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Joe Rogan Experience #2381 - Taylor Kitsch

Taylor Kitsch is an award-winning actor best known for his roles in films such as "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Lone Survivor," as well as television shows including "Waco," "Painkiller," "American Primeval," and "The Terminal List." His new series, "The Terminal List: Dark Wolf," a prequel to "The Terminal List," is streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. In addition to his busy acting career, Taylor is an accomplished wildlife photographer and philanthropist. He is launching Howlers Ridge Fund (HRF), a nonprofit serving veterans, people in recovery, and those facing trauma, grief, and life’s hardest moments through nature-based retreats, educational programs, and grants to aligned nonprofits. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0MYH9XYR9SCGXB57LR8ES71GFL https://www.howlersridge.org Don’t miss out on all the action - Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up at https://dkng.co/rogan or with my promo code ROGAN. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit https://gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit https://ccpg.org (CT), or visit https://www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT/OR/NH. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Get 1 promo code to redeem discounted NFL Sunday Ticket subscription and max. $200 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. NFL Sunday Ticket: YouTube TV base plan (not included in this offer) required to watch Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. Subscription autorenews yearly at then-current price (currently $378 for YouTube TV subscribers, or $480 for YouTube subscribers); cancel anytime. Terms, restrictions, embargoes and eligibility requirements apply. No refunds. Commercial use excluded. Addt’l terms: https://tv.youtube.com/learn/nflsundayticket/draftkings/. Offer ends 9/29/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

Taylor KitschguestJoe Roganhost
Sep 18, 20252h 46mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:0015:00

    (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast.…

    1. NA

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

    2. TK

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) No. 85?

    3. JR

      Yeah. Drop some headphones on, no trouble.

    4. TK

      Damn.

    5. JR

      Yeah, you have to... Well, see, if you- if you're gonna shoot something at 45, you really wanna be comfortable at twice that.

    6. TK

      Okay.

    7. JR

      So I'll shoot 90, I'll shoot 100 yards.

    8. TK

      Jesus.

    9. JR

      Yeah. Yeah, because that way-

    10. TK

      That's crazy.

    11. JR

      ... when you get into 40 it seems normal.

    12. TK

      Yeah, right.

    13. JR

      It seems easy.

    14. TK

      It's the easy day.

    15. JR

      Yeah.

    16. TK

      Yeah.

    17. JR

      It's all just about, like, effective distance.

    18. TK

      Would you take a shot at 85?

    19. JR

      No.

    20. TK

      Yeah.

    21. JR

      No, no, no, no, no.

    22. TK

      That's far.

    23. JR

      You might take a follow-up shot. Like if you know-

    24. TK

      Oh, yeah.

    25. JR

      ... the animal's already gonna go down.

    26. TK

      Yeah.

    27. JR

      And you can... If you can, you should always get a second shot on them.

    28. TK

      Yeah. Yeah.

    29. JR

      So I'll take a second shot at 85, but I would never-

    30. TK

      Have you had one and- and it just fucking ran, just gone?

  2. 15:0030:00

    Yeah. …

    1. TK

      And, uh, it's those moments though that, that he allows you to just go, you know?

    2. JR

      Yeah.

    3. TK

      Yeah.

    4. JR

      Well, he's such a smart guy.

    5. TK

      He is, man.

    6. JR

      He's such a-

    7. TK

      When he's dialed, he's like ...

    8. JR

      Yeah.

    9. TK

      ... Lone, he was just so present and early, and he just, w- I mean, we were surrounded by SEALs, as you know, every take. And, um, I don't think you could do what we did to f- in prep of just like, no producers, no Pete, no nothing. It's just every morning, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, we're up in the mountain, uh, with SEALs, with Ray Mendoza and, uh, amazing guys. And, uh, we s- oh, first week is like first day, man. I'm Canadian so I haven't shot a fucking gun in my life. (laughs)

    10. JR

      (laughs)

    11. TK

      And-

    12. JR

      The first time you ever shot a gun was in Lone Survivor?

    13. TK

      W- yes.

    14. JR

      That's hilarious.

