EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,042 words- 0:02 – 2:40
Steve-O’s post-pandemic boom, internet backlash, and learning from criticism
- JRJoe Rogan
Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out.
- JRJoe Rogan
The Joe Rogan Experience.
- JRJoe Rogan
Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night. All day. [upbeat music] Headphones, no headphones? How you wanna do it?
- STSteve-O
Yeah, I don't need headphones.
- JRJoe Rogan
You don't... We're going no headphones.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Fuck it. What's up, dog? How are you?
- STSteve-O
Well, dude, it's been a rollercoaster for me, man. It really-
- JRJoe Rogan
Since the last time I saw you?
- STSteve-O
Uh, big time.
- JRJoe Rogan
What happened?
- STSteve-O
Well, um, let's see here. Um. The, uh, the year of 2022. Last time I saw you, I think it was 2023.
- JRJoe Rogan
Was it that long ago?
- STSteve-O
I think it was, man.
- JRJoe Rogan
Was it? Okay.
- STSteve-O
Yeah. And, uh, man, dude, I was on a high the, the year of 2022. Like, we had, uh, our Jackass movie in theaters, number one. It was big, like, you know, my profile was all, you know, like, white hot. Um, the world just opened up from the pandemic, and everybody had stimulus money, and they were just revenge spending. Everyone wanted to go out to shows, and there were no interest rates. Money was free. It was just, like, a perfect storm for me to have the most successful year of my life. Like, more than double what my next most successful year was. And then, like, I don't know, I- maybe I just got, like, uh, super, super high on that, you know? Like, and it was just like m- I, I f- I was just kind of printing money, you know? Like, selling merch like crazy, and, like, everything was just going so well. And, um, I don't know if maybe, like, you become more successful and, like, people get angry at you, [laughs] you know? But, uh, there's a p- like, a point after that where I felt like, man, the internet turned on me, kinda. You know? Like, I saw a lot of negative comments, people saying that, uh, like, all I do is promote merch. You know, like, there was, uh, there was a bunch of different stuff, and I, um, legitimately agree. That's my thing, is w- when I see a negative comment about me, if I agree with it, then it really bothers me, you know? And I gotta do something-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... about it, you know? I think... And, and I've heard you say that, that, uh, you know, that, that, that, uh, taking criticism constructively is, like, super helpful.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's very helpful.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
The problem with the internet is there's t- it's overwhelming. It's too many, too many voices.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
Too many different people.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's why I would never recommend for a person like you to even read the comments.
- STSteve-O
Right. I... W- what I did was, um-
- 2:40 – 4:18
The Post Malone eyebrow tattoo and why Steve-O’s life didn’t change
- JRJoe Rogan
Do you have a dick tattooed on your right eyebrow?
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Is that what that is?
- STSteve-O
That's exactly what-
- JRJoe Rogan
How long do you have to keep that for?
- STSteve-O
I don't have to keep it for any amount of time, but-
- JRJoe Rogan
Is it on a bet or anything?
- STSteve-O
Uh, I mean, it is a bet, how long it'll last before I get it lasered off.
- JRJoe Rogan
And is there a, a money-
- STSteve-O
No
- JRJoe Rogan
... value to this bet?
- STSteve-O
No, it's more of a, an experiment. [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- STSteve-O
But I, but I've been doing really well with it and-
- JRJoe Rogan
It's not even a good dick.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
It's, like, a weird dick. Like a banana dick. 'Cause it's-
- STSteve-O
Um, it, it's, it's, uh, it's pretty awesome. [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
[laughs]
- STSteve-O
And it, and it was, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
I thought you were bad at taking criticism. [laughs]
- STSteve-O
[laughs] It, uh, it, it, it was done by Post Malone.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, that makes it even better.
- STSteve-O
Very... It makes it awesome. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
I don't expect to keep it forever, but I was very shocked when I got it that my life didn't really change a whole lot.
- JRJoe Rogan
Eh, it's you.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- 4:18 – 8:50
MrBeast challenge win, Beast Games hype, and the pyramid controversy lesson
- STSteve-O
Maybe not. But, uh... And, and then coming into 2026, I was like, "Wow, I did this." I, I, I, uh, texted you. I was like, "Dude, I've, I've got on this MrBeast thing. I won the whole damn thing." And, uh, you know, the, this video, he made 30 celebrities compete to win a million dollars for charity.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- STSteve-O
And-
- JRJoe Rogan
Who were you on with?
- STSteve-O
Uh, dude, it was b- uh, so Matt Rife was one of them.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, cool.
