Joe Rogan Experience #1157 - Shooter Jennings

The Joe Rogan ExperienceAug 21, 20182h 8m

Joe Rogan (host), Shooter Jennings (guest), Guest (guest), Narrator, Narrator, Narrator

Sunglasses, celebrity image, and consumer brands (Porsche, Huawei, phones)Social media culture: Instagram, kids online, fads like slime and fidget spinnersHealth and media myths: fruit juice, Diet Coke, studies, and misinformationConspiracy culture: flat Earth, reptilians, Bohemian Grove, Freeway Rick RossAlex Jones, Sandy Hook, de‑platforming, and the limits of free speech onlineRussian/Chinese hacking, bots, and the broader vulnerability of internet systemsMusic and artistry: Shooter’s catalog, Johnny Cash, Highwaymen, Sturgill Simpson

In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Joe Rogan and Shooter Jennings, Joe Rogan Experience #1157 - Shooter Jennings explores shooter Jennings, Alex Jones, and Surviving the Social Media Firestorm Joe Rogan and Shooter Jennings start with light banter about sunglasses, fashion, and consumer tech, then quickly drift into a long-form discussion about social media culture, parenting, fads, and health myths. They spend substantial time on conspiracy culture, Alex Jones, and what it means when tech platforms collectively de‑platform someone. Throughout, they wrestle with ideas of free speech, “mob justice” online, Russian bots, and the chaotic adolescence of the internet age. They finish by pivoting back to music, talking about Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson, Jennings’ genre-bending career, and the importance of compassion and authenticity in a hyperconnected world.

Shooter Jennings, Alex Jones, and Surviving the Social Media Firestorm

Joe Rogan and Shooter Jennings start with light banter about sunglasses, fashion, and consumer tech, then quickly drift into a long-form discussion about social media culture, parenting, fads, and health myths. They spend substantial time on conspiracy culture, Alex Jones, and what it means when tech platforms collectively de‑platform someone. Throughout, they wrestle with ideas of free speech, “mob justice” online, Russian bots, and the chaotic adolescence of the internet age. They finish by pivoting back to music, talking about Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson, Jennings’ genre-bending career, and the importance of compassion and authenticity in a hyperconnected world.

Key Takeaways

Social media amplifies insecurity and distortion—especially for kids.

Rogan and Jennings highlight how selfie filters, Insta-model culture, and like-chasing behavior create unrealistic self-images and social pressure, even for children just starting on platforms like Instagram.

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Fads and products can explode unpredictably and reshape markets.

They note how fidget spinners and DIY slime suddenly dominated kids’ lives, boosting companies like Elmer’s and Tide, illustrating how fast cultural and economic waves can form from seemingly trivial trends.

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Be skeptical of single studies and health headlines.

Their discussion of fruit juice, Diet Coke, and contradictory nutrition research underlines how media often oversimplifies flawed or narrow studies, so individuals should avoid overreacting to isolated findings.

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Conspiracy thinking becomes dangerous when speculation is stated as fact.

Using Alex Jones and Sandy Hook as examples, they argue the real harm comes when broadcasters present unverified theories—like calling grieving parents crisis actors—as certainties, fueling harassment and real-world incidents.

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De‑platforming raises hard questions about who controls speech online.

They worry that coordinated bans by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and others turn a few corporations into gatekeepers of public discourse, and argue criteria for removal must be transparent, consistent, and narrowly defined.

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The internet is in an ‘adolescent’ phase of societal integration.

Rogan frames the current era as a chaotic developmental stage where humanity is still learning to handle mass, instantaneous communication; missteps, overreactions, and new forms of mob behavior are part of that transition.

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Authenticity and artistic freedom can outweigh commercial strategy.

Jennings describes how labels cooled when his second record deviated from expectations, but he kept shifting styles and following his interests—from country to concept albums—showing a long-game commitment to honest expression over radio conformity.

