#2565 - Michael Douglas

Episode of The Joe Rogan Experience · October 14, 2026 · 2 h 16 min

Joe Rogan talks with actor-producer Michael Douglas about his memoir, his films, nuclear disarmament, Ukraine, the Iran war, psychedelics, guns and comedy.

Summary

Michael Douglas appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to promote his memoir One Helluva Ride. He explained that he wrote it after surviving stage four cancer, encouraged by screenwriter Shane Salerno, and that it grew from a planned production handbook into a personal account. The two discussed Falling Down and Wall Street, with Douglas recalling how Wall Street traders celebrated Gordon Gekko as a hero, and Rogan defended so-called nepotism as common across family businesses.

Much of the conversation turned to politics and world affairs. Douglas, citing his experience making The China Syndrome shortly before the Three Mile Island accident, urged that President Trump negotiate with Vladimir Putin to dramatically reduce or eliminate U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles, and criticized Trump's stance toward Putin while voicing strong support for Ukraine. Rogan called the idea admirable but unrealistic, explained why he had moved away from the Democratic Party (citing border policy, the lack of primaries and Joe Biden's mental decline), and said he opposed the war with Iran. They also debated gun control, with Douglas favoring stricter licensing and Rogan advocating responsible ownership, and discussed money in politics, AI and government waste.

Douglas recounted his family history, his transformation from preppy to hippie at UC Santa Barbara, his near-encounter with the Manson Family, a threatening episode with the Mel Lyman commune, and smuggling marijuana in suitcases his father gave him. Both praised psychedelics, with Rogan crediting Trump for pushing ibogaine research. Rogan described his path into comedy and his Austin club, and Douglas closed with stories about producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, reshooting the ending of Fatal Attraction with Glenn Close, and protests against Basic Instinct.