- STSteve-O
Sal Vulcano.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, nice.
- STSteve-O
Howie Mandel.
- JRJoe Rogan
Nice.
- STSteve-O
Diplo.
- JRJoe Rogan
Nice.
- STSteve-O
The Bella twins.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, the... So that's a crazy group of people.
- STSteve-O
It was really crazy.
- JRJoe Rogan
You said there was 20? 20 people?
- STSteve-O
30 of them.
- JRJoe Rogan
30? Oh, wow.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, 30.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- STSteve-O
Like, like, not half-ass celebrities by any measure. And, uh, yeah, I won the whole damn thing, which was-
- JRJoe Rogan
So what was involved? What'd you have to do?
- STSteve-O
Um, there was, uh, the... I mean, it was, it was an exercise in promoting his Beast Games on Prime.
- JRJoe Rogan
Uh-huh.
- STSteve-O
Which, by the way, is the most phenomenal TV show that I've ever watched. It's like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, my daughter was just telling me about it. She was saying it's so good.
- STSteve-O
It is unbelievably good. And, and I'm not being paid to say that, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
He's a wizard, man. That dude's very smart.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, I got to-
- JRJoe Rogan
He, he's, like, a really interesting guy, like, 'cause he's kind of open about what he does, and he tells people how to do it.
- 8:50 – 11:26
Crowd disruption, burnout, and Steve-O’s new way of handling hecklers
- STSteve-O
Yeah. Like d- like there was a... I don't know if I was burned out, like, if I was touring, but, like, um, there was a point going through 2022 in particular, 2023, where, like, I just... I, I, I would lose my mind over people being disruptive in the audience at my shows. Like, I don't even wanna, um, call them hecklers because I think, like, heckler has, like, a connotation of wittiness to it. I'm talking about just drunk shitheads just-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... yelling s-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah
- STSteve-O
... yelling out and then, and disrupting the show, and I would take the position. I would be like, "Man, you know, uh, the, th- this whole audience of people paid their hard-earned money to come see this show, and this one person yelling out is just fundamentally disrespecting everybody who's here, and I'm not standing for it. I'm drawing a hard..." You know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
And I would be like... I would, I would s- I would snap, be like, "No," and I would be throwing people out. What happened was everybody thought I was a dick, you know? And, like, maybe so.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm.
- STSteve-O
Like, maybe I, I was burned out, and it was, like, this-
- JRJoe Rogan
You were overreacting. Right.
- STSteve-O
Overreacting.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
And, and, like, that's, that's another piece of criticism that I really, really took to heart, and now it's been over two years, like, well over two years since I've even scolded an audience member-
- JRJoe Rogan
That's cool
- STSteve-O
... or throw them out.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's great. You just gotta kinda put that energy out there at the beginning, we're all here to have a good time, you know?
- STSteve-O
Sure.
- JRJoe Rogan
We're all, we're all here to have a good time. Let them know. It's like, like, if someone's yelling out, like, "Come on, man. Keep it to yourself. Stay, stay calm."
- STSteve-O
Well, right. The, the, the-
- JRJoe Rogan
"Hold it together."
- STSteve-O
If I get, like, really pushed in an, in an egregious situation, the farthest I'll go is I'll say, "Hey, you know what, guys? I used to get really bent out of shape over people being disruptive, but I don't do it anymore." And that tends to d-
- JRJoe Rogan
That's good.
- STSteve-O
And, and as soon as I stopped reacting so much, like, the problem mellowed out. [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, you gotta realize, like, your entire career, you've kinda been a disruptor.
- STSteve-O
Sure.
- JRJoe Rogan
So it's kind of natural-
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
... that disruptive people would be attracted to come to your show.
- STSteve-O
Of course. Of course. I get it.
- JRJoe Rogan
And then you're, you're saying, "Please be polite at this m- moment in time." [laughs]
- 11:26 – 25:07
Choke-outs, Jackass-era stunts, and why some footage was ‘too dark’
- JRJoe Rogan
Bro, I still to this day cringe when Tim Kennedy choked you unconscious-
- STSteve-O
Oh
- JRJoe Rogan
... and then let you drop. I was m-
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
... mad at him.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, that, that was-
- JRJoe Rogan
I was mad at him. He didn't have to let you drop like that.
- STSteve-O
I did ask him to drop me, which was wrong.
- JRJoe Rogan
I would've said no.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
I would've said no. If you made me do that to you, first of all, I would've-
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
... tried to talk you out of it, but then I would've said, "There's no way I'm gonna let you drop."