    15. TK

      So first, Chris Karachi, who's a fucking legend, a man's man, um, and he, I think he was like one of the, on the first team, uh, SEAL team units, and the deepest voice you've ever heard in your life, and like a fucking man. And, uh, he took me under his wing, and so our first day was live fire. And Karachi took me aside, he's like, "Hey, it's you and me." And I'm like, "Let's go." And I'm like as fit as I ever have been. I was running Town Lake doing the Murph every fucking three times a week with weighted vests. And, uh, just at Lake Travis High School there doing pull-ups, and it was unbelievable fun training for that. And, um, first day was live fire, and that fucking gets you right. That d- you do not fuck around, and, uh, they make sure of it. And then, uh, I haven't, I hadn't met Markus yet, and Foster, uh, had drove down I think from Texas to, uh, New Mexico with, with Latrell. I was pretty jealous of that. I was like, "Ah, you got to spend some real time with Markus." And I was playing Mike obviously, and, and, uh, who is Markus' best friend. And so we're on this fucking range doing live fire, like upside down reloads, combat reloads, jamming, blindfold, it was just, it was full on. And Emile's actually a great shot. Um, Markus comes, everything goes full stop, and right when he's coming there's a PA on the other side, and she's bringing fucking banana, uh, shakes out, which is not a good look for these actors.

    16. JR

      (laughs)

    17. TK

      And Markus looks at these shakes, and he looks at the actors, and he's like, "What the fuck is happening? You guys don't get shakes in between fights." (laughs) And one of the actors just shamelessly goes up and grabs one of these banana shakes, and he's just talking to Markus-

    18. JR

      (laughs)

    19. TK

      ... meeting him for the first time. (laughs) And I'm like, "You might wanna put that down." Like wait 'til he fucking leaves before-

    20. JR

      Yeah.

    21. TK

      But, and then, uh, it's just a beautiful experience, man. Um-... the second week of training, we were doing simunitions. Have you done that?

    22. JR

      No.

    23. TK

      Oh, you would love it. So this'll break skin, and, uh, they hurt. It's like a hard plastic, paint-tipped, and they fly like that, right?

    24. JR

      They arc?

    25. TK

      Yeah.

    26. JR

      'Cause they don't go as fast?

    27. TK

      Right.

    28. JR

      Yeah.

    29. TK

      And, uh, so we have sims now, and Mike would... I- my guy decides if we push left, push right, if we engage, get the fuck outta here, let's buy ourselves some time, whatever. I gotta make these calls. And, um, so the SEALs are in tally gear, and they're like, "Go up the mountain."

    30. JR

      What's tally gear?

  3. 30:0045:00

    Was it weird watching…

    1. TK

      And then I had explosions in my head and I was like, "Goddamn, this is too..." Like, you're overwhelmed with emotion. And Pete comes up and he's like, "Get it out." And so I took five minutes, camera crew's waiting. We did like... I told Pete I want that rifle to, him to climb up with the, the rifle. And, um, I think we did three takes. And then the camera crew, Jacques was a, he's a DP. He DPed American Primeval, but he was a camera op on, on Lone. And, uh, he was working that slow-mo camera, and he just goes to Pete, he's like, "We've got it. We've got it."

    2. JR

      Was it weird watching it on film knowing-

    3. TK

      Yes.

    4. JR

      ... that you shot it in a parking lot? Like, trying to...

    5. Wrap your head around it.

    6. TK

      This is the first time I've told this story. Um, very much. Like, we would go... We went and scr- The first time I saw this film, man, was in, uh, I think it wasn't Redskins, it was Denver. The Broncos. We go and show this to the Broncos, and, uh, Robert Griffin III was the quarterback, I think. Yeah, he was there. And, um, I was with Ben Foster, and Ben had seen it. And I was... I watched it the first time with the Denver fucking Broncos, sitting in this theater, and I was a mess. A mess, yeah. It- it's just the pressure, right? I think.

    7. JR

      Yeah.

    8. TK

      But I love it.

    9. JR

      Do it honor.

    10. TK

      Yeah, truly. And then my first email was to Dan, his dad, and he thanked me and that's all that really fu- And Marcus. But yeah, they thanked me and that was really all I fucking need.

    11. JR

      That's got to be a very intense kind of a role because you're playing a real human being whose family's still alive.

