42

       They do. And, but-

   12. JRJoe Rogan3:43

       Why?

   13. RWRon White3:44

       Well, I... You know, I... I was faced with, "Do I cancel a show?" Well, that's not the same as St. Louis when they just move the date and the people from St. Louis come back out.

   14. JRJoe Rogan3:55

       Right.

   15. RWRon White3:55

       This is Las Vegas.

   16. JRJoe Rogan3:57

       Right.

   17. RWRon White3:57

       A lot of those people come specifically to see me because I don't do all those shows that I used to do.

   18. JRJoe Rogan4:02

       Right.

   19. RWRon White4:02

       So it's kinda, if you wanna come see it, then that's a good place. And so it's a problem. You know, it's a refund. You gotta refund them all because those people-

   20. JRJoe Rogan4:10

       And they're bummed out.

   21. RWRon White4:10

       ... aren't gonna be there. Uh-

   22. JRJoe Rogan4:11

       Most importantly, your fans are bummed out.

   23. RWRon White4:13

       Yeah, my fu-... I've disappointed them, everybody's here. Fuck, let's do the show. So, I's just sitting there. I didn't know what to do. So I'm like, "Well, I'm just gonna call MGM Grand and tell them what the fuck's going on, let it be their call," you know? And, uh, they were like, "So, uh, how do you feel?" (laughs) I'm like, "I feel like I can make it through the show." And they're like, "Well, I say let's just go ahead and do it. You're... You know, it's a big room. You're not within six feet of anybody."

   24. JRJoe Rogan4:38

       It's 2025.

   25. RWRon White4:40

       It's 2025.

   26. JRJoe Rogan4:41

       You... If you told me you had... Uh, you did tell me you had COVID and I gave you a big hug on Monday. I saw you on Monday.

   27. RWRon White4:48

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan4:48

       When we did Kill Tony.

   29. RWRon White4:50

       Right, that was five-

   30. JRJoe Rogan4:51

       You were a super-spreader on Kill Tony. You son of a bitch.
3. 6:02 – 10:13

   Kill Tony hits Netflix and the long grind behind “overnight” success

   1. RWRon White6:02

      The, uh, Kill Tony was on, uh, Netflix-

   2. JRJoe Rogan6:05

      Yeah.

   3. RWRon White6:05

      ... last night.

   4. JRJoe Rogan6:05

      Isn't that amazing?

   5. RWRon White6:06

      Yeah.

   6. JRJoe Rogan6:06

      I'm so happy.

   7. RWRon White6:08

      That-

   8. JRJoe Rogan6:08

      I'm so happy for Tony and Red Band, and for everybody on the show. I'm just so happy that that show is now on Netflix.

   9. RWRon White6:15

      It's sweet, you know. I al- I always believed in it, and you know that. And, uh-

   10. JRJoe Rogan6:20

       Yeah.

   11. RWRon White6:20

       ... I always saw something in Tony. I don't, I was never sure what exactly it was.

   12. JRJoe Rogan6:25

       (laughs)

   13. RWRon White6:25

       But I saw something, you know, that I... Th- this kid works hard, you know. He's got a dream that he's-

   14. JRJoe Rogan6:31

       Yeah.

   15. RWRon White6:32

       ... fucking making it work, and he's making it work with hard work.

   16. JRJoe Rogan6:35

       He works hard. He works-

   17. RWRon White6:36

       And-

   18. JRJoe Rogan6:36

       ... really hard at that show, man.

   19. RWRon White6:37

       Really does.

   20. JRJoe Rogan6:38

       I mean, I call him in the middle of the day sometimes, and he's just laying out, like, how he's gonna do the show, what he's got... He's like, he's planning it. He's wandering around his apartment writing notes down, just planning it out in his head. He's legit. Tony's li-

   21. RWRon White6:51

       He is.

   22. JRJoe Rogan6:51

       This is e- the thing about success. It's a product of hard work. And in that e- example, I fucking know it's a product of hard work. Those guys did that show every goddamn Monday for 10+ years.

   23. RWRon White7:06

       Starting with six people in the crowd.

