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Joe Rogan · 2024-06-27 · 3h 05m

Joe Rogan Experience #1886 - Robert Kelly

Comedian Robert Kelly reunites with Joe Rogan for stories on bushcraft camping, his Louis CK-produced special, VR's future, and getting sober and healthy.

Joe Rogan Experience #1886 - Robert Kelly
The guest

Robert Kelly — Boston-bred stand-up comedian and podcaster, longtime friend of Joe Rogan from the early Boston comedy scene, known for his new special Kill Box.

The gist

Joe Rogan and old friend Robert 'Bobby' Kelly reminisce about their start in the Boston comedy scene and trade long stories about bushcraft camping, hunting, bears, coyotes and self-reliance. Robert details his comedy special Kill Box, which Louis CK directed, produced and paid for, and the chaos of taping it when an audience member nearly died. They go deep on virtual reality, AI porn, the future of media and how comedians like Louis CK and Andrew Schultz are bypassing gatekeepers. The conversation turns personal as Robert recounts a brutal childhood of abuse, food addiction, juvenile jail at 13, and getting sober at 15. He closes by describing losing 70 pounds after gastric sleeve surgery and rebuilding his health.

Big reveals

  • Robert reveals he lost 70 pounds after gastric sleeve surgery, having ballooned to 350 pounds.
  • Robert first went to jail at age 13 for armed robbery, assault and battery, malicious destruction and breaking probation.
  • His mother refused to pay his $10 bail and let him go through the system, a moment he credits with saving his life.
  • Robert got sober at 15 at a rehab house called the Road Back run by Tom Tompkins.
  • His special Kill Box was directed, produced and paid for entirely by Louis CK and released on louisck.com.
  • While taping the special, a woman in the front rows had a seizure and nearly died mid-show.
  • Dane Cook secretly shut down Robert's early 'guest book' social-media site by impersonating the FBI and Child Services.

Things worth remembering

  • Coyotes produce larger litters when their populations are hunted, which is why they've spread to every US city.
  • The short-faced bear, twice the size of a polar bear, may have kept early humans from crossing the Bering land bridge.
  • New Jersey has the highest bear population per capita in the country.
  • Bear spray is made weaker than human mace because bears can't wash the irritant out of their eyes.
  • Orson Welles was only 23 when his 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast triggered nationwide panic.
  • Navy pilot Ryan Graves told Joe that after 2014 radar upgrades, pilots encountered UFOs on roughly 90% of missions.
  • Pure Encapsulations Macular Support stopped Joe's age-related vision decline 'in its tracks.'
  • Louis CK got Robert back on stage after the seizure with a pep talk citing MLK, JFK and Tom Brady.

Recommended in this episode

Books, products and media the guest or host genuinely endorsed here — with the buy link.

Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

RecommendedProduct

Pure Encapsulations Macular Support

Pure Encapsulations

“there's a company called Pure encapsulations and they have a thing called macular support and I started taking macular support and it stopped” — Joe Rogan 00:01:07
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct

Garmin Fenix

Garmin

“I have uh to uh Phoenix the Garmin watches I love the Garmin watch because it lasts for 68 days” — Robert Kelly 00:10:21
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct

Lip (divers watch)

Lip

“I got this 400 watch called lip it's just lip it's uh it's a nice watch it's a divers watch it's 400 bucks but it's it's gorgeous” — Robert Kelly 00:09:50
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct

Foundation Cigars

Foundation Cigars

“when uh Nick from Foundation cigars sent these to me I was very skeptical yeah very skeptical it's such a great cigar one of my favorites” — Joe Rogan 00:22:50
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct

Tiny Homes of Maine

Tiny Homes of Maine

“I went and bought a tiny house from like the tiny homes of Maine this is an awesome couple in the Woods of Maine they build these amazing houses” — Robert Kelly 01:02:03
Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia

Kill Box

Robert Kelly

“thanks for letting me promote the special and it's called kill box it's on Louis ck.com you can go to check it out right now” — Robert Kelly 03:05:17
Find it on Amazon