- STSteve-O
In hindsight, it wasn't particularly funny. [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Not only was it not funny, it was, like, super disturbing.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
I would've put a cushion under you at the very least.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know? Like a nice-
- STSteve-O
Like a-
- JRJoe Rogan
Like a-
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
... like one of them judo pads where they throw people on.
- STSteve-O
Especially being choked out in and of itself is not-
- JRJoe Rogan
Not that bad
- STSteve-O
... it's not, it's not really a dangerous thing.
- JRJoe Rogan
Probably not the best way.
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, I don't know what the data is. I don't think a lot of jujitsu people have, uh, done double-blind ple- placebo controlled studies on-
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- 25:07 – 30:15
WWE knockout story and the hidden brutality of pro wrestling
- STSteve-O
Nah, I, I'm not at that level. Um, I got knocked out, um, in the WWE ring-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oy
- STSteve-O
... on Monday Night Raw. It was... Dude, this was, this was a, a heavy one, man. Everybody-
- JRJoe Rogan
What'd you get hit with?
- STSteve-O
Uh, and it was an elbow that really put me out.
- JRJoe Rogan
Who hit you?
- STSteve-O
Umaga. This is... They, they call his, his fighter name-
- JRJoe Rogan
[laughs]
- STSteve-O
... in the WWE was the Samoan Bulldozer.
- JRJoe Rogan
Bro, Samoans got some heavy bones.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, so-
- JRJoe Rogan
You don't wanna get hit by a Samoan. [laughs]
- STSteve-O
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, dude, I bet you can bring that one up. It really is-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, my goodness
- STSteve-O
... the, the Monday Night Raw, Steve-O and Chris Pontius. We were promoting the second Jackass movie.
- JRJoe Rogan
Pontius is-
- STSteve-O
So we're gonna get in the ring. We're, we're, we're getting in the ring. We're, we're doing a whole match, and it's, it's fascinating the way that they kind of block out what the matches are. It's, it's kind of like a jam band.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
You know? Like a jam band that you've got, like, the kinda tentpole moments, and then you just kinda fill it in. But it's like w- there's gonna... This is gonna happen, this is gonna happen, this is gonna happen. And, um, what was to be the last move, uh, it's called a splash, where this 350-pound Samoan Bulldozer's gonna jump off the top rope and j- with, with me laying on the ground, and, like, body slam, you know-
- JRJoe Rogan
Uh-huh
- STSteve-O
... off the top rope. But what I didn't understand, what I didn't know, is that the match, for it to be over, that means the person who lost, like, stops moving, you know? You're not s-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's the only way?
- STSteve-O
You're, well, you're not supposed to move around after that.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, you moved around.
- STSteve-O
I moved. And so, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
And so he put you to sleep.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, like, he jumped off the top rope, and it was such a devastating blow that I couldn't help but react, you know? I was like, "Oh," you know, like, "Whoa," like, and I'm laughing and rolling around. Like, I can't even believe it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, no.
- STSteve-O
And he, and he's looking at me like, oh, now I'm disrespecting him because I'm moving around.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- 30:15 – 34:31
Meniscus surgery, peptides/TRT logistics, and tracking health with wearables
- STSteve-O
I've been pretty lucky. Like, for the most part, I, you know, I've, uh, I've had some hardware in my ankle. I've had hardware in my collarbone. I had meniscus surgery on my knee.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's it for your knees, just one?
- STSteve-O
Just one, and, and-
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow
- STSteve-O
... it was an elective one, too. Like, it was a partially torn meniscus.
- JRJoe Rogan
Why'd you decide to have it, get it snipped?
- STSteve-O
Because, um, I was told that, um-That it would be better, it would-- I don't know, like, uh, in the long run it would, my knee would be better for it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm. Yeah, I had it done on my left knee, and it was pretty good until a skiing accident a few years ago, and it's been like irritating the shit out of me since then. Then I've had a few other little injuries with it. But, um, the thing about it is, like, that cushion, once it's gone, it's gone. Like-
- STSteve-O
Yeah
- JRJoe Rogan
... it doesn't come back. And that cushion's kind of important. Like, my knee always felt a little loose, like that cushion really goes banging around in there.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
They do replace meniscus. They use cadaver meniscus, but it's not 100%. It doesn't always work. I don't know, I think they have to cut the entirety of your meniscus out and put a cadaver one in there-
- STSteve-O
Man
- JRJoe Rogan
... and then sew it in place.
- STSteve-O
That recovery from that meniscus surgery was rough.
- JRJoe Rogan
Really?