   24. JRJoe Rogan7:07

       I was one of them. (laughs)

   25. RWRon White7:09

       (laughs)

   26. JRJoe Rogan7:10

       I was there when they were doing the Belly Room show, but I always encouraged it. I encourage people to do shows when no one's watching because I think that, you know, the only way something builds is you gotta get it started. You can't think you're gonna launch a podcast and it's gonna have a million downloads. It's not that way, and you don't want it that way anyway. You wanna get good at it. You wanna learn how to do it. You wanna iron out the kinks.

   27. RWRon White7:32

       I agree. I agree. That's-

   28. JRJoe Rogan7:34

       And they did it. They fucking did it. They did it, and now it's one of the best shows in the world. It's the funniest fucking show on television, for sure.

   29. RWRon White7:40

       Uh, you know, as f- as far as just a fucking entertaining thing to goddamn do, I mean, just to come down, you know... My, my last girlfriend was so addicted to the show. She would come almost every Monday.

   30. JRJoe Rogan7:52

       (laughs)
4. 10:13 – 16:17

   Comedy longevity, end-of-career anxiety, and the new internet era

   1. RWRon White10:13

      I had, I had a nightmare the other night.

   2. JRJoe Rogan10:15

      Oh, no.

   3. RWRon White10:15

      Yeah. And it was, uh, about the club.

   4. JRJoe Rogan10:18

      Oh, no.

   5. RWRon White10:18

      And, uh, that I was the headliner that night, and I got down there and there were, like, nine 11-year-old girls, and that's all the tickets we could sell.

   6. JRJoe Rogan10:28

      (laughs)

   7. RWRon White10:28

      And I was like, "Did you tell them I was coming?" I mean, yeah, we put it in the thing-

   8. JRJoe Rogan10:32

      Oh, that's a great idea.

   9. RWRon White10:32

      ... and, uh, nobody showed up, Ron, except for these chicks and...

   10. JRJoe Rogan10:35

       If I was your psychiatrist, I'd sit down and I'd go, "Ron, what do you think this means to you?"

   11. RWRon White10:40

       (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan10:41

       "What, what inside of your subconscious makes you think that only 11-year-old girls would come to see you do comedies?"

   13. RWRon White10:50

       That's 'cause for, for 38 years I've been waiting for the end.

   14. JRJoe Rogan10:54

       Ah.

   15. RWRon White10:54

       You know? And I'm, and it finally happened that, uh, that night in the middle of that drink. See?

   16. JRJoe Rogan10:58

       Why the hell do you think like that?

   17. RWRon White10:58

       I knew it would happen. I knew it-

   18. JRJoe Rogan10:59

       You think like that and it drives me crazy. I don't understand how you can think like that.

   19. RWRon White11:02

       I just always have because I, you know, it, it, it never works-

   20. JRJoe Rogan11:06

       (laughs)

   21. RWRon White11:06

       ... as good as it works for me, you know. I mean, it's worked okay for you, but... I mean, you know, these kinda careers don't last forever.

   22. JRJoe Rogan11:15

       Right.

   23. RWRon White11:15

       And so, unless they do, and there's not very many of them that do, you know, last fucking four decades and...

   24. JRJoe Rogan11:21

       It's a different world now, Ron. I think they do last now.

   25. RWRon White11:25

       I, I guess so.

   26. JRJoe Rogan11:26

       Because I think the thing that was going on before was everybody thought you did comedy to get to something. You did comedy to get to the movies, you did comedy to get to TV. And if you didn't, then you were a failure, and you thought of yourself as a failure, and other people thought of you as a failure too. And that would diminish your confidence, that would diminish your draw, and only a few people survived that and escaped. And a lot of great comics, like Richard Jeni for instance, he got caught up in that and felt like he was a failure and a loser and wound up fucking killing himself. Meanwhile, he was one of the greatest comics that's ever lived.

   27. RWRon White12:00

       That ever lived.

   28. JRJoe Rogan12:01

       He just missed the boat. He missed the internet boat. He would've been fucking-

   29. RWRon White12:05

       Yeah, but I missed it too.

   30. JRJoe Rogan12:06

       You didn't, though. Like, you didn't. You didn't miss it. You didn't. You, you caught us. You caught the whole wave, brother. You came to the comedy store at the right time.
5. 16:17 – 24:09

   Bad relationships, “hot lunatics,” and the Phil Hartman tragedy

   1. JRJoe Rogan16:17

      Oh, bro, you don't know the half of it. I tried to get him to divorce her a long time ago. I told him, like, right when he was struggling. I said, "Man, just give her half. Just get out. You'll make more money." And he was like, "Well, it's not half. It's a scam."

