Joe Rogan Experience #1826 - Fahim Anwar
Narrator, Fahim Anwar (guest), Joe Rogan (host), Guest's friend/companion (guest), Narrator, Narrator, Guest's friend/companion (guest), Guest's friend/companion (guest)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Narrator and Fahim Anwar, Joe Rogan Experience #1826 - Fahim Anwar explores fahim Anwar on DIY comedy, YouTube specials, and cancel culture Joe Rogan and Fahim Anwar dive into the current state of stand-up comedy, focusing on the shift from traditional gatekeepers like networks to creator-controlled platforms such as YouTube and Patreon. Fahim breaks down how he self-produced his new Comedy Store “hat trick” special and why comics now think more like entrepreneurs. They also discuss underrated comics, the double-edged sword of writing jobs, cancel culture and leaked sets, and how social media and streaming have reshaped what it means to “make it” in comedy. Along the way, they veer into side topics like fighter pilots, MMA, food, and how technology democratizes both art and attention.
Fahim Anwar on DIY comedy, YouTube specials, and cancel culture
Joe Rogan and Fahim Anwar dive into the current state of stand-up comedy, focusing on the shift from traditional gatekeepers like networks to creator-controlled platforms such as YouTube and Patreon. Fahim breaks down how he self-produced his new Comedy Store “hat trick” special and why comics now think more like entrepreneurs. They also discuss underrated comics, the double-edged sword of writing jobs, cancel culture and leaked sets, and how social media and streaming have reshaped what it means to “make it” in comedy. Along the way, they veer into side topics like fighter pilots, MMA, food, and how technology democratizes both art and attention.
Key Takeaways
YouTube has become the primary launchpad for stand-up specials.
Rogan and Fahim argue that putting a special on YouTube is often better than chasing Netflix, because free, wide distribution builds a bigger live audience and long-term career, especially when you own and control the material.
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Comics must think like entrepreneurs, not just performers.
Fahim explains how he directed, produced, and even handled tech for his special, framing modern stand-ups as small business owners responsible for production, distribution, marketing, and audience building.
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Fahim’s ‘Hat Trick’ special is designed to show real Comedy Store life.
He performs consecutive sets in the OR, Main Room, and Belly Room with minimal dressing, intercut with candid hallway and parking-lot hangs, to capture the genuine vibe comics experience rather than a polished, staged taping.
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Writing gigs can be a ‘golden cage’ for stand-ups.
Both note that lucrative TV writing jobs often seduce comics away from stage time; unless you treat writing as a temporary side hustle (like Tony Hinchcliffe did), it can quietly extinguish your stand-up momentum.
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Underrated comics often choose stable paths or get trapped off-screen.
Rogan highlights Owen Smith, Dave Attell, Don Barris, Brody Stevens and others as examples of world-class comics the general public doesn’t know because they’re writers, late-night killers, or hard to capture on camera.
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Leaked or early-stage sets are a bad metric for judging comics.
Discussing Louis C. ...
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An organic podcast network now rivals traditional gatekeepers.
Rogan describes how comics boost each other via guest spots and shout-outs across popular podcasts, creating a decentralized recommendation system where fans discover Fahim, Yannis, Schultz, Joe List, etc. ...
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Notable Quotes
“Exposure is more important than short money.”
— Fahim Anwar
“We are the gatekeepers now. It’s not one guy at a company anymore.”
— Fahim Anwar
“When you’re doing a special, you’re essentially saying, ‘Hey, this is an advertisement to come see me live.’”
— Joe Rogan
“I’m a comic’s comic… artistically I’m further along than I am visibility‑wise.”
— Fahim Anwar
“You gotta encourage hard work as well as make things better for people.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
How might the success of self-released specials on YouTube change what types of comedy get made and promoted over the next decade?
Joe Rogan and Fahim Anwar dive into the current state of stand-up comedy, focusing on the shift from traditional gatekeepers like networks to creator-controlled platforms such as YouTube and Patreon. ...
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Does relying on Patreon, donations, and fan support create new pressures or incentives that are any better than those from networks and studios?
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Where is the line between holding comics accountable for harmful behavior and unfairly weaponizing early, unpolished material against them?
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Are comedy clubs and podcasts truly replacing TV and late-night as the main discovery engine for new comedians, or is there still a hidden ceiling without mainstream exposure?
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For a young comic today, is it smarter to chase writing jobs for stability or avoid them entirely to stay hungry and focused on stand-up?
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Transcript Preview
(drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music) Cheers, sir.
Cheers.
Good to see you, my friend.
Likewise. Thanks for having me. I was commenting on the round ice. I'm a fan.
Yeah, I like the round ice. It makes you feel fancy.
Mm-hmm.
You're a fancy person, drinking bourbon on round ice.
Yeah, when in Rome. Like, I was like-
Yeah.
... "Can we do this again?"
Yeah. You don't ever, uh, smoke cigars and drink whiskey unless you're with me.
No. I do other people, but, like... Yeah, this is, like, the thing to do.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Last time was fun, we did it.
Yeah, we're conversating.
Yeah.
I like that word too.
I think you're... Yeah, conversating.
Conversating. Doesn't seem like it's a real word, but I think it is.
I think so.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. Good to see you, buddy.
Likewise. Yeah.
It was fun hanging out last night.
Yeah. I mean, I was here when things were shut down in LA with the pandemic-
Yeah.
... and I thought it was great then, like the way Vulcan was set up.
Yeah.
And then last night, it's like even more people and they keep on, like, elevating.
Yeah.
Yeah. It was a fun show.
Well, you know, the, the scene here right now is just on fire. It's hopping. There's so many comics here. It's really fun.
Yeah.
It's a good time. Like, on any given night at Vulcan, we'll have Ron White, Tony Hinchcliffe. Tim Dillon stops in sometimes. Tom Segura when he's not on the road. Christina Pazsitzky stops in. There's so many comics here. Derek Poston's here.
(laughs)
David Lucas is here all the time. Hans Kim, William Montgomery. I mean, it's fucking hopping.
Yeah.
Hopping.
I think that's part of the, the charm of that place too, is just people don't know who's gonna pop in.
Yeah.
And even when I was here, I was here for, like, three months during the pandemic, it was cool. It almost felt like a festival city because it's that midpoint between New York and LA.
Mm-hmm.
So I would see, like, Yiannis. I would see guys I just wouldn't see unless I was doing Montreal or something.
Yeah, and then there's also-
So it's this organic midpoint.
Yeah, and there's also, like, other clubs, right? Like, there's... The other day we went over to see Ari. He was at The Creek and The Cave running his, uh, his new hour special that he's gonna film July... I think it's 11th and... 10th and 11th or 11th and 12th. 11th and 12th? Um, I think one of them might have some tickets available. The 11th is sold out, but I think there might be a few tickets left for the 12th. Don't sleep 'cause it's fucking good. His, uh, new special is called Jew.
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