    12. TK

      Maureen, Johnny, Dan, uh, the whole family. And there's a Destroyer, uh, fucking Beach, uh, uh, uh, mail, uh, uh, mail UPS, or not UPS but like a fucking, um, stamp or whatever named after him. There's fucking... It's insane. There's all these huge, uh, honorary plaques and statues and all this kind of stuff. So if you let it, like, overwhelm you, it definitely can. Yeah, but it- it's been... I mean, that's where all this, my love for these guys, is- is really stemmed from that. You know? Um, that's where it's like... I- I've played SEALs a lot and it's- it's... I'm never raised military or... My grandfather served, but it was... It's an infectious group, man. It's like a brotherhood that's so real.

    13. JR

      Exceptional humans.

    14. TK

      Truly, truly. And people don't understand these guys are the best fucking problem solvers on the planet. They're doctors, they're lawyers, they're fucking smart. And, uh, so, I don't know, I've just been embedded and I think once you're in with these guys, you know, um, you're- you're- you don't take it for granted. It's like, I've made calls to a buddy of mine that, uh... One of the most decorated SEALs alive, and, uh, he trained me for Lone, uh, Ray Mendoza. He just came out with Warfare, uh, that movie. That's, uh, his best friend, uh, his story. And, um, unbelievable guy. But I'll call Ray, and Ray was doing second unit on- on, uh, Terminalist, Dark Wolf, and he's like a brother to me. And l- no joke, you're like, "Hey man, I need a favor," and he's like, he'll fucking bury someone for you, man. (laughs) This guy, like, "Yeah, what do you- what do you need? What- what is it?" And it's like, it's just that whole brotherhood that it's like unquestionably, undeniably loyal.

    15. JR

      Yeah.

    16. TK

      And like Marcus, like, I mean, we're chatting a lot lately just because I'm shooting in Huntsville in a couple weeks and he's not far. But like my- my sister, I took some time off to help my sister because she was using drugs, and, um, and I just needed somewhere to fucking go. Just, I can't be in Austin. I tried LA. She's still using, she's still relapsing. I... Fucking Marcus. Call Marcus, I'm like, "Let's... I... This is what's going on." He's like, "Bring her here. Bring her to the ranch. There's no fucking fentanyl, there's no heroin, there's no meth on this fucking ranch, man. Bring her here." And so I... uh, she's not using at the ranch, so we went to the ranch. In 10 days I know she's gonna be fucking (laughs) clean, 'cause there's just... All we're doing is driving around looking for hogs-

    17. JR

      Yeah.

    18. TK

      ... or like hanging out, fishing, whatever it is. But he's just a, a beautiful guy, man. And where he is now is just... He's lighter on his feet. It's so beautiful to see. He was hurting on Lone, going through a lot of fucking, um, surgery still, all this stuff. So, uh, they're just so loyal and just great guys.

    19. JR

      Yeah, very, very exceptional people. Your season, your shot. The NFL season is rolling and every touchdown can bring you closer to a payout with DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. Every game is another chance to cash in. Don't just watch the action, win with it. DraftKings Sportsbook delivers the unmatched intensity of the NFL right to your fingertips. From the first touchdown score to any time TD props or the thrill of live in-game betting, every snap is loaded with opportunity. New customers, this one is for you. Bet just $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly. Plus, score over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. Your season is heating up. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use the code ROGAN, that's code ROGAN, to get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you place your first $5 bet. Plus, over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. In partnership with DraftKings, the crown is yours.

    20. NA

      Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. In New York, call 877-8OPENWIRE. Text OPENWIPE 467369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. Fees may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Agent eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. See sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. NFL Sunday Ticket offer for new subscribers only and auto renews until canceled. Digital games and commercial use excluded. Restrictions apply. Additional NFL Sunday Ticket terms at youtube.com/go/NFLSundayTicket/terms. Limited time offer.

    21. JR

      Have you been paying attention to what they're doing in Texas for veterans?

    22. TK

      Yes.

    23. JR

      This ibogaine initiative?

    24. TK

      Yes.

    25. JR

      Yeah.

    26. TK

      Awesome.

    27. JR

      Huge.

    28. TK

      Awesome.

    29. JR

      It's, it's so remarkable how effective it is.

    30. TK

      Yeah.