   2. RWRon White16:32

      (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan16:33

      "The lawyers get a third."

   4. RWRon White16:34

      (laughs) Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan16:34

      "It's a third. You get a third of your fucking money." I'm like, "Okay, okay, okay, just give her the money. Just give her the money." Money is f- fun coupons.

   6. RWRon White16:42

      Right.

   7. JRJoe Rogan16:43

      If you're having money and you're not having fun, you-

   8. RWRon White16:45

      Then what do you got?

   9. JRJoe Rogan16:46

      ... you gotta cut something off, you know? You gotta figure out what... where's the cancer? (making a cutting sound) Hack it off. Hack off that melanoma and let's get this party rolling. Like, you, you shouldn't be involved with someone that you hate. That's crazy. You come home to someone who hates you. That's crazy.

   10. RWRon White17:04

       That is insane, yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan17:05

       That's crazy, and it-

   12. RWRon White17:06

       And I, you know, and I've been in bad relationships before that I, that I cut off, and-

   13. JRJoe Rogan17:10

       Of course.

   14. RWRon White17:11

       ... and, uh, and then all of a sudden you can breathe again, you know, and it-

   15. JRJoe Rogan17:14

       You're a different person when you're in a bad relationship. Like, you're bad too. Like, you're not your best. Just like a bad friendship. Like, you're not the best friend if th- your friend is a cocksucker. You know, you're, you're good friends with good friends.

   16. RWRon White17:28

       Right.

   17. JRJoe Rogan17:28

       Like, we all-

   18. RWRon White17:29

       Mm-hmm.

   19. JRJoe Rogan17:29

       ... inspire each other, and if you got a one-way street or if you are one of those unfortunate people that hooked up with a hot lunatic, 'cause that's the problem, you get a hot lunatic.

   20. RWRon White17:40

       Right.

   21. JRJoe Rogan17:40

       And they're sexy and they're fun for short bursts-

   22. RWRon White17:44

       (coughs) Right.

   23. JRJoe Rogan17:45

       ... of a few hours at a time, and then you're like, "Oh my God, this person is in my life." And if you move in with them, "Oh, Christ."

   24. RWRon White17:51

       I know.

   25. JRJoe Rogan17:52

       And if you have kids with them, "Oh, Chri-"... and if you're married to them, "Oh, Christ."

   26. RWRon White17:56

       Oh.

   27. JRJoe Rogan17:56

       "You married a hot lunatic."

   28. RWRon White17:57

       The hole gets deeper, and deeper, and deeper.

   29. JRJoe Rogan18:01

       Next we... This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Summer is almost here, and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do I mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomered lawn delivered, but you can get chicken Parmesan delivered. Catamaran? That's a no. Lemon meringue? That's a yes. A day in the sun? No. A bottle of rum? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely help you out with that. Get almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. You know you- you're Johnny Depp and you're on TV.

   30. RWRon White18:41

       Yeah.
6. 24:09 – 31:46

   Ron’s Mexico years: pottery plans, isolation, and deep depression

   1. RWRon White24:09

      Well, you know, I, I lived in Mexico for a while with a, with a woman who eventually took her own life.

   2. JRJoe Rogan24:15

      Oof.

   3. RWRon White24:16

      And, uh, I mean, I was already out of the picture for a couple of years and, uh, when that happened. But when I was in Mexico with her, I knew that I was, I, I've, I was trapped, number one. I was... (laughs) I moved down there to start a fucking pottery company 'cause I was frustrated with standup comedy. They had just cut my... The Funny Bone chain had just cut my pay by a third.

   4. JRJoe Rogan24:39

      Ugh.

   5. RWRon White24:41

      (coughs) Because they realized that I just worked for them. (laughs)

   6. JRJoe Rogan24:44

      Oh, boy.

   7. RWRon White24:44

      And I couldn't patch this schedule together without them.

   8. JRJoe Rogan24:47

      Oh, what a bunch of assholes.

   9. RWRon White24:48

      So they... And I, I told the guy that, that, uh, ran the Funny Bone, Gerald Kubacki, to go eat a steaming bowl of fuck and, uh, (laughs) and I put-

   10. JRJoe Rogan24:59

       I don't even know what that would look like.

