The 3 Joe Rogan Episodes You Can’t Miss — And 3 That Fans Can’t Stand

If you want to check out The Joe Rogan Experience but have no idea where to start (because, yes, he really just crossed episode #2416 and most of them run an hour or two), I got you. I pulled together three episodes that are worth your time and three you can skip without FOMO. Taste is subjective, obviously, but if you want the quickest path into the JRE hype machine, this is where I’d point you.

The quick-start guide (and a few dodges)

1. Watch: Jimmy Carr (#2045 and #2326)
   British comic Jimmy Carr is quick, sharp, and a perfect sparring partner for Rogan. Their first go-round, episode #2045, is a grab bag that actually works: comedy beyond the U.S., sex and gender conversations, and even student loans. Carr contrasts how jokes land in the U.K. versus the U.S., and he has a very Carr take on America as the place for dreamers. Then he came back for #2326 and the two go long (over three hours) on cold plunges, AI anxiety, multiverse talk, and assorted brain-benders. It’s witty, fast, and full of playful theory-spinning without turning into a slog.
2. Watch: Bill Murray (#2282)
   Bill Murray popped in this March for a two-hour session that’s equal parts funny uncle wisdom and unexpected emotion. Yes, that Bill Murray — the comedy legend who also drifted through Ant-Man 3 as Lord Krylar — talking life, presence, and how not to float off into space mentally.

   "Everything we are or everything we hope to be, everything we dream about... it’s all within the skin. You gotta stay within the skin. If you can make yourself come back, if you can get yourself back inside, you don’t have so far to go to achieve your intended goal."

   He was making a point through golf, but it plays as a solid life note. He also gets visibly moved watching a moment from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), where Johnny Depp channels Hunter S. Thompson. Not your average chill-chat.
3. Watch: Brian Cox (#2217)
   Physicist and musician Brian Cox (University of Manchester) has done JRE a few times, but #2217 is the one to queue up. He breaks down where black hole research is right now — and calls the progress profound and exciting — while keeping it digestible. He walks through the two direct images we have so far via radio telescopes: the one at the center of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*, which he pegs at around 6 million times the mass of the sun, and another in galaxy M87 about 55 million light-years away, roughly 6 billion solar masses. It’s the rare space talk that feels big and accessible at the same time.
4. Skip: Iliza Shlesinger (#1882)
   Iliza has been on multiple times, but #1882 is the one that fans routinely bounce off of. A bit about The Rock’s cheat meals goes on longer than it should, Rogan looks visibly bored trying to add to it, and the back-and-forth never really finds a gear. She tosses a playful jab after Rogan praises Bernie Sanders as a sincere guest — basically, cool flex, I had my mom on my podcast — but it lands with a thud. If you’re curating your queue, this one’s an easy pass.
5. Skip: Ari Shaffir (various)
   Shaffir shows up a lot and has his fans, but the vibe on JRE often skews smug and needling in a way the audience doesn’t love. People who know him say that’s a bit he leans into on camera; maybe so. But when one of the memorable moments is Rogan calling out a mid-show fart and asking him to please take it to the bathroom next time, you get the idea. You won’t miss essential canon by skipping his appearances.
6. Skip: Dr. Zahi Hawass (#2321)
   Dr. Hawass is a heavyweight archaeologist and former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, so the setup promised a great Egypt deep-dive. Instead, most answers circled back to promoting his book, which frustrated both Rogan and viewers. Rogan even vented about it on #2325, calling the encounter a low point:

   "That might have been the worst podcast I’ve ever done... This is the closed-minded fellow that’s been in charge of gatekeeping all the knowledge about Egypt..."

   The comments were brutal, and for good reason — it just never became a real conversation.

That should give you a clean entry point and a couple potholes to dodge. If you’ve got your own must-hear or never-again picks, I want to hear them.

The Joe Rogan Experience is on Spotify, with episodes and clips also available on YouTube.