  4. 45:001:00:00

    One in 30 days?…

    1. TK

      um, uh, with a psych. And I was like-

    2. NA

      One in 30 days?

    3. TK

      One every week.

    4. NA

      Oh.

    5. TK

      And I was like, "We need lot more than one a week." And, um, so I dr- and my sis was a runner. And, uh, so you sign this fucking contract and it's like, if she runs, if she leaves, if she does this, this, this, and that, you, she's out. We kick her out, and we keep your money. Two hours in, gone.

    6. NA

      Ohh.

    7. TK

      I get a call (laughs) yeah. I get a call from this LA number, and I'm like, "No fucking way." Okay, there's 30 grand gone. I'm gonna find another one. She went to another one, little better, cool, yeah, got twice a week. Two days later she runs again. So I'm down 65K in three days. (laughs)

    8. NA

      (laughs)

    9. TK

      And I'm like, bleeding cash. And then I figure out, like, another spot. She stayed, like, 30 days, relapsed, and then, um, yeah, she kept relapsing and then, uh, multiple times. Narcan'd up in Calabasas, there's a place, and she left. And, uh, this one girl, she had, uh, night terrors. And, um, so, they would, she had, I would walk around, Joe, with this fucking, uh, Ziploc bag of pills, of like, antidepressants, for her night terrors, sleeping pills, all these things to just take away this trauma, for whatever beat it would be within her, right? And there's an amazing doc up there, an South African guy that deals with women addicts and trauma, and, uh, she was there for a while, and that was really great. And she got a hold of these sleeping pills, and they're supposed to give you one every night, and the girl put the bottle up on the little half door. You know those doors, swinging doors?

    10. NA

      Mm-hmm.

    11. TK

      Yeah. And, um, so she grabbed the bottle, and she was, as a lot of these sober livings are, they're pretty incestuous and, and the guys sleep with the girls, vice versa obviously, and um, she was dating a g- a kid named Mike there. And so she went to m- that part of the house and said goodbye to Mike. And to this kid's credit, um, he was like, "That's a little weird. You didn't say goodnight, you just said goodbye." And so she goes up, hammers 60-something sleeping pills-

    12. NA

      Oh, Jesus.

    13. TK

      ... yeah, and, uh, he goes and tells. He's like, "Hey, this ain't right. You gotta go check on her." So long story short, call the ambulance, and the medic, to his credit, is like, "Go grab the fucking bottle." And, uh, grabs a bottle, and shows this medic, and he's like, "We're pumping her stomach right now in the ambulance." And, um, what saved her life were their time release.

    14. NA

      Oh.

    15. TK

      Isn't that fucking crazy?

    16. NA

      Wild.

    17. TK

      Yeah, wild. So I got this call and I lost my mind, for giving her, uh, the bottle. Um, but yeah, she, at that point, she kind of just fucking ran again, went to a drug house. She hates using, uh, needles, so someone would shoot her up. Yeah, so as you know-

    18. NA

      Ugh.

    19. TK

      ... if you're fucking sober 92 days, whatever it was, if you use what you were using before, you're fucking gone.

    20. NA

      'Cause your tolerance is gone.

    21. TK

      Yeah, yeah, exactly.

    22. NA

      Yeah.

    23. TK

      So they drop... It's a fucking movie. They dropped her off at the stoop of this hospital, and she got Narcan'd. I didn't know any of this part. I didn't, I wasn't privy to this yet.

    24. NA

      Oh my god.

    25. TK

      I'm just driving around looking for her. And, uh, anyway, she's... Just to go back to that environment, I'm like, "I'm outta money. We gotta, I gotta send you back home to Vancouver." And she's like, "You put me to Vancouver, I'm gonna die." And I'm like, "Well, it ain't working well (laughs) here either." And, uh, she was at a psych ward on 34th and Lamar. Uh, that was a fucked up story, but, um, for like ten days. Um, but anyway, she got, she went to this place called the Westy House in New Westminster just outside Vancouver, and it's a, it was a women's only, and she was there. She ran there, and I got her back in, and she got clean, and hasn't looked back since, right.

    26. NA

      Ran again?

    27. TK

      I know, man.

    28. JR

      Whoo.

    29. TK

      Vancouver-

    30. JR

      Boy, those phone calls must be rough.