   11. RWRon White25:00

       (coughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan25:01

       (laughs)

   13. RWRon White25:01

       I don't know. It, uh, it cost me a lot of work to say it, but it was still fun to say and...

   14. JRJoe Rogan25:06

       Wow.

   15. RWRon White25:07

       But I moved with her down to Mexico and a- and I knew that she was crazy and I... And the way it came up was that she had called a f-... a friend of mine and told her that sometimes she stands over my bed with a knife-

   16. JRJoe Rogan25:23

       Oh, Geez.

   17. RWRon White25:23

       ... and just stares at me and, uh, and my son was there also part of the time.And I'm like, "Well, that's over. I gotta get out of this." And, but, but the, the big thing was, I was depressed because of my situation, 'cause I didn't see a way out of it.

   18. JRJoe Rogan25:40

       Yeah.

   19. RWRon White25:40

       You know, I didn't see a way out. Uh, uh, I just couldn't see, I just couldn't see a path. And, uh, and it got to where, when I was around people, I couldn't talk, and, uh, and, you know, I did, I had no tribe, you know, at all. I was cut off from all my friends, and, and it was just something I did to myself with that move down to Mexico, which I was there for three years.

   20. JRJoe Rogan26:03

       Wow.

   21. RWRon White26:03

       And, uh, and it was just the worst time of my life and I really didn't think I'd ever come out of it. I mean, I never, never thought I could even get back to a place where I could sit and have a conversation with somebody, that's how depressed I was.

   22. JRJoe Rogan26:15

       Wow.

   23. RWRon White26:16

       And, um, and when I... it was funny because I, I moved into Mexico. I had the biggest truck that Ryder makes, pulling the biggest trailer they make, my van pulling the biggest trailer they make, all headed down south.

   24. JRJoe Rogan26:29

       All your shit?

   25. RWRon White26:30

       To... Everything. Moved to Mexico.

   26. JRJoe Rogan26:32

       Why Mexico?

   27. RWRon White26:34

       Because my girlfriend at the time did this mosaic tile application to existing pottery, and she would sell it at art shows or craft shows, you know, whatever. And it would sell really fast, but it took her six months to make any of it, so I thought, "Why wouldn't you just go down to Mexico and train a bunch of women how to make it-"

   28. JRJoe Rogan26:57

       (laughs)

   29. RWRon White26:58

       ... "and let her orchestrate it."

   30. JRJoe Rogan26:59

       NAFTA.
7. 31:46 – 37:35

   Boundaries, real friends, and a detour into “hunting sunglasses”

   1. RWRon White31:46

      Yeah, I have really, really healthy boundaries when it comes to people that don't make me feel good. You know?

   2. JRJoe Rogan31:52

      Good.

   3. RWRon White31:52

      I just don't s- I just won't hang around 'em.

   4. JRJoe Rogan31:54

      Yeah, I don't wanna be around 'em and confront 'em. Like, (mouth farts) who cares?

   5. RWRon White31:57

      Yeah. Yeah, no. I-

   6. JRJoe Rogan31:58

      Good luck to you. I'll give you a hug.

   7. RWRon White31:59

      I got some other shit going on.

   8. JRJoe Rogan32:01

      Yeah, I have friends.

   9. RWRon White32:02

      But you know what? I, I tell you what, what makes you a good friend. Uh, when you get successful, and I'll just talk about successful like I am, i- it's hard to find anybody that'll disagree with you, you know? That, uh, because there's something to gain. And, and that's true with you too. I mean, that, you know, you, you hold a lot of power. Uh, and, and you have something that a, a lot of people fucking want. And I know that because (snaps fingers) I have a b- (laughs) I have a box of ... And I should've brought 'em and given 'em to you anyway. I'll bring 'em to the club tonight. But it's just a guy I met that owns a sunglass company.

   10. JRJoe Rogan32:41

       (laughs)

   11. RWRon White32:41

       And he makes sunglasses for hunting. And he-

   12. JRJoe Rogan32:44

       Oh.

   13. RWRon White32:44

       And so he sent me-

   14. JRJoe Rogan32:45

       Wait a minute, who wears sunglasses when they hunt?

   15. RWRon White32:47

       (clears throat) I don't know.

   16. JRJoe Rogan32:51

       (laughs)

   17. RWRon White32:51

       Nobody?

