7 things you didn't know about the Joe Rogan podcast

The founder and CEO of Substack sat down with Joe Rogan in early August and with that came a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to record with Rogan.

Lulu Cheng Meservey, the Vice President of Communications at Substack, documented the experience in a post where she walked subscribers through the day with Rogan.

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From his taxidermy werewolf to his massive gym - here are seven things you may have not know about The Joe Rogan Experience.

1. Rogan books guests himself

The podcast is popular because it feels authentic to listeners and from Cheng Merservey's recount that authenticity is rooted in Rogan.

Despite have 11 million viewers and the resources to hire a booking agent, Rogan books guests himself.

"JRE doesn’t optimize for hosting big names or boosting downloads," Cheng Merservey said. "Compared to other shows, there are not a lot of CEOs or businesspeople either."

Because of this, Rogan is able to communicate with guests directly via texting, phone calls, or emails.

2. The studio complex is massive

On-screen, it looks as though Rogan is sitting across from a person in a tiny box-like room with other people probably cramped into the space. But the reality is far from it.

According to Cheng Meservey the studio has a massive foyer with museum-like displays of various things, a huge gym, an indoor archery range, a kitchen, and of course the recording room.

"There is a huge gym — probably bigger than a high school basketball gym — with advanced equipment and fighting gear," Cheng Meservey said.

She added it is the "Buckingham Palace of man caves".

3. He has a taxidermy werewolf

Some people may be familiar with the dog vs. werewolf meme, that display werewolf actually lives in Rogan's studio.

It's a prop from the movie An American Werewolf in London and now sits in Rogan's museum-like foyer surrounded by other things Rogan has collected.

4. A nurse is on-call for IV therapy

Before filming, Rogan's studio apparently offers guests a boost of energy with B12 or NAD+ in the form of a shot or and IV, administered by a nurse.

Notoriously, the podcast runs long (average length is roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes) so it's clear why Rogan and guests would need an extra boost of energy.

Rogan got a shot of NAD+ before filming with the Substack founder.

5. There isn't much preparation

Other than spending time with guests before recording, Rogan apparently does not prepare much to talk with guests.

"During the show, he sometimes refers to a note with general topics on his phone, but there’s no extensive research or list of questions," Cheng Meservey said.

But the 'winging it' attitude of the show it what appeals to listeners who want the natural flow of conservation.

Cheng Meservey refers to this as the "conversational Calvinball".

6. There isn't much editing

Keeping to their value of authenticity, The Joe Rogan Experience apparently does not edit much of their podcasts (hence the length).

"Joe and his team do minimal editing and publish podcast episodes very quickly, sometimes even same day," Cheng Meservey said.

In this case, Cheng Meservey said they recorded on a Wednesday and it was published on Thursday.

7. The studio has an abundance of jerky

Of course, there is a kitchen with snacks and drinks for guests and their entourage to choose from, and apparently much of it is jerky.

"All the food, as far as I can tell, is some variety of jerky, representing every major flavor and half the mammals on this green earth." Cheng Meservey recalled. "To paraphrase Rule 34: if it exists, Joe Rogan’s studio has jerky of it."

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