- STSteve-O
Yeah. Like that, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
I thought that was one of the easiest ones.
- STSteve-O
For me, man, it, my, my knee really hurt for quite a while.
- JRJoe Rogan
Um, were you doing anything for it? How long ago was this?
- STSteve-O
I mean, I did physical therapy.
- JRJoe Rogan
2006, is that what you said?
- STSteve-O
Uh, well, no. The-
- JRJoe Rogan
How long was it, the knee surgery?
- STSteve-O
The, the, the meniscus was recent.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, recent.
- STSteve-O
That was 2023.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay. Well, um, get on some peptides. That's, that'll probably help it.
- STSteve-O
I, I, I was. I was doing peptides.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah?
- 34:31 – 38:42
Concussions in Jackass Forever and the broader head-trauma reality check
- STSteve-O
The, uh, the, the last Jackass movie we did, the, the fourth one, Jackass Forever-
- JRJoe Rogan
Uh-huh
- STSteve-O
... they had this huge treadmill. It's like treadmill for horses, and they got us, they, they got it just humming, and, uh, all of us, they got a bunch of us, the, the cast, dressed up in marching band, like, with marching band. And, like, we're marching, playing our instruments, and one by one, we jump on this treadmill.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
And, uh, it was hilarious. But dude, I got knocked out so cold. [both laughing] I wonder if you could bring that up, Jamie. Like, I, like, I was out, out for, like, a, a, you know, prob- maybe the longest I've ever been.
- JRJoe Rogan
Did y- how did you get knocked out? What happened?
- STSteve-O
I hit my head. [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
You just fell?
- STSteve-O
Yeah. Like, uh, as I got spit off the end of this treadmill.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Jesus Christ.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You just kinda jumped on it?
- STSteve-O
So it looks like Knoxville went first.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh my God. Oh my God, dude.
- STSteve-O
So I'm like... E- everyone is awake-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, boy
- STSteve-O
... and I am, like, super not awake at all.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Knoxville's bleeding from the head.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You guys are so ridiculous.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
What a silly way to make a living.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, don't do that anymore.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, that-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, boy.
- STSteve-O
[laughs] Yeah, that was, that, that might've been my worst concussion. But-
- JRJoe Rogan
Really?
- STSteve-O
... but there's been, there's b- there's been s- like, more than that even, you know. Not 16, but-
- JRJoe Rogan
The one that hurt me the most was Johnny Knoxville when he was, uh, in that store and Butterbean beat him up.
- 38:42 – 44:28
Sports media in the streaming era: NFL condensed games, spoilers, and UFC UX
- STSteve-O
I, I love it.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's fun to watch, man.
- STSteve-O
You know-
- JRJoe Rogan
I've become a fan.
- STSteve-O
Um, I... What, what really I think was the smartest thing the NFL did, they got into the, the routine with their You- the NFL YouTube channel. At the conclusion of every game, they upload a video to YouTube, which is a condensed version of the game that runs anywhere from, like, 10 to-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm
- STSteve-O
... you know, like, 10 to 15 minutes. So, like, you, you can watch-
- JRJoe Rogan
All the highlights
- STSteve-O
... it's super digestible. More than highlights, like, m- more than SportsCenter. But, like, you know, you're only seeing the awesome stuff.
- JRJoe Rogan
McMahon was involved in an X this is one of the dirtiest plays in NFL history.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh. He just got slammed after the play.
- JRJoe Rogan
After the play, slammed on his head.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's crazy.
- JRJoe Rogan
I think this is, took this end of this season, this play. I don't know which game of the year it was, but-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh my God.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, that's not cool, man.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Look at him. Oh my God. That's crazy that the dude did that. And what did he get, like, a one-game penalty or something?
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, back then, I don't know.
- STSteve-O
Back, yeah, back then it was probably pretty mellow.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. Back then they probably gave him extra steroids. Good job.
- STSteve-O
But I hope this reaches the NFL when I say this, is that as much as... And by the, by the end of the season, whe- whatever it was, 2023, 2024, like, I was so invested because I was watching these digestible, like, uh, YouTube videos, that by the time the playoffs rolled around, I was subscribed to every single different platform because now, like, the stakes are so high, I gotta watch the whole game. Like, they really converted me.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's great.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, it was the smartest thing they did.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's wise. I mean, because you think about it, there's a lot of downtime in football.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
In between plays, a lot of this, a lot of that.
- STSteve-O
Sure.
- 44:28 – 48:38
Boxing vs. UFC presentation, Netflix event numbers, and Zuffa’s boxing push
- STSteve-O
You know what? Like, the, uh, [lip smacks] the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul thing.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- STSteve-O
I understand that they had [clears throat] a, a hundred million viewers.