   18. JRJoe Rogan32:52

       Uh, you can't wear 'em when y-... Well, I guess maybe some people probably do. I bet rifle hunters do.

   19. RWRon White32:59

       Yeah, they, he said that one of 'em were specifically for bowhunting-

   20. JRJoe Rogan33:04

       Oh.

   21. RWRon White33:04

       ... that makes you see the target better or something.

   22. JRJoe Rogan33:06

       Oh, interesting. Okay. So he's got an invention.

   23. RWRon White33:09

       Um, I, you know, I don't know, uh, I, I don't hunt. So I don't really know anything about hunting and glasses. He, he just said he was gonna send a box, "Would you give 'em to Joe?" And I said, "Yeah, I'll give 'em to him." And I didn't. So ... (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan33:22

       (laughs) I would think that glasses would get in the way, because the, you know, when you shoot with a bow, there's a thing called a peep sight. So you have your string, and in your string is, uh, one, one of the things that's sewn into your string is this little plastic circle.

   25. RWRon White33:37

       Sure.

   26. JRJoe Rogan33:37

       Do you know what it is?

   27. RWRon White33:38

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan33:38

       Okay, so you know it lines up with the scope, the housing of the bow? The-

   29. RWRon White33:41

       No.

   30. JRJoe Rogan33:42

       Okay.
8. 37:35 – 47:50

   Ayahuasca in Costa Rica: safety, “wigging out,” and why it helped Ron quit drinking

   1. RWRon White37:35

      So, I went back to, uh, uh, my ayahuasca place-

   2. JRJoe Rogan37:40

      Uh-oh.

   3. RWRon White37:42

      ... uh, uh, down in, uh, Costa Rica.

   4. JRJoe Rogan37:44

      Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum.

   5. RWRon White37:47

      Dum, dum, dum. So, I, I went four years ago, right? And, uh, and that's when I quit drinking.

   6. JRJoe Rogan37:54

      Right.

   7. RWRon White37:55

      Which you know I did, right?

   8. JRJoe Rogan37:56

      Yeah.

   9. RWRon White37:56

      You know I quit drinking.

   10. JRJoe Rogan37:57

       I quit too.

   11. RWRon White37:59

       When?

   12. JRJoe Rogan38:00

       A month ago.

   13. RWRon White38:01

       I knew that you weren't drinking.

   14. JRJoe Rogan38:03

       Yes.

   15. RWRon White38:03

       But I didn't know-

   16. JRJoe Rogan38:04

       Stopped drinking.

   17. RWRon White38:04

       I didn't know that it was a...

   18. JRJoe Rogan38:07

       Yeah, I think I'm done. Yeah. Um, for no reason other than it's not good for you.

   19. RWRon White38:12

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan38:12

       No, I didn't have to. I enjoyed it.

   21. RWRon White38:15

       Right. No, you were having a good time. I was watching.

   22. JRJoe Rogan38:18

       But the-

   23. RWRon White38:18

       (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan38:18

       ... the days after drinking were just too rough, and I'm like, "What, what kind of a moron who takes so good care of his body is poisoning himself a couple of days a week for fun?" You know, why am I doing that? And then I'm like, "Well, will I have the same amount of fun if I don't poison myself?" Turns out, yes.

   25. RWRon White38:35

       Exactly.

   26. JRJoe Rogan38:36

       (laughs)

   27. RWRon White38:36

       Right. Well, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I mean, you haven't-

   28. JRJoe Rogan38:40

       Yeah.

   29. RWRon White38:40

       ... quit everything, right? I mean...

   30. JRJoe Rogan38:42

       Exactly.
9. 47:50 – 57:03

   Ibogaine, addiction recovery, and the politics of psychedelic access

   1. RWRon White47:50

      And I know there's some stuff that's stronger than that, but I don't-

   2. JRJoe Rogan47:52

      That's crazy talk.

   3. RWRon White47:53

      ... that, I don't know what it's called. What-

   4. JRJoe Rogan47:54

      Ibogaine, you mean?

   5. RWRon White47:56

      Is that what it is?

   6. JRJoe Rogan47:57

      Ibogaine is the one that people use for addiction. Um, um, there's a place called Beyond that's in Mexico that does that. Uh, Rick Perry was telling us about that. A lot of, uh, former Governor Rick Perry's-

   7. RWRon White48:11

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan48:11

      ... now part of that. He really wants to bring, um, ibogaine to Texas and have treatment centers.

