James McCann — An Australian stand-up comedian who relocated to Austin after getting passed at Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership. A former combat athlete turned comic, he also hosts the podcast The Catamaran Plan.
The gist
This is a loose, free-associating conversation rather than a topic-driven interview. McCann and Rogan trade stories about the craft and grind of stand-up comedy, the value of work ethic, and how Rogan's club system gives new comics a path. They contrast Australian and American culture, with McCann describing why Australia's long COVID lockdowns radicalized people and pushed comics to emigrate. Large stretches go down conspiracy rabbit holes (the JFK assassination, the Manson family and MK Ultra, mysterious 'karate chop' deaths, the Trump rally shooting) and into wildlife tangents (saltwater crocodiles, hyenas, Tasmanian devils, reintroduced wolves). They close on combat sports, gambling, aging rock stars, and immigration.
Big reveals
- Rogan recounts banning himself from the Comedy Store for seven years over the Carlos Mencia plagiarism feud, and says the manager who banned him was later fired.
- McCann says he nearly quit comedy and that tearing his ACL forced him to stop competing in fighting and commit fully to stand-up.
- Rogan revisits Peter Duesberg's contrarian claim that HIV does not cause AIDS, framing it as the ultimate rabbit hole.
- McCann reveals he became lactose intolerant after drinking nearly a gallon of raw milk from a farmers market in a single day.
- Rogan calls Tom O'Neill's book 'Chaos' amazing, citing its case for MK Ultra/CIA links to the Manson family.
- Rogan argues the U.S. is the freest place and therefore the most culturally productive, contrasting it with Castro's Cuba banning films.
- Rogan and McCann discuss the persecution of white South African farmers and a U.S. relocation pathway for them.
- They confirm UFC fights are planned for the White House lawn on July 4th, 2026, with Conor McGregor reportedly in.
Things worth remembering
- Jimmy Carr teaches a comedy-writing program that has been run at the Comedy Mothership for up-and-coming comics.
- Six of the UFC's top pound-for-pound fighters are from the Caucasus region.
- Mexico has produced 209 boxing world champions, fueling speculation about the ACTN3 gene.
- In Kyrgyzstan the practice of 'ala kachuu' (bride kidnapping) coexists with the country being strong at women's freestyle wrestling.
- Roughly 60% of spotted hyena cubs die in early life, with high first-litter mortality, partly due to the female's unusual anatomy.
- Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease is a transmissible cancer spread by biting and is almost universally fatal.
- Black Africans once made up over a third of Argentina's population around 1800 before largely disappearing.
- Rogan argues the JFK head shot from the book depository (~140 yards with a scope) was not a difficult rifle shot.
- Drake is up about $1 million on his publicly known UFC bets despite winning only 40% of them, betting big when confident.
- Evander Holyfield's former 44,000-sq-ft, 109-room mansion (now Rick Ross's) sits on a road named Evander Holyfield Highway.