As a young man in his late 20s from Newark, New Jersey, wearing eyeliner with bushy eyebrows took the center stage at a stand-up comedy event, he couldn’t grab much of the audience’s attention. Surprisingly (or not), his jokes around society observations, conspiracy theories, and politics, didn’t capture a lot of laughs either. Still, he packed his bags and moved to LA to pursue his showbiz career. But before all this, when he was a 15-year-old, Taekwondo was his life.

“We were always moving to new neighborhoods. Nobody really hurt me, but I got pushed around a little, like teenage boys do to each other. Didn’t like it. I was terrified of conflict because I didn’t know how to handle it.” And combat sports became his savior. However, an incident from a fight in Anaheim, California, when he was 19-year-old, opened his eyes to what could be an alternate reality for him if he was on the losing end. Although he did fight for a couple more years, he realized the path was not for him. Fast forward to now, we all know him as UFC’s color commentator and an even bigger podcaster– Joe Rogan.

His life wasn’t penned down for him. His childhood was certainly filled with moments he’s still scarred by. Still, Rogan, with his standup comedy, work as UFC’s backstage interviewer in the late 90s, and stint as the Fear Factor host, got the spotlight he always searched for. But none of it was easy. And as he stands at a net worth of $200M, he talked about how his early career was exactly like, and the MMA fans cannot help but love him for it in Gary Brecka’s teaser to his latest live episode of The Ultimate Human Podcast where he will be hosting Joe Rogan.

In the clip, the JRE host got a chance to reflect back on his early struggles as he recalled, “I was really in a bind when I was young. Because I was like, ‘What am I gonna do with my life?’ From the time I was 15 till I was 21, all I did was compete.”

When Brecka mentioned Rogan’s Martial arts buddies who pushed him into comedy, Rogan revealed his journey into comedy wasn’t a cake walk. He said, “Everybody was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And then, open mic night, I was probably more scared going on stage the first time than anything I’d ever done, including fighting… It was terrible.”

However, the clip quickly switched to a serious tone as Rogan confessed, “The values that I have, for real. Not to be supported by a bunch of businesses that are trying to push these things ’cause they’re going to profit. Is it because you really care about people? Or is it because you’re reaping massive profits?” Following this, Brecka gave a shoutout to the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement.

Rogan added, “The best thing about what you do is live by example. Talk about what’s healthy. And then the more people hear it and then they start to act upon that, and then they start feeling better because the more influence you have in that regard, more people will make healthy choices…”

Again, Rogan’s life was not easy. Today, he has openly stated not wanting to commentate on UFC’s international promotions because he has his own businesses to take care of. However, he’d probably laugh at the mere idea of being able to do this if he was told this 30 years ago. So, soon after the trailer to the podcast episode went live on Instagram, the fighting community praised Joe Rogan in the comments.

Fans shower praise for Joe Rogan as he shares his emotional story with Gary Brecka

Like him or hate him, Joe Rogan weathered early adversity to get where he is today. Whether you agree with him or not, you can’t deny the successes he’s had, going from nothing to one of the biggest podcasters and media personalities today. And so, one fan claimed, “Joe is absolutely an American treasure.”

Brecka had another question for Rogan as he asked about the ‘it factor’ that separates JRE from others and Rogan’s response was a simple, “It’s what you do and I do.” Fair to say, fans noticed as one wrote, “You are the real GOAT. You are the IT factor.”

In his 20s, the JRE host struggled for stability. But it was in 1994 (when he was 26 years old) that he received his first six-figures. That was the moment that propelled him further. He got to work in TV shows like NewsRadio, Fear Factor, and, of course, as a commentator in the UFC. One fan weighed in on his mindset and wrote, “Brilliant. It takes a solid mind and strong heart to start speaking up. It a hamster wheel we need to get off @joerogan 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼♥️.”

The interview succeeded in catching the fans’ attention. One fan even claimed, “I follow Joe for this, not for politics🙌.” Meanwhile, another fan commented, “Love to see Joe in this light…great interview guys. ❤️.”

To date, Rogan has followed on his values and continued to work hard to make his name. Certainly, this interview reflects the same.