- JRJoe Rogan
Is that real?
- STSteve-O
I think, I think they did. And then the Jake Paul-
- JRJoe Rogan
That makes sense
- STSteve-O
... Anthony Joshua had, like, maybe 30 million.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
You know, so it was nowhere near. But God, I thought that, I thought that the-
- JRJoe Rogan
Where'd you get those numbers?
- STSteve-O
Just what- whatever. I just saw it on the internet.
- JRJoe Rogan
'Cause I don't know if Netflix gives those numbers out, or maybe they did. Did they say it? Um-
- STSteve-O
108 million
- JRJoe Rogan
... 108 million. Paul-Tyson [clears throat] had 108 million.
- STSteve-O
And then Jo- Anthony Joshua I think was, like, 30.
- JRJoe Rogan
Interesting.
- STSteve-O
So-
- JRJoe Rogan
108 million's crazy.
- STSteve-O
But you know what?
- JRJoe Rogan
That's a lot of fucking people.
- STSteve-O
It's a lot of people, but what a blown opportunity when you think, like, okay, now Netflix had... They knew they were gonna have that many viewers. Or-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... if not that many, they knew they were gonna have a lot.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
They had the opportunity to take the, the boxing model and fix it. And, you know? And, and I don't know, like n-
- JRJoe Rogan
That Netflix did?
- STSteve-O
Yeah. I mean-
- JRJoe Rogan
Netflix has only had a small handful of events, though.
- STSteve-O
Understood. But if you look at the UFC broadcast, just how-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- 48:38 – 53:26
Comedy specials, paywalls vs. reach, and building a Louis C.K.-style platform
- STSteve-O
Right. Well, comedy specials were the same way, right?
- JRJoe Rogan
Sure. Yeah. Um, now, you know, now it's weird 'cause it's like the landscape is so filled with different platforms, and some guys take money over visibility.
- STSteve-O
Sure. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Like there's young guys that have gotten o- offers from places, and I was like, "Listen, man, I think you should put it on YouTube."
- STSteve-O
For sure.
- JRJoe Rogan
You're not gonna make any money, but you gotta think about that money investing in yourself-
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
... 'cause I think you're really good. And I think that this material, if you put it on YouTube, it's gonna go viral. It'll spread around-
- STSteve-O
Right
- JRJoe Rogan
... and way more people will know about you.
- STSteve-O
For sure. I, I sorely regret my approach 'cause, 'cause my, my comedy specials are multimedia and, like, I got stuff in there... I mean, the whole point of, of my comedy with the multimedia is to have stuff that you can't even show on Jackass.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
You know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
Like just, like, s- super extra naughty Jackass movie-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... collides with the stand-up show.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
And, uh, and I love that. I have so much fun with that. And, um, when I put out my last one, um, I d- I did, uh, this thing that Andrew Schulz did, The Moment. You know, like, uh, it's a paywall.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- STSteve-O
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- STSteve-O
Like my... It's his company Moment.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
And I... And, and that was me trying to make money off this special. I mean, I spent so much making it, you know, but whatever. I wish that I would've had no paywall whatsoever. Just, you know, I can't put it on YouTube, but put it on my website so that I could get the eyeballs because I think in the long run that would benefit way more.
- JRJoe Rogan
Why can't you put it on YouTube? 'Cause of the content?
- STSteve-O
Because the, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
It's too extreme?
- STSteve-O
... nudity, violence. [laughs] Like, uh, like literally-
- JRJoe Rogan
That's gonna be hard to distribute anywhere.
- 53:26 – 1:01:35
Steve-O’s faith phase, sponsor ethics, and the bidet vs. wipes rabbit hole
- JRJoe Rogan
Okay
- STSteve-O
... um, the beginning of 2025, and I got, like, really heavy on, like, you know, spirituality and faith. And I like... I'm that way anyway. Like, I real- I real- really care about that. Um, the January of 2025, I get on a... I, I, I get this opportunity to have Mark Wahlberg on my podcast, right? Like, um, and I'm on there, and he's, he's very, like, big into his faith.
- JRJoe Rogan
Very Catholic, yeah.
- STSteve-O
Yeah. Very, very big into his Christianity. And, uh, and I, and I was in the thick of it too at that point. I was like, man, you know, like, I'd, like I've been criticism for, for being a s- a too much of a shill and this and that. And like-
- JRJoe Rogan
It really bothered you that much?