   9. RWRon White48:16

      We can't be gambling here. (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan48:19

       I think they can get ibogaine, I think especially with a Republican like Rick Perry, who's really concerned about the mental health of veterans, 'cause I think that's where it really shines. Ibogaine in particular helps a lot of people, helps a lot. It gives you, like, a review of your life apparently. I've never experienced it, but the people that have, have very positive things to say about it, and it's incredibly good at helping people get over addictions. Um, it has a very high success rate. For one treatment, I think it's in the 80%, and then fourth, if you do two treatments, it's, uh, it's in the mid-90s.

   11. RWRon White48:56

       That's fucking amazing.

   12. JRJoe Rogan48:57

       Yeah, people that never go back to the drugs, never. Never go back to whatever it is, gambling, whatever you have, whatever's wrong with you.

   13. RWRon White49:05

       All you gotta do is figure out what's wrong with you.

   14. JRJoe Rogan49:07

       Yeah, you gotta figure out why you're doing that. Like, "What is this pathway that I keep going down that's sabotaging my whole life, and why, why can I not resist it? Why do I keep reaching for the bottle? What is it? Why do I keep snorting coke? What is it?"

   15. RWRon White49:20

       Right.

   16. JRJoe Rogan49:20

       "What is it?" And-

   17. RWRon White49:20

       Well, that was b- the question I had with myself, 'cause I drank like a fool for years.

   18. JRJoe Rogan49:27

       You don't say. (laughs)

   19. RWRon White49:30

       And... (laughs) It was funny 'cause, uh, w-... whenever I, I was single again, a- and I was in the green room, and I said, "Maybe I'll start drinking again," and everybody at one time went, "No." (laughs)

   20. JRJoe Rogan49:40

       Yeah. No, no, no, no, no.

   21. RWRon White49:41

       No, that's not it. I was, I was just kidding.

   22. JRJoe Rogan49:44

       Yeah.

   23. RWRon White49:44

       I was just kidding.

   24. JRJoe Rogan49:44

       Well, you quit like that, though. You did like (snaps fingers) you were gone.

   25. RWRon White49:47

       I did. And, uh, but, uh, it, but I went to, uh, to, to RYTHMI with intention. I wanted to know why I was doing this to myself, and why I could not see a way to quit. And it was so tied up in my persona, my stage presence-

   26. JRJoe Rogan50:05

       Mm-hmm. Yeah.

   27. RWRon White50:05

       ... who I really was at the time. And I'm like, "Why is this all tied to me? And w- why can't I shake it?" And, and so w- with that, uh, I also went through hypnosis 'cause I had to get sober before I went to, uh, i- 'cause that's not what their deal is.

   28. JRJoe Rogan50:24

       Yeah.

   29. RWRon White50:24

       They're not a treatment facility. It could be a byproduct of it, but they're like, "Yeah, we're, we're not gonna ... we, we don't have detox here, you know."

   30. JRJoe Rogan50:31

       Right.
10. 57:03 – 1:04:18

    Tariffs, Ross Perot’s ‘giant sucking sound,’ and a tax/healthcare reality check

    1. JRJoe Rogan57:03

       It's so baffling. It's so crazy. Like, what is going on? Like, the whole world is mad at us. Trump's playing golf. And in between, uh, swings-

    2. RWRon White57:13

       Right.

    3. JRJoe Rogan57:13

       ... he's on the phone with presidents of countries.

    4. RWRon White57:15

       Yeah.

    5. JRJoe Rogan57:15

       "We're gonna need more money!"

    6. RWRon White57:16

       Yep.

    7. JRJoe Rogan57:17

       (laughs)

    8. RWRon White57:17

       That's what somebody told me the other day. Like, "Is he playing checkers or is he playing chess?" He's playing golf!

    9. JRJoe Rogan57:22

       He's playing golf.

    10. RWRon White57:23

        That's what-

    11. JRJoe Rogan57:23

        Like, what does that mean? Everybody wants to think there's some, like, grand plan to it. Well, they think the grand plan is... Look, you, the, you know, we remember back when, um, the, was it the '92 elections when Ross Perot was in?

    12. RWRon White57:40

        Mm-hmm.

