Joe Rogan Experience Review podcast - JRE 485 Week in Review: Josh Dubin, James McCann, Gable Steveson

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

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Hey, guys, and welcome to another quick week review. We are looking at eight hours and three episodes of Rogans this week, spanning from criminal justice, reform, comedy, and MMA. Pretty good. Episode 2432, we got Josh Dubin. The Doobes is back. executive director of the parole mutter center of legal justice and a civil rights attorney

he returned to discuss systematic issues in the U.S. justice system we all know him if you're a long time rogan listener I mean he must have been on half a dozen times now the conversation delved into you know same as always wrongful convictions prosecutorial corruption and the historical criminal

of marijuana tied to corporate interests in the 1930s. Duben shared details on recent cases, such as a $50 million defamation verdict and efforts to exonerate Nelson Cruz after 26 years in prison, despite evidence pointing to another suspect. They also touched on barbaric deportation practices for green card holders and the challenges of overturning convictions due to unaccredited DNA labs and coerced testimonials. Highlights of the episode, Dubin emphasizes the cartel-like origins of marijuana prohibitions, discussions on empathy in legal work, and personal mental health strategies. Rogan and Dubin explored how law enforcement prioritizes convictions, over truth which is brutal and painful to listen to uh online fan reception of the episode online

platforms like reddit and you know the subreds reactions were largely negative honestly from what i saw um criticism was focusing on duben's past involvement in cases where exonerated individuals reoffended we all remember the sheldon johnson's uh who was later arrested for murder who came on Rogan's show. I knew that would come back to bite him in the ass. Honestly, it's really unfortunate. I mean, we've got to put that in perspective. Realistically, he's dealing with criminals. How can he vet everybody perfectly? Comments highlighted lost credibility and skepticism about his advocacy, with some even calling him annoying or questioning his motives, which, you know, it's sad to hear, but again, this is the online reaction.

Ex-posts were mostly neutral, generally, but also lacking strong praise. The episode was received poorly, I would say, overall by kind of like the online world. And it was seen as a bit preachy and unconvincing. I ran it through a few AI systems just to see what they kind of do some math and give it an overall rating based on online reviews and reactions. It gave it a four out of ten. You know, I give it a little bit higher, but I have a bit of a soft spot for Dubin. I like the work that he's done. And I also kind of understand, you know,

what happened with the with the Sheldon Johnson thing and yeah but if you're a fan of those episodes with Josh it's a lot of the same when it comes to those conversations and you know worth listening to otherwise you know skip it jumping over the episode 2433 James Donald Forbes McCann this guy is hilarious. Australian comedian, author, and podcast host, James Donald Forbes McCann joins for a lively end-of-year episode. I really like this guy, good friends with Shane Gillis. And Shane really is somebody that James gives a lot of credit to for his career. And Shane has helped him a lot.

brought him up. But, you know, Shane knows talent and has helped him get in a good position. So the topics range from voting experiences and political systems to speculative discussions on UFOs, nuclear capabilities and historical events. It was actually kind of surprising how interesting a lot of the conversations were that they got into. McCann shared anecdotes about his comedy career, including his latest special Black Israelite, which is on YouTube, and touched on differences between Australian and American primaries. The talk included humorous takes on identity, verification in elections and geopolitical hypotheticals like surprise nuclear strikes. Highlights from the episode, McCann recounted a story of someone voting twice,

sparking laughs and election integrity, conversations on party politics, and the inability to easily primary candidates in Australia. It was lighthearted banter on advanced weaponry and historical what-ifs. Online fan reception, again, read it, praised McCann's humor, calling him a gem and hilarious, and noting his specials as unbelievably good, which I agree with. Fans appreciated the entertaining vibe, though some noted jokes going over Rogan's head. X or Twitter reactions were positive with clips shared highlighting funny moments. There were some good clips, actually. The episode was received enthusiastically, and there was some fun engagement.

Overall, the online systems gave it a rating of 8 out of 10, and yeah, I would agree. It was a solid episode. you know sometimes the comedian ones are so-so but uh mccann showed up and did a great job he's he's great on podcasts and uh if if you don't know who he is check it out because it makes for a great rogan episode if you like him at all and know his comedy um it's it's a must listen uh and it was my favorite episode of the week for sure look out for longer review episode with him later in the week. Jumping over to MMA show 172, Gable Stevenson, Olympic gold medalist, wrestler, and rising

MMA star peered on the MMA focus show to talk about his combat sports journey. I mean, this guy is an absolute beast. Rogan's talked about him before. I'm really, I was excited to see him come on. ever since rogan brought him up i've been watching some of his fights that just the fact that you know he's coming near the ufc um i can't wait he's going to do some damage um steveson discussed his transition from wrestling to mma including training with john jones who who better to train with his brief NFL stint with buffalo bills and ambitions to dominate the ufc

heavyweight division which no doubt he's going to be terrifying for that division he shared his mindset of embracing the worst version of himself in training to achieve greatness with goals of breaking title defense records the episode covered striking techniques dirty boxing and how his wrestling background influences his mMA style highlights of the episode insights into training with the goat, John Jones, and improving striking skills. Steven's Olympic backstory, named after wrestling legend Dan Gable, which is pretty dope. Aspirations to revitalize UFC heavyweights and become an all-time great. So huge ambition, very ambitious guy, and why not?

You've got to have that mindset. I like it. And online fan reaction. Reddit. Reactions were mixed, honestly, with excitement about Steven's potential, but heavy skepticism due to Rogan's overhype. You know, it's classic Rogan. And references to, I guess, past sexual assault allegations. I don't know anything about this. Just some things that were coming up. Again, take it as a grain of salt. It was Reddit. Some doubted his top tier readiness while others were hyped. for his UFC future. You know, I'm pretty hyped for it too. X posts focused on hype, showed a lot of clips from Rogan, and there was some, again, divided opinions in the comments. The episode was received with cautious optimism, but notable controversy. And again, running it through the system, rating six out of ten. So a little over kind of mid-range. But I would say,

an MMA fan and just because of where this guy's career will go, I would say this is a bit of a must watch when it comes to MMA fans, only because, you know, this guy is going to be something to pay attention to. I'm sure of it. I don't know. Mark my words, though. Overall, I would say this week showcased Rogan's diverse guest lineup. blended serious societal critiques with entertainment and sports insights. Honestly, for moving into 2026, you know, January is often a recuperation month for many people, whether you're doing dry January or just recovering from the Christmas holidays. You know, we didn't need a huge banger for, you know, to kick off 2026.

Everyone's just getting back to work and planning a lot of things. I think that three episodes and eight hours was manageable for many. And, you know, there was at least one solid episode in there for Rogan fans and enjoyable enough. Overall rating, again, through the system for the week, six out of ten. Nothing to write home about. But there it is. hope you enjoyed it and look out for the rest of our reviews coming up later in the week and happy new year to everybody we love you all looking forward to a great 2026 later