Joe Rogan Experience #1265 - Andrew Schulz
Joe Rogan (host), Andrew Schulz (guest), Guest (unidentified friend/producer) (guest), Narrator, Guest (unidentified friend/producer) (guest), Jamie Vernon (guest), Narrator, Guest (unidentified friend/producer) (guest), Narrator, Narrator, Guest (unidentified friend/producer) (guest)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz, Joe Rogan Experience #1265 - Andrew Schulz explores andrew Schulz and Joe Rogan Deconstruct Comedy, Controversy, and Hustle Online Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz dig into how Schulz built a career after being rejected by traditional TV and streaming platforms, by chopping his stand-up into short, topic-based clips and flooding YouTube weekly. They compare old gatekeeper-driven models (HBO, Comedy Central, sitcoms) with today’s direct-to-fan ecosystem where YouTube, podcasts, and clips serve as the new ‘Tonight Shows’ and marketing engines. A big theme is authenticity: in comedy, in controversial material (trans jokes, racial slurs, MeToo, politics), and in how comics handle success, ego, and the temptation to pander. Throughout, they veer into relationships, male sexuality, MMA and martial arts, social media addiction, and how discomfort, failure, and even paranoia are used as tools to get better at both art and life.
Andrew Schulz and Joe Rogan Deconstruct Comedy, Controversy, and Hustle Online
Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz dig into how Schulz built a career after being rejected by traditional TV and streaming platforms, by chopping his stand-up into short, topic-based clips and flooding YouTube weekly. They compare old gatekeeper-driven models (HBO, Comedy Central, sitcoms) with today’s direct-to-fan ecosystem where YouTube, podcasts, and clips serve as the new ‘Tonight Shows’ and marketing engines. A big theme is authenticity: in comedy, in controversial material (trans jokes, racial slurs, MeToo, politics), and in how comics handle success, ego, and the temptation to pander. Throughout, they veer into relationships, male sexuality, MMA and martial arts, social media addiction, and how discomfort, failure, and even paranoia are used as tools to get better at both art and life.
Key Takeaways
Leverage platforms directly instead of waiting for industry permission.
After every network passed on his special, Schulz cut it into a 15-minute piece and then weekly joke clips on YouTube. ...
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Think like music: release ‘singles’ (clips) instead of only ‘albums’ (specials).
Schulz uses individual, topic-labeled bits as “access points” the way musicians use hit singles. ...
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Authenticity beats image and pandering, especially over the long term.
They argue the comics who last are those who tell the uncomfortable truth their audience already feels deep down, not the version that flatters people’s ideals or politics. ...
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Use rejection and discomfort as information, not as identity wounds.
Schulz reframed being shut out by the ‘stand-up industry’ as feedback: the hour was too long, so he made it shorter; platforms weren’t interested, so he went directly to fans. ...
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Separate creation from external validation to stay sane and prolific.
Both describe a phase where they stopped chasing specials, sitcoms, and industry approval and focused entirely on making the best material they could control. ...
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Understand that offense is often about intent and power, not just words.
They dissect slurs, the word “tranny,” and accusations of racism/alt-right, arguing that context and meaning matter more than syllables. ...
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Treat stand-up like a combat sport: precision, honesty, and hard reps.
Rogan likens comedy to martial arts: the only thing that matters is what works in front of a live crowd. ...
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Notable Quotes
“I stopped desiring things I couldn't control. I don't care about a special on HBO or Netflix. I just wanted people to see it.”
— Andrew Schulz
“When people make their own fucking choice, they'll invest as much time as they want.”
— Andrew Schulz
“You can’t fake killing. You can fake literally everything else.”
— Joe Rogan
“Authenticity illuminates all. Those comics can’t follow a real comic.”
— Andrew Schulz
“If you can make someone laugh about something, you force them to think about it.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
How sustainable is Schulz’s ‘clip-first’ strategy for younger comics in an even more saturated YouTube landscape now?
Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz dig into how Schulz built a career after being rejected by traditional TV and streaming platforms, by chopping his stand-up into short, topic-based clips and flooding YouTube weekly. ...
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Where should comedians draw their own personal line between ‘dangerous premises’ and irresponsibly punching down, if at all?
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Do Rogan’s and Schulz’s views on male sexuality and ‘post-nut clarity’ excuse bad behavior, or just describe uncomfortable biological realities?
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How much responsibility do bystanders and support staff actually bear in cases like Harvey Weinstein, and what should accountability look like for them?
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If Netflix, late-night TV, and sitcoms are losing cultural power, what becomes the new ‘gold standard’ for a comedian’s success over the next decade?
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Transcript Preview
Ready? (clears throat) Headphones, sir?
Oh, yeah. Do I have to?
Mm, they're better. (headphones click) You'll lock in. Are we live? Hey, Andrew. How you doing?
I'm good. How are you?
I'm good, man. What's up?
Chilling, man. Thanks for having me.
Thanks for being here, dude.
Of course, of course.
Hey, I like what you're doing.
Thank you.
I like a lot of things what you're doing. Uh, first of all, I like that you're, you decided to put all your shit on YouTube.
Yes.
You're like, "Fuck it."
Yeah.
"Fuck it." Look, it's hard. Look, there's about a million fucking comedians today.
Right, right.
There's more comedians now than ever.
I can take these off. Is that all right?
You don't ... Yeah. You-
I'll lock in. Don't worry.
We don't have to. We don't have to have them on. (clears throat) There's like a million comedians today.
Yeah.
And a lot of these companies are overwhelmed.
Yeah.
They have no room for all these up-and-coming guys that are coming up.
Yeah.
And, you know, some, some guys like you are really good. And-
Thank you.
... there's, they're looking, you know, like, how do you, how do you get your shit out there? Well, just put it out there on YouTube.
Exactly that.
Huh?
Yeah. I mean, everybody just said no to me. That was the thing. So I didn't have a choice.
Well, a lot of people, that's happening to Bryan Callen right now.
Right. And then he just did his, right?
Yeah.
He posted his thing. But, uh-
But he's releasing it on iTunes. He's releasing it on all the other platforms.
Right.
But there's no fucking room.
Yeah. It's, it's a weird thing because, uh, (sighs) I guess for me, you know, the, the standup industry wasn't really inviting to me, even from the beginning. So, uh, a couple years ago, I filmed my own, uh, special. And I did it in, uh, New York. And I did five clubs, and I did the cab rides in between. And the idea was, all right, if you don't fuck with me, at least you can appreciate, you know, this part of standup-
Mm-hmm.
... that is being a New York guy.
Did you do 15-minute sets at each place?
Yeah.
Oh, wow. That's cool.
Yeah. So I was like, I was like, "If you love the game-
Yeah.
... you at least will take a look at this and maybe support this."
Right.
And everybody said no. Like, Seeso said no.
Whoa.
And I had a show with them.
(laughs)
Like, like, bro, it was bad. Like humbling, you know?
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