    13. JRJoe Rogan57:41

        So, when Ross Perot laid out what happened, do you remember during that debate where Ross Perot laid out what happened with the tariffs? So that, like, they, when we try to sell stuff over there, we get a high tariff. It's like a 35% tariff. But they don't get tariffs when it comes over here. It's not the same. It's not like, you know, you guys, there's a tax on everybody if you wanna sell your goods to encourage people to buy American products. If you wanna sell your products in America-

    14. RWRon White58:08

        Sure.

    15. JRJoe Rogan58:08

        ... we get a tax. That tax goes to the fucking grid or whatever the hell they're fixing with it.

    16. RWRon White58:12

        Right.

    17. JRJoe Rogan58:13

        Ross Perot was laying it out, like, this is how all the jobs went to Mexico. Because, have you ever seen that, Jamie?

    18. NANarrator58:20

        I don't know.

    19. JRJoe Rogan58:20

        It's, it's, see if you can find it. It's a great speech 'cause Ross Perot-

    20. RWRon White58:24

        When he talked about the giant sucking sound?

    21. JRJoe Rogan58:26

        Yes.

    22. RWRon White58:27

        Yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan58:27

        You, you actually mentioned that earlier in the podcast.

    24. RWRon White58:28

        Right, yeah, that's what I was talking about. Right.

    25. JRJoe Rogan58:29

        Yes. That's it, that's funny. Did you just see that recently or something?

    26. RWRon White58:32

        No, I just remember it.

    27. JRJoe Rogan58:34

        Oh, boy. The giant su-... Let's-

    28. RWRon White58:36

        He would've been a great president. But he just-

    29. JRJoe Rogan58:38

        He, I voted for him.

    30. RWRon White58:39

        He had, uh, big ears. You know?
11. 1:04:18 – 1:08:05

    Student debt, the purpose of college, and missing rites of passage

    1. JRJoe Rogan1:04:18

       That's how you make America great, less losers. Less people that are saddled down with a lifetime of debt because they broke their leg. That's crazy.

    2. RWRon White1:04:25

       Yeah, all of my c- you know, all of my son's, uh, friends are all saddled with $90,000 worth of fucking student loan-

    3. JRJoe Rogan1:04:33

       Student loans.

    4. RWRon White1:04:33

       ... debts. And, uh-

    5. JRJoe Rogan1:04:35

       Subsidized.

    6. RWRon White1:04:36

       ... a- and my son was lucky enough to, that I had enough money to pay for his, you know. And, uh, and so he doesn't have that burden. But goddamn it, nobody should have that burden i- for an education. It just seems-

    7. JRJoe Rogan1:04:47

       And it's just a for-profit institution that roped you into thinking that that was necessary, that you have to be. And by the way, you can get as good an education right now online as is available anywhere on Earth, online.

    8. RWRon White1:05:00

       If you have the discipline to-

    9. JRJoe Rogan1:05:01

       If you have the discipline.

    10. RWRon White1:05:02

        Right.

    11. JRJoe Rogan1:05:02

        Yeah. That's what so wild. That's what's so fascinating about this time, is that it is basically obsolete, and yet people are still paying $70,000 a year for it, and more. Like, what-what does Harvard cost? How much does Harv- what's Harvard's yearly tuition, Jamie? What do you guess? I was gonna leave 50,000, 60,000-

    12. RWRon White1:05:22

        Yeah, at least 50, I'd, uh ...

    13. JRJoe Rogan1:05:24

        Imagine if you're a middle class guy and you got two kids and they do real good and they don't have scholarships and you gotta pay for them.

    14. RWRon White1:05:32

        I can't imagine. I mean, I d- I don't see how people do it. I mean, I really don't.

    15. JRJoe Rogan1:05:36

        They barely do it. Oh, boy! The total cost of attendance includ- uh, including fees, housing, and food reaching around $82,000.

    16. RWRon White1:05:44

        W- we can't-

    17. JRJoe Rogan1:05:44

        Undergraduate tuition is $56,550 for a year. That's a lot of money, man. Oof.

    18. RWRon White1:05:51

        That's one year.

    19. JRJoe Rogan1:05:53

        Oof. Ooh.

    20. RWRon White1:05:54

        And if you drop out after one year (laughs) , then, then you have nothing and you're down 80 grand.