- STSteve-O
It kind of did.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
Yeah. Because I think because I was, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, because it was accurate.
- STSteve-O
It was accurate.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
It absolutely-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... for, for example, last time I was here, I'm like, "Joe, my, my butt wipes for my butthole." And you're like-
- JRJoe Rogan
I thought it was-
- STSteve-O
... "That's bad for the plumbing." [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
It is bad for the plumbing.
- STSteve-O
You know? Right. And, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
You can't flush those things
- STSteve-O
... dude, I like-What, what I wish I said in that moment when, when, uh, when you'd said that how it's bad for plumbing, I'd seen on, um, a package of Dude Wipes, it said, "Only flush one at a time and you'll be okay."
- JRJoe Rogan
Uh-uh.
- STSteve-O
Are you gonna... Remember me?
- JRJoe Rogan
No.
- STSteve-O
That's true. Now they've got... Uh, dude, I stopped selling those fucking things.
- JRJoe Rogan
Don't flush anything other than toilet paper, period.
- STSteve-O
Right. I-
- JRJoe Rogan
Talk to any plumber.
- STSteve-O
Okay.
- JRJoe Rogan
They'll all tell you, don't flush anything other than toilet paper.
- STSteve-O
But dude, like the, the, the internet had a field day when, when you shut down my, my butt wipes plug on-
- 1:01:35 – 1:15:43
Podcast clip backlash: sarcasm about immigrants/ICE, misinterpretation, and response fallout
- JRJoe Rogan
That's good
- STSteve-O
... and then coming into this year, 2026, I was like, oh man, like now with the MrBeast coming out, I'm like, oh, this is gonna change my life. We got a new Jackass movie coming out. Like I feel really good about how I've restored my, uh, my integrity. Like I feel good about myself for myself. And then Joe, [laughs] oh my God. Then I have Harland Williams on my podcast, okay? This guy is the most genius, like the, but like the, he's just so, like you can't even understand the guy. Like he's-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, he's one of the weirdest funny guys of all time.
- STSteve-O
The weirdest, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
This, this snake is on this desk because he kept it in his pants the entire episode telling us that he had a tapeworm, and then he pulled it out at the end of the episode, and I've left it on the desk ever since. And when Trump was in here, I left it on the desk, and he got so excited. He goes, "Hey buddy, thanks for keeping..." Uh, what did he call it?
- SPSpeaker
Dimitri.
- JRJoe Rogan
Di-Dimitri.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Thanks for keeping Dimitri on the desk while Trump was in there.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Like he's just such an oddball.
- STSteve-O
He's so magnificent. I-
- JRJoe Rogan
Such a great guy, too
- STSteve-O
... you know, and, and I record my podcast in an RV, right? I got like three different RVs that I, I use for it, and, and one I keep in Los Angeles. So we get to Harland Williams' house. For some reason I'm driving, and I'm the fucking worst driver ever, and he's got this small driveway, and I'm trying to maneuver it around. And I get out of the van and I, and I'm like, "I don't know how I, I don't know how I can be such a fucking bad driver." And just like that Harland, Harland Williams says to me, he goes, "It's AIDS, Steve-O. You have AIDS." [laughs] Just like the most fucking absurd thing. And so like going into this podcast, I'm like, all right, like now we're entering the realm of the absurd. You know? Like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... let's, let's play with Har-Harland Williams.
- JRJoe Rogan
Okay.
- STSteve-O
Okay? At, at some point in the episode, the, the most fucking dumb idea that ever popped in my head, but I'm, you know, you wanna be like a step ahead and like figure out how like we're gonna keep this going. Like what am I, you know, what, like what's, where are we going to next?
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
So I say to Harland Williams, I'm like, I think at one point I said like, I said, "How about politics?" You know? Like just thinking to myself, this absurd guy, if you ask him about politics, like h- like how does his absurdity-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right
- STSteve-O
... like navigate that? And that's what motivated me. So then somewhere in, in this back and forth, like effectively I say like, "Oh yeah, well, all this shit with ICE makes perfect sense because like, because the majority of immigrants are murderers," right? This is the most patently fucking absurd comment that I've ever made on the podcast. And yet after it comes out, it gets clipped on its own, and the, it genuinely looks like I'm not kidding. Even though you cut to Harland Williams-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh
- STSteve-O
... but it genuinely looks like I wasn't fucking kidding.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
And then I open up my phone and it's like, basically, rot in hell. You that, like, you know, like you think like all immigrants are murderers. Like Joe, I could not be more the opposite of that. [laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
You know? Like-
- JRJoe Rogan
You're, you're being sarcastic.
