Brian Simpson — Stand-up comedian known for his deadpan, cynical worldview and Netflix special 'Laugh from the Mothership.' A Marine Corps veteran and former martial arts instructor who deliberately avoids the news.
The gist
Joe and Brian open on politics and the machinery behind the presidency before settling into a long critique of for-profit health insurance, which they argue is a financial game dressed up as healthcare. They drift through conspiracy territory — the Cybertruck bomber, the DC plane-helicopter collision, remote-controlled vehicles, LA wildfire arson, and Chinese tech backdoors. The back half turns to pop culture: a deep dive on horror and monster movies (Nosferatu, The Northman, Alien, Predator, Conan), then a long MMA discussion covering Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, and recent UFC title fights. Throughout, Brian plays the fatalist who thinks society is 'cooked' against Joe's more hopeful, fix-it framing.
Big reveals
- Joe recounts the DC Black Hawk-American Airlines collision that killed everyone aboard, including a figure skating team.
- They dig into the Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger and Shawn Ryan's leaked email about gravitic-propulsion drones.
- Joe claims AI-controlled jets beat the best human pilots in dogfights 100% of the time, and that vehicles can be hacked remotely.
- Brian says he reacted to the insurance CEO's killing 'the same way' he reacted to the killing of Osama bin Laden.
- Joe says there is satellite footage suggesting three LA fires started simultaneously and suspects arson.
- Joe declares Nosferatu 'the best vampire movie ever.'
- They discuss El Salvador mass-incarcerating gang members and crime dropping to near zero.
- Brian states flatly that humanity is 'cooked' and past the point of no return.
Things worth remembering
- Trump reportedly eats mostly McDonald's, drinks Diet Coke, and still plays tennis at 78.
- Huawei's Porsche Design phone was banned in the US over national-security backdoor concerns.
- OnStar can remotely disable a stolen car — GM Corvettes ship with a mandatory OnStar subscription.
- An OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample contained amino acids, nucleotide bases, and salt-water minerals — fueling the panspermia theory.
- The James Webb telescope found galaxies that formed 'too quickly,' suggesting the universe may be far older than ~14 billion years.
- Charlize Theron gained ~50 lbs and shaved her eyebrows to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.
- Robert E. Howard wrote the original Conan stories in the 1930s; he lived with his mother and died by suicide.
- Umar Nurmagomedov reportedly broke his hand in round one but fought all five rounds against Merab Dvalishvili.
- Joe rates Terence Crawford's switch-hitting (southpaw/orthodox) the best in boxing ahead of his Canelo fight.