    21. JRJoe Rogan1:05:58

        But if you make it through those four years, now you're 200 grand in the hole, uh, that you owe. And then you have to get a job, and then you get a job that pays 50. And you're like, "What?"

    22. RWRon White1:06:09

        Yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan1:06:10

        "Oh my God, I'll never pay this off."

    24. RWRon White1:06:11

        How do we wash this off? Right, and then-

    25. JRJoe Rogan1:06:12

        "I'll never pay this off."

    26. RWRon White1:06:14

        And then you have a, uh, to throw a couple of kids on top of that, and then, um ...

    27. JRJoe Rogan1:06:19

        Yeah. Well, you know something wild? There's people out there, their Social Security is getting docked because they owe student loans. So they take money out of your Social Security to pay for your student loans, 'cause the student loans is the one thing you can never escape.

    28. RWRon White1:06:31

        Y- you can't bankrupt it. You can't-

    29. JRJoe Rogan1:06:33

        Which is so crazy.

    30. RWRon White1:06:35

        It's cruel.
12. 1:08:05 – 1:22:41

    ADD debate and why the school system fails certain minds

    1. RWRon White1:08:05

       Did you go to college?

    2. JRJoe Rogan1:08:06

       Yes. I went to UMass Boston.

    3. RWRon White1:08:09

       Oh, wow. That's a good school.

    4. JRJoe Rogan1:08:10

       Yeah.

    5. RWRon White1:08:10

       Right?

    6. JRJoe Rogan1:08:11

       Easy to get into. I was- I only went because I didn't want people thinking I was a loser. (laughs) That's the only reason why I went.

    7. RWRon White1:08:18

       (laughs)

    8. JRJoe Rogan1:08:18

       I just wasted my time there. I went for three years. Just wasting my time taking class so I could tell people I was going to college.

    9. RWRon White1:08:24

       Oh, I didn't waste any time. I- I got kicked out of high school in the (laughs) 10th grade, so you know... My mind is an open book there. It- there's- a lot of the pages aren't filled in. And I- you know what? And I- I always kind of- I, I regret- I regret that a little bit, you know? That, that I didn't go to college, that I didn't, uh-

    10. JRJoe Rogan1:08:46

        What do you regret about it?

    11. RWRon White1:08:48

        Well, just... You know... (clears throat) I, I- well, number one, I think I'd be smarter.

    12. JRJoe Rogan1:08:58

        (laughs)

    13. RWRon White1:08:59

        (laughs) I- but I, I don't know what it is. And I- and y- and I've- I've made it just fine with what I've had, you know? And, uh, and, you know, I've got attention deficit disorder and, uh, and all these things. They really kept me from doing traditional schoolwork very well.

    14. JRJoe Rogan1:09:12

        I'm not even sure that's real.

    15. RWRon White1:09:13

        Attention deficit disorder?

    16. JRJoe Rogan1:09:14

        Yeah, I don't think it's real.

    17. RWRon White1:09:16

        You don't?

    18. JRJoe Rogan1:09:16

        No.

    19. RWRon White1:09:17

        L- let me change your mind.

    20. JRJoe Rogan1:09:18

        I think there's a lot of people-

    21. RWRon White1:09:19

        (laughs)

    22. JRJoe Rogan1:09:19

        ... that aren't interested in a lot of things. But when they're interested in- when I- when they say attention deficit disorder, why are those guys so good at video games? Like, why are they so good at things that aren't school? I think it's just you- I think the hu- I think we could categorize it into a bunch of different, like, m- disorders and problems and- but the- I think a lot of that is a way to get you hooked on some sort of pharmaceutical drug that's gonna fix whatever problem you have that doesn't allow you to sit in class and listen to some boring shit for fucking six hours.

    23. RWRon White1:09:48

        Right, right.

    24. JRJoe Rogan1:09:48

        You got no problem writing jokes, Ron White.

    25. RWRon White1:09:50

        No.

    26. JRJoe Rogan1:09:50

        You got no problem performing. Like it's not- it's not like there's not a thing that you can't excel at, that you can- you can pay attention-

    27. RWRon White1:09:57

        Well-

    28. JRJoe Rogan1:09:57

        ... when you're on stage.

    29. RWRon White1:09:57

        ... I don't know (laughs) I don't know about that. I think standup comedy was the answer to every problem I had.

    30. JRJoe Rogan1:10:04

        No, you're just a-

Episode duration: 2:15:51