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Notable Quotes

““People are never satisfied with the truth… that’s why gorgeous women turn themselves into cartoons with selfie filters.””
— Joe Rogan

““There’s a point of money where people start coming and wanting a part of you, and then you start selling your soul.””
— Shooter Jennings

““We’re going through an adolescent stage as a being… a hailstorm of information, and no one knows how to stop the fire.””
— Joe Rogan

““I just think Alex Jones is a casualty because he’s always been that guy, and now everything is so hot.””
— Shooter Jennings

““We gotta stop yelling at each other. The best times come when we’re nice to each other.””
— Joe Rogan

Questions Answered in This Episode

Where should platforms draw the line between protecting users from harm and preserving even offensive free speech?

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How much responsibility should broadcasters and influencers bear for real-world actions taken by their most extreme followers?

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Are today’s social media ‘mob justice’ dynamics fundamentally new, or just a digital version of older crowd behaviors?

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What practical steps can parents take to let kids use social media without crushing them with likes, filters, and comparison?

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Is it possible to build a truly decentralized, censorship-resistant social network that doesn’t also enable large-scale abuse?

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Transcript Preview

Joe Rogan

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Four, three, two, one. Oh, and the sweet, sweet sound of amplified voices and my man, Shooter Jennings.

Shooter Jennings

(laughs) Hey, man.

Joe Rogan

Dude, you look like you're supposed to wear sunglasses. Some dudes wear sunglasses and you're like, "Bitch, get those sunglasses off."

Shooter Jennings

(laughs)

Joe Rogan

But you, you look like you're supposed to be wearing sunglasses.

Shooter Jennings

There was a point in time when I moved here, uh, I remember... Well, for a while they were, uh, prescription, so I had an excuse for a long time, but I went back to contacts. But there was a point in time wh- when I, I remember turning to my friend, I was like 21, and I was like, "I think I'm just gonna keep them on all the time. And then-"

Joe Rogan

(laughs)

Shooter Jennings

"And then it'll just be a thing. And that way I can just... If I have to close my eyes, nobody will notice, or if I'm stoned, nobody will notice."

Joe Rogan

When people get super famous, like Jay-Z famous, they wear 'em inside everywhere, just so people don't catch a glimpse of their eyes-

Shooter Jennings

(laughs) Right.

Joe Rogan

... and hand them a demo tape. "Hey-"

Shooter Jennings

See, if you start out like a scrub wearing them-

Joe Rogan

(laughs)

Shooter Jennings

... then, then it's weird if you take them off, you know?

Joe Rogan

Well, it's a different thing in the Black community too. Um, like a real cool Black artist is just allowed. They're just allowed. They can just do it.

Shooter Jennings

Right, right.

Joe Rogan

They can-

Shooter Jennings

I mean, I, I'd be disappointed if, like, I saw Bob Dylan out somewhere and he wasn't wearing them. Like, Kris Kristofferson-

Joe Rogan

Right.

Shooter Jennings

... wears them all the time.

Joe Rogan

Yeah.

Shooter Jennings

He has the good fade too. It's like black, brown, white kinda.

Joe Rogan

Yeah, he fits right the fuck in. Conor McGregor, he can wear them indoors.

Shooter Jennings

Oh, yeah.

Joe Rogan

Some dudes can wear them indoors.

Shooter Jennings

(laughs)

Joe Rogan

If I wore them indoors, I'd be a douchebag. I can't-

Shooter Jennings

(laughs)

Joe Rogan

(laughs) Plus, the kind I wear, I wear like, you know, fucking sport ones. I have a couple pairs of those that look cool, like a cool-ass aviator type ones.

Shooter Jennings

Hey, these are Porsches. My dad used to wear-

Joe Rogan

Ooh.

Shooter Jennings

... Porsches.

Joe Rogan

Oh, nice.

Shooter Jennings

And like, at one point I, I ran across their purple ones and I was like, I bought like four pairs and I keep breaking them and this is my last one.

Joe Rogan

Those are very dope.