Joe Rogan Experience #1160 - Bert Kreischer
Joe Rogan (host), Bert Kreischer (guest), Narrator, Narrator
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Joe Rogan and Bert Kreischer, Joe Rogan Experience #1160 - Bert Kreischer explores bert Kreischer, Comedy, Chaos, And Craft On Joe Rogan Experience Joe Rogan and Bert Kreischer trade stories about brutal comedy clubs, filming specials under pressure, and the importance of bombing to grow as a standup. They dig into how real development happens in front of strangers, not just fans, and how social media and early YouTube videos helped build today’s careers. The conversation ranges from spearfishing obsessions and extreme meat-aging to sobriety experiments, panic attacks, and the physical toll of hard living versus endurance training. Underneath the chaos and laughs is a throughline about autonomy: owning your content, choosing your projects, and structuring life around standup rather than network or studio demands.
Bert Kreischer, Comedy, Chaos, And Craft On Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan and Bert Kreischer trade stories about brutal comedy clubs, filming specials under pressure, and the importance of bombing to grow as a standup. They dig into how real development happens in front of strangers, not just fans, and how social media and early YouTube videos helped build today’s careers. The conversation ranges from spearfishing obsessions and extreme meat-aging to sobriety experiments, panic attacks, and the physical toll of hard living versus endurance training. Underneath the chaos and laughs is a throughline about autonomy: owning your content, choosing your projects, and structuring life around standup rather than network or studio demands.
Key Takeaways
Bombing on stage is essential for growth.
Both Rogan and Kreischer stress that terrible sets and bad moments force you to tighten material, refine structure, and avoid complacency; comfort crowds can hide weaknesses that real club audiences expose instantly.
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Film multiple shows for a special to reduce tension and increase authenticity.
Rogan records four shows and often uses the first because the safety net keeps him loose, while Bert prefers two shows to preserve pressure—but both agree one-shot tapings create stiffness and visible tension.
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Develop material in front of strangers, not just fans.
They argue that working places like The Comedy Store, where only a fraction of the room is there specifically for you, prevents delusion, keeps comics honest, and ensures jokes work beyond a built-in fanbase.
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Use digital platforms early and consistently, but avoid letting them cannibalize your life.
The old Redban-edited road videos were crucial in Rogan’s rise, and Bert’s vlogs and Instagram stories build connection, yet both warn that constant filming and posting can crowd out real life and writing time.
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Structured sobriety experiments can permanently change habits.
Sober October taught them they could sleep, fly, and work without constant alcohol or weed, revealing which substances were genuine choices versus automatic crutches, and some of those changes stuck long-term.
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Health and endurance training demand tradeoffs with a hard-partying lifestyle.
Bert’s triathlon, marathons, and Spartan races forced him to recalibrate drinking, sleep, and stress, showing that you can’t maintain peak performance and constant partying if you want longevity and real physical goals.
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Owning your content and distribution offers more freedom than traditional TV.
They contrast note-heavy, risk-averse network projects with the freedom of podcasts, YouTube shows, and self-produced series like “Something’s Burning,” arguing modern comics should build their own spaces instead of chasing sitcoms and movies.
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Notable Quotes
“Eating shit's the best thing ever for your act.”
— Joe Rogan
“When you do a Netflix special, strangers need to like it.”
— Bert Kreischer
“Comedy could be Cat Stevens, it could be Guns N’ Roses… but there’s just ‘comedy.’”
— Joe Rogan
“The art form is to make strangers laugh.”
— Bert Kreischer (quoting Louis C.K.’s idea and adopting it)
“It’s true autonomy… everyone’s kind of killing it in their own way.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
How much should a comedian prioritize raw club time with strangers versus touring in front of loyal fans when building a new hour?
Joe Rogan and Bert Kreischer trade stories about brutal comedy clubs, filming specials under pressure, and the importance of bombing to grow as a standup. ...
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In the streaming era, is there still a meaningful difference between a ‘special’ and a long, polished club set posted online?
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At what point does documenting your life and career for social media start to weaken your actual creative output?
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What is the right balance between health-focused discipline (sobriety, endurance training) and the chaotic, indulgent lifestyle often associated with comedy?
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How should the comedy world define and categorize very different forms—like confessional one-person shows versus joke-dense standup—under the single label of ‘comedy’?
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Transcript Preview
(imitates guitar)
Fuck, yes.
Dude, I love the video that, uh, Tommy made.
Oh, Tommy's-
Uh, the fucking animation. (laughs) How good is that?
You gotta go check out Tommy's animation. That motherfucker-
Did... Where is it at now? Live. Where can you get it?
Oh, we're live?
We're live. Oh, we're live. We're live. I just realized. Love you guys. Wh- where can you get that animation?
Oh, to- I guarantee on Tom's Instagram.
Is it available on Tom Pansu-
Dude, he paid for that.
I know he did.
He paid for that.
It's amazing. It's amazing. He showed it to me last night at the Icehouse. It's fucking amazing. So whoever did that is really talented. It's very funny stuff.
His fans are the most creative fans ever. Dude, he's got fans in Indonesia who teach English to children, and all they do is teach them how to say, "Bert is fat."
(laughs) And "genes."
And "genes."
(laughs) Say "jeans."
Genes.
High and tight. Oh, so strange. He's got a real- weird niche. Like, him and his wife together on that podcast, they're- it's a weird, like, silly show.
We should, the fo- the six of us should go out to eat one night, because watching the two of them interact is... They're... It's just inside jokes between the two of them.
Always, right?
And it's so much fun to be... They really are one of the funnest couples that I've ever befriended in my life.
It's weird that it works so good. It's like, every comedian couple, when there are two comedians, they're like, "How long..." It's like a bomb. Like, you're just standing next to it, like, "I gotta get outta here before this thing blows."
Yeah.
But with them, it's like it just works.
He's, uh, it's so funny, too, because he's known me a- a- probably 15 years, and, uh, the other day we're hanging out. This is just p- me and him bullshitting. He goes... He's got two kids. He's... You... Their house, you can tell they have two brand new kids. Ellis is running around like a lunatic with a balloon running into walls. That kid's a wrecking ball. The other one's an infant. And he looks at me and he goes, "I can't believe you did this with no money." (laughs)
(laughs)
I just had kids. I'm like, "Fuck it, it'll work out." (laughs)
Wow. Yeah, that's true, right? How old were you when you first started having kids?
32, I think? My daughter's 14. I'm-
And how long into comedy were you then?
Oh, like, I started at 26, so eight years.
Wow.
Maybe. Yeah, eight years probably. Six years. Someone can do the math-
Six years?
... better than me.
Yeah, so six years, and, like, that is not a good time as a comedian. Six years in is rough.
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