  5. 1:00:001:15:00

    Mm-hmm. …

    1. TK

      and I honestly do believe I've just worked my way through stubbornly. Like, I'll just outwork people. It's not like I was gifted this talent or... It truly isn't. I'll just outwork people, and then now it's like 44 now, which is crazy. And, um, now I'm starting to be like, "Okay, you're thinking about kids. You're thinking about..." I need a little more balance.

    2. JR

      Mm-hmm.

    3. TK

      But then I start this balance, and it scares the fuck out of me and I don't like it.

    4. JR

      How does it scare you?

    5. TK

      Just, it's the comfort, right? It's like, "Oh, Kitch, don't take this. Just go keep fly fishing. Keep, you know, just go on a motorcycle trip. Go..." Which is great, and I'll still do it, but I'm just so conscious of it, of like, "Don't get fucking comfortable."

    6. JR

      Right.

    7. TK

      "Don't think."

    8. JR

      Right.

    9. TK

      "Don't rest on your-"

    10. JR

      Right.

    11. TK

      "... work." You know?

    12. JR

      Comfort's not bad if you earn it.

    13. TK

      Right.

    14. JR

      But you gotta earn the fuck out of it.

    15. TK

      Yeah.

    16. JR

      Where like, when you're sitting on that couch, you know that you actually need to recover. Like-

    17. TK

      Yeah, true.

    18. JR

      ... if you're gonna keep going, you need to recover. So, like, watching South Park is probably good for you.

    19. TK

      Yeah, yeah, yeah. (laughs)

    20. JR

      Actually like medicine.

    21. TK

      Yeah, yeah. (laughs)

    22. JR

      You know? Just fucking let me just zone out and jiggle.

    23. TK

      True, true.

    24. JR

      Yeah.

    25. TK

      But there is that, I think... I don't know, do you have that with the- the fear of failure still of just like...

    26. JR

      Of it all falling apart?

    27. TK

      That-

    28. JR

      Yeah.

    29. TK

      ... and like, I'm on set in two weeks, and I'm fucking scared.

    30. JR

      Yeah.

  6. 1:15:001:21:00

    Of course. …

    1. TK

      Waco wanted nothing to do with us.

    2. JR

      Of course.

    3. TK

      So, yeah, rightfully so.

    4. JR

      Yeah.

    5. TK

      So we shot that in Santa Fe.

    6. JR

      They like to change that in history.

    7. TK

      (laughs) Yeah, man. And, uh, his c-

    8. JR

      Waco's a great town, by the way.

    9. TK

      Yeah.

    10. JR

      It's great.

    11. TK

      It's grown, like, enormously too.

    12. JR

      Yeah.

    13. TK

      Um, but, um, yeah, his motorcycle came for sale, and obviously they knew we were making it.

    14. JR

      Yeah.

    15. TK

      I kicked tires on it, and, uh, they wanted just... It was probably worth two grand, they wanted 15 or something, and it was just like, "Go fuck yourself." I mean-

    16. JR

      Right, they were just trying to make money off that custom.

    17. TK

      And what... Honestly, like you just said, "What am I gonna do with his moto?"

    18. JR

      Yeah, I thought it was, I wa- I thought it was silly at first, and then after a while, I'd be like, "D- dog, I can't do this."

    19. TK

      Yeah.

    20. JR

      Yeah. I, w- when, before we opened up the Comedy Mothership in town, I was under contract for this place called the One World Theater that was also owned by a cult.

    21. TK

      Here?

    22. JR

      Yeah.

    23. TK

      No way.

    24. JR

      Yeah, the One World Theater, you know where it is? It's on B-

    25. TK

      No.

    26. JR

      Cave. Well, (laughs) this is what's fucked up (laughs) about the story.

    27. TK

      (laughs)

    28. JR

      Ron White performed there once 'cause they have concerts there. And Ron White did standup, and we were talking about opening up a club, and he said, (imitating Ron White) "You should buy that place down on B Cave. It's the fucking shit. It's a beautiful theater. I think it's for sale."

    29. TK

      Yeah.

    30. JR

      "I played there once, it's amazing." I was like, "All right. Well, Ron White's the fucking man."

Episode duration: 2:46:41

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