- STSteve-O
I was, I, I could not have been more, like I could not have been less serious.
- 1:15:43 – 1:30:54
AI, debt, and societal instability: from online hate to macro anxiety
- JRJoe Rogan
Times 10, times 100, times a million, whatever the fuck it is now. And, and this is just the beginning. You know, we're, we're at the brink of something really crazy. As soon as, uh, AI takes over our society, which is, like, within years, we're, we're gonna experience the most radical change this civilization has ever seen.
- STSteve-O
Well, it's a perfect storm.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
Like, it's, it's, it's literally a perfect storm, um, with the, just the unsustainable debt.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, that's part of it.
- STSteve-O
It's, I mean, that's a big part of it, because, because-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, I mean, that's part of it, but it's like even if there was unsustainable debt, you have an artificial life form that's emerging-
- STSteve-O
Well, right
- JRJoe Rogan
... that's infinitely smarter than human beings.
- STSteve-O
What, what I'm saying is that-
- JRJoe Rogan
And has autonomy
- STSteve-O
... the, the unsustainable debt, um, like al- already over a trillion dollars just paying for the interest alone.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
You know, like there's, the, all the, now, like, you know, o- other nations, central banks, whatever, like they, like the, they wanna de-dollarize. They're not buying the, the United States Treasuries the way they were. And that's like how the United States has, has been able to overspend is because they can sell the Treasuries. Now, without people selling the Treasuries, the only, like the only buyer of the Treasuries is the Fed, and they're buying the Treasuries with printing money. You-
- JRJoe Rogan
Is that accurate?
- STSteve-O
I think it's pretty cl-
- JRJoe Rogan
Like what you just said?
- STSteve-O
I think it's, it's-
- JRJoe Rogan
Other countries aren't buying our Treasuries anymore?
- STSteve-O
It, it, it, the, less so. It's be- it's becoming less. It's, uh... The, of course, there's still, like the United States Treasuries is the most liquid, like, you know, but less so. So when it becomes more difficult for the United States to sell its Treasuries, they gotta increase the yield, which means bigger interest payments. So at a certain point, it's like just the paying the interest on the debt is like a crippling thing. And by the Fed printing money the way they're printing, you can't inflate the money supply without devaluing the dollar.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
So inflation more and more is gonna be a thing. Maybe not Weimar Germany or like Zimbabwe inflation, but still, inflation is not gonna go away. You just can't have the money supply increase without that being the case. And so people's purchasing power goes down. Their wages aren't going up.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
So like people's, people are getting more and more squeezed with how much money they can afford to spend, and then on top of that, AI comes and wipes out all the jobs.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. Uh, it's spooky. It's spooky because, uh, no one really knows exactly what's gonna happen.You know, or how it's gonna happen, or how people will be, um, compensated in order to keep society functional. You know, uh, Elon has this, uh, utopian vision of universal high income that people will be-
- STSteve-O
Yeah, UBI, universal basic income.
- JRJoe Rogan
No, no, no.
- STSteve-O
Oh, universal high income?
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. No, his, his utopian vision is that so much money will be generated from AI that you'll be able to give people universal high income so they won't have to work, and so they'll be able to do whatever they wanna do with their life. That's the ideal perspective. The problem is, obviously, that people find a lot of identity in their work.
- STSteve-O
Sure. I mean, I got-
- 1:30:54 – 2:28:12
Trans politics, bathroom rules, and the aborted ‘boob job stunt’
- STSteve-O
You know, um, I, I, I'll be spilling out some of the stuff that I have in my current hour, and I really don't mind. Um, I w- uh, for me, I feel like the bar's gotta keep getting higher and keep getting higher. And so as I went into putting together this new hour that I'm touring with, one of my multimedia bits, like, ended up not being a really great idea, but I thought, "I'm gonna get a fucking boob job." [laughs] Right?
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh yeah, I heard about that.
- STSteve-O
Right. I did-
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you do it?
- STSteve-O
I didn't. I, I, I-
- JRJoe Rogan
Good. Good
- STSteve-O
... I, that, that was, I was within 10 hours of being under the knife.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, don't do that.
- STSteve-O
And, and, uh, like, the universe just intervened, right?
- JRJoe Rogan
'Cause they have to cut your muscle, man.
- STSteve-O
Right. Well, I'm like, I mean, you know the, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
Don't they? Or do they go under the skin?
- STSteve-O
Well, it-
- JRJoe Rogan
They go through your nipples?
