The 12 Best Guests on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast

Last updated on February 18th, 2023

Joe Rogan is a comedian, MMA commentator and television and podcast with massive following that love his no holds back attitude and diverse range of podcast guests. His show, Joe Rogan Experience, has been producing episodes for a decade and has seen a wide range of podcast guests, from athletes and actors to politicians and authors. In May 2020, Spotify and Joe Rogan announced a groundbreaking partnership bringing the JRE exclusively to the streaming giant. Rogan does have several MMA, wrestling and boxing related guests on his show, but his podcast is hardly meant for just fans of professional fighting. 

Related reading: the 13 best Joe Rogan Experience episodes

Joe Rogan’s episodes are typically long, sometimes crossing the three hour mark, which allows him to get deep inside the mind of his guests. Fans love his ability to engage with guests from a wide range of fields and from all sides of the political spectrum. Not one to stay away from a controversial interview, Joe Rogan has had his fair share of newsworthy moments and the show has essentially stayed in the iTunes Top 100 shows consistently since it was introduced in 2009. Since December 2020, The Joe Rogan Experience is exclusively on Spotify. Here are my picks for the best guests on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

1. #1169: Elon Musk

This is one of the better known episodes of Joe Rogan Experience, mostly because of the memes that stemmed from the livestream. However, behind the funny moments are a lot of interesting discussions, especially Musk’s explanation of the Boring Company’s “Not A Flamethrower” and his discussion of why he loves tunnels so much. 

2. #543: Sam Harris

Sam Harris is a neuroscientist and author of the New York Times bestseller, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape, as well as an accomplished podcaster himself. Harris and Rogan run in the same circles, and this three-hour discussion included topics ranging from mindfulness and spirituality to the ethics of violence.

3. #1109: Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker wrote the popular Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, and in this episode from 2018 he goes in depth into the topics explored in the book, especially things like why we oversleep and the impact of drugs on sleep. Whether or not you have read the bestseller, you can enjoy this look into it and will definitely learn more about sleep than you ever knew there was to learn. 

4. #459: Dr Rhonda Patrick

Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a Ph.D in biomedical science and expert on nutritional health, is a frequent guest on Joe Rogan Experience. In this episode, and most of her appearances, she speaks to science-based health and nutrition tips and ways to improve your mood, concentration, energy, strength and physicality. Fans of Joe Rogan Experience have called her out as a great guest because sometimes she is asked questions by Rogan that she admits to not knowing the answer to, but often returns in later episodes to answer them. 

5. #1227: Mike Tyson

Former heavyweight boxing champion and forever controversial figure Mike Tyson has had a long, interesting career that included biting a competitors ear off and owning three pet tigers. Of course, he discusses his pets and his boxing career in this interview, but he also talks about mushroom trips, the future of fighting and more. It’s one of the most popular episodes on Joe Rogan’s Youtube channel and it is not surprising why. 

6. #142: Graham Hancock

Episodes 360, 417, 725 and 872 also feature Graham Hancock, a British writer and journalist who specializes in ancient civilizations, ancient myths and astrology. In this first appearance, topics include origins of man and evolution, ancient Egypt, Atlantis and Ayahuasca. The episode also features Duncan Trussell, a fellow podcaster that is also a frequent Rogan guest. 

7. #1171: Nick Yarris

Nick Yarris was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 22 years on death row, and recently was the subject of the Netflix documentary “The Fear of 13.” Some of his stories are horrific and it is hard to listen to reflection on two decades on death row. However, it is also a unique look into the criminal justice system and Yarris, now an author and public speaker, is a great storyteller.

8. #919: Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Neil DeGrasse Tyson has been on Joe Rogan Experience a few times, but this is the best episode because of how open and willing he is to talk about some topics he does not typically talk about. About halfway through the episode, pair do an in-depth breakdown of the idea and concept of infinity, which is perhaps the best known part of this interview. 

9. #137: Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss has been on Joe Rogan Experience several times, and while the episodes can get a bit repetitive it is still worth listening to at least one. Ferriss is an entrepreneur, author and podcaster, especially known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek and his discussion and involvement with the life-hacking movement. In this interview, he discusses his personal and character development, his morning routine and the role of meditation in his life. 

10. #737: Lance Armstrong

This interview is perhaps the most open Armstrong has been about his doping scandal, a testament to Rogan as an interviewer. However, despite focusing heavily on the decline of one of the careers of a great cyclist, there are also moments of inspiration as Rogan acknowledges that even after Armstrong’s fall his story is still one of triumph and strength. Rogan clearly admires Armstrong and is excited just to have the chance to talk to him for a couple hours. 

11. #501: Randall Carlson

One of the things that makes Joe Rogan’s podcast so unique is the willingness to give guests without name recognition the chance to speak to such a large audience for two or three hours. Randall Carson is a geological and anthropological theorist with theories about asteroids, ice ages, global shifts in geology and more. Whether or not you buy what he’s selling, it is fun to listen to Rogan dig deeper into the mind Carlson in this episode, as well as the other episodes later on where Carlson returned. 

12. #1038: Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan, the lead singer and primary songwriter of The Smashing Pumpkins, is a bit elusive and this two hour interview is one of the best looks into his mind. Popular segments are Corgan’s discussion of the importance of Nirvana, as well as his answer to Rogan’s question of what it is really like to be a rockstar. He also provides great insight into how the music industry has changed in the past twenty years, and gives advice for musicians trying to navigate the music business. 

Bonus Joe Rogan Experience Guests

Now, these were some of the best Joe Rogan guests on the pod, but there are several others that are worth a listen. Here are just a few.

#1933 – Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson is certainly a controversial figure and that’s what’s made him one of the best Joe Rogan guests of late. His curious notion of structural hierarchy has caused quite a stir and has come under quite a bit of criticism from just about every political stripe.

In short, he’s one of those personalities that you either love immediately, or can’t take seriously. He’s today’s Ayn Rand. This appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience shows that firebrand, intellectual, epistemic heuristics that have made him such a controversial figure.

#940 – Sam Harris & Dan Harris

Sam Harris has already been featured on this list, but Dan Harris hasn’t. Both are excellent, blue flame thinkers, and not at all related. They do share a shared interest in the benefits of meditation, and thus it made sense for them to both be featured in this episode.

Joe Rogan’s natural curiosity allowed both of these guests to get their similar, but slightly differing points across. An excellent episode to listen to if you’re at all interested in meditation.

1884 – Anthony Kiedis

As one of the founding members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, you’re likely familiar with his music, but as a Joe Rogan guests go, I found his founding philosophy to be much more interesting than his music.

He’s been through quite a bit with addiction, but seems to have come out the other side a much stronger, grounded human being. Rock and roll excess doesn’t always end up so neat and tidy. Hearing his story has been inspiring on a number of levels.

The Conclusion of Joe Rogan Guests

As the the Joe Rogan Experience flirts with 2,000 episodes, he’s had nearly every guest on his show you can think of. From musicians, comedians, scientists, and MMA fighters, he’s shown an interviewing ability that draws more from each guest than you’d think was possible.

I suppose that’s why Spotify found it within themselves to spend the money they did and take Rogan exclusive. Does he get it right all the time? No. Of course not. Has he made some enormous gaffes? Yep. Who hasn’t?

He’s obviously not for everyone and has offended a lot of people.

But what he’s shown consistently is that he’s a great interviewer pure and simple. Let us know what you think about Joe Rogan and his interviewing style in the comments or on Twitter. I’m sure Elon would appreciate it.

image credit: joerogan.com