- STSteve-O
... to make it, you can do it in multiple different ways. I was, uh, I was told, um... I was interested in just the, the idea... See, because, like, I, I, uh, I'm, I'm now in my 50s, right? And so, like, my whole new hour is, is, the theme of it is, how the fuck is Steve-O supposed to be in his 50s, you know? Like, and so with the putting the stuff up my butt section is, like, the importance of, like, we're at an age, we gotta get prostate exams, colonoscopies, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- STSteve-O
That's a real thing. And so I'm trying to, like, de-stigmatize the prostate exam.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- STSteve-O
[laughs]
- JRJoe Rogan
Sure you are.
- STSteve-O
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
You're definitely not putting things up your ass for entertainment.
- STSteve-O
[laughs] I'm, I'm, I'm blending it together-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay. Okay
- STSteve-O
... and it's pretty awesome. And, uh, you know, one, one of my things is, like, um, you know, it's a rite of passage for men in middle age to, to one day you realize, "Holy fuck, I'm getting tits." [laughs] You know? Like, like, uh, I, I, I noticed it one time. I'm like, "I'm fucking... I got dimples," you know? Like, actual fucking underboob over here. And it's fucking, like, I'm... This wasn't supposed to happen to me. And so, like, that kinda was my motivation. I'm like, if, if this is gonna happen, then, like, I'm lashing out at Father Time. I'm gonna get a boob job. So I had the guy, um, famous plastic surgeon from Botched, D-Terry Dubrow, on my podcast, and I was like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Is he one of those guys that fixes people?
- STSteve-O
[coughs] Yeah, Botched.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
He's great. I, I love that guy. Happened to be, uh, brothers with the lead singer of, uh, Quiet Riot, too.
- JRJoe Rogan
No way.
- 2:19:01 – 2:28:12
Tennessee land, Radical Ranch animal sanctuary, and finding peace off the road
- STSteve-O
Yep. You know, I, I, I got this, um, [clears throat] I moved out to Tennessee. I got this big property.
- JRJoe Rogan
You out in Nashville?
- STSteve-O
45 minutes north of Nashville.
- JRJoe Rogan
Okay, so you're out in the woods.
- STSteve-O
I'm out in the woods. Yeah. All the, you know, fancy, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Do you ever hear a yee-haw in the middle of the night and get worried, hear shotguns in the distance?
- STSteve-O
No, but I've got-
- JRJoe Rogan
Da, dun, dun, dun, dun
- STSteve-O
... this great neighbors, man. Like, uh, my neighbors-
- JRJoe Rogan
You get lucky
- STSteve-O
... my neighbors are so awesome, man.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's cool.
- STSteve-O
Like, I, I've, I, I got the place in September 2023, so I've been out-
- JRJoe Rogan
How did you choose, uh, that area?
- STSteve-O
You know what it was? Like, um, I got the, um... I, I, I started hearing about people getting notifications from their insurance companies in LA that their homeowner's policy wouldn't be renewed because of the risk of fires. And I was like, "Dude, I live in the Hollywood Hills. Like, my... It's just a fucking exercise in waiting for my house to burn down. Like, I've got this fucking house is uninsurable." You know? And like, I was like, "Man, I don't wanna be waiting for my house to burn down." I wanted... And, and I wanted to have a bunch of land so I can open up an animal sanctuary, you know? That's my deal.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's cool.
- STSteve-O
Yeah. So I knew that I wanted to, to get a place outside of California and, um, j- who, who was... It was, it was supposed to be Corey Saint Hagen against Islam in Nashville, Tennessee, and I was like, "Oh, my fuck." It ended up-
- JRJoe Rogan
They're in different weight classes.
- STSteve-O
Oh, okay. Wait, no, no, no, no. Okay, yeah, not Islam. Who was-
- JRJoe Rogan
Umar? Umar Nurmagomedov?
- STSteve-O
Umar. Yeah, Umar.
- JRJoe Rogan
Okay.
- STSteve-O
Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Um, yeah, good, good catch. Uh, it was supposed to be Umar. Like, uh, I was like, "Oh my God, I gotta be there. Fucking so excited." It ended up being Corey Saint Hagen against Rob Font because-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay
- STSteve-O
... the b- Umar backed out somehow or other.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, he got injured?
- STSteve-O
Yeah, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- STSteve-O
Um, so I'm like, "All right. We're, we're fucking going out to..." So I d- d- I decided that I'm gonna go look at properties in, in Tennessee just for a weekend, and you just... The only motivation was to go for the fights.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
Episode duration: 2:38:15
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Transcript of episode XL1igZYP8T8