Chapters

0:04
Falling Down
Rogan opens by praising Falling Down and the two discuss how its themes still resonate decades later.
2:25
Writing the memoir after cancer
Douglas explains how stage four cancer and Shane Salerno's encouragement led him to write One Helluva Ride.
7:36
Nepotism and Gordon Gekko
The pair discuss 'nepo baby' criticism and how Wall Street traders idolized Gordon Gekko.
12:10
Crypto, inequality and world peace
Rogan describes crypto schemes, and Douglas discusses wealth disparity, Buckminster Fuller and the United Nations.
20:39
The China Syndrome and nuclear disarmament
Douglas proposes that Trump negotiate nuclear disarmament with Putin, and Rogan argues it is unlikely and muses on AI governance.
34:18
Party politics, immigration and the Iran war
Rogan explains his break with the Democrats and criticizes ICE tactics and the war with Iran.
44:16
Family roots and psychedelics
Douglas recounts his birth in New Brunswick, his grandfather's Belarus origins and his hippie years, and both praise psychedelic therapy.
1:00:09
The Manson Family and gun control
Douglas describes living in Terry Melcher's former house before the Manson murders, leading to a debate on guns.
1:10:15
Ukraine, AI and nuclear risk
Douglas criticizes Trump's handling of Putin and supports Ukraine, while Rogan warns about uncontrollable AI.
1:20:57
Comedy
Rogan describes how he got into stand-up and his Austin club, and both reminisce about Jackie Mason, Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy.
1:30:25
Danny DeVito and the Lyman commune
Douglas recalls his friendship with DeVito and a threatening encounter with Mel Lyman's commune.
1:35:34
Family, democracy and money in politics
Douglas stresses family and community while both lament money in politics and wasteful spending.
1:46:25
Marijuana smuggling through college
Douglas reveals he funded his schooling by smuggling marijuana in suitcases his father gave him.
1:52:22
Producing Cuckoo's Nest, Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct
Douglas recounts producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, reshooting Fatal Attraction's ending and protests against Basic Instinct.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Michael Douglas
Douglas proposed that Trump and Putin dramatically reduce or give up their nuclear stockpiles as part of a Ukraine peace deal.
“Why doesn't Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin dramatically reduce, if not give up, our nuclear stockpiles?”
Listen from 21:51 · Nuclear disarmament
Michael Douglas
Douglas argued that two years of negotiation with Putin could eliminate nuclear weapons and would earn Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.
“If he spent the next two years of his presidency negotiating with Putin, we could get rid of nuclear weapons”
Listen from 22:56 · Nuclear disarmament
Joe Rogan
Rogan argued that no military power will give up nuclear weapons while others still exist.
“However, I don't ever think that any country that has a military is going to give up all their nuclear weapons if there are nuclear weapons out there in the world”
Listen from 25:14 · Nuclear disarmament
Joe Rogan
Rogan suggested the only way out of humanity's conflicts may be letting a superintelligent AI control government and resources.
“I think the only way we're really going to get out of this, this is terrifying for biological human beings, is to let AI control government and resources”
Listen from 26:09 · Artificial intelligence
Joe Rogan
Rogan said Biden was not really running the country due to mental decline, which was one reason he moved away from the Democrats.
“You know that Biden wasn't the fucking president for four years”
Listen from 34:59 · Illegal immigration to the United States
Joe Rogan
Rogan argued that masked, unidentified ICE agents set a dangerous precedent that understandably looks like overreach.
“If you allow a militarized police force with no identification with masks on to enter into cities, of course people are going to say this is an overstep”
Listen from 38:16 · Illegal immigration to the United States
Joe Rogan
Rogan described the war with Iran as a quagmire with no easy exit.
“And now we've done it, and it's very clear. It's a giant quagmire. It's very clear there's no easy way out”
Listen from 40:11 · United States war with Iran
Michael Douglas
Douglas said he believed Israel instigated the Iran war by persuading the U.S. that killing assembled Iranian leaders would topple the regime.
“I think it was instigated by Israel, by the fact that they had information that these key Iranian leaders would all be together”
Listen from 41:51 · United States war with Iran
Joe Rogan
Rogan credited Trump for pushing psychedelic therapies such as ibogaine despite pharmaceutical industry resistance.
“I give him credit for that. That was a very powerful thing that he did because it's very much resisted by pharmaceutical drug companies”
Listen from 53:19 · Ibogaine
Joe Rogan
Rogan argued that if Nixon had not banned psychedelics in 1970, society would have learned to use them properly and changed the world.
“And I think that if Nixon hadn't passed the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and made all that stuff illegal – It would have changed the world”
Listen from 56:29 · Controlled Substances Act
Michael Douglas
Douglas argued that the U.S. gun murder rate is far higher than comparable countries and saw no reason to own military-style weapons.
“Our murder rate compared to any other sophisticated country with guns is so, so high. I can't find any reason for somebody to own an automatic gun”
Listen from 1:03:34 · Gun control in the United States
Joe Rogan
Rogan said he would urge Douglas to own a gun and learn to use and store it safely to protect his family.
“if I was your friend, I would talk you into getting one and learning how to use it properly and learning how to keep it in your home safe”
Listen from 1:06:32 · Gun control in the United States
Linked moment · 1:10:15Skip to 1:10:15 using a listen link in the info box.
Michael Douglas
Douglas said the U.S. should fully support Ukraine and criticized Trump's equivocation toward Putin.
“We should be fully impacting, supporting a democracy like Ukraine. I mean, what are we dicking around this guy?”
Listen from 1:11:01 · Russian invasion of Ukraine
Michael Douglas
Douglas said the meltdown sequence scripted for The China Syndrome closely matched what happened at Three Mile Island.
“Then when Three Mile Island happened, came out, and they broke down what happened, 90% of our script, of our outline of the events”
Listen from 1:19:42 · The China Syndrome
Joe Rogan
Rogan argued that comedy benefits from being disrespected by award institutions because acclaim waters it down.
“I like comedy not getting the respect it deserves. It keeps the comedy good”
Listen from 1:25:47 · Kill Tony
Michael Douglas
Douglas said ambitious careers cannot be balanced with family life and advised people to establish careers before marriage and children.
“I don't believe you can balance your career necessarily if you're ambitious with your family life”
Listen from 1:35:34
Joe Rogan
Rogan criticized California's homelessness spending and Newsom's veto of an audit bill.
“there's $24 billion spent on the homeless in California, and Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to audit it to find out where that money went”
Listen from 1:44:03
Michael Douglas
Douglas recounted smuggling marijuana east in suitcases from his father to pay for college.
“each suitcase could fit 22 kilos of marijuana. And I used to go back with just the clothes on my back and 44 kilos”
Listen from 1:47:09
Michael Douglas
Douglas described how producing Cuckoo's Nest left him an Oscar-winning producer still typecast as a TV actor.
“so that now I'm a television actor. But I'm an Academy Award winning producer. I've got a studio deal as a producer”
Listen from 1:57:36 · One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
Michael Douglas
Douglas defended test screenings, which led to Fatal Attraction's original ending being replaced.
“So this is why I never understood. People have this whole criticism about screening movies, doing test screening audiences”
Listen from 2:05:47 · Fatal Attraction

People

In the conversation

Joe RoganAmerican comedian and host of The Joe Rogan Experience
Michael DouglasActor who wrote about smuggling marijuana to pay for college

Discussed

Kirk DouglasAmerican actor, Michael Douglas's father
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States whose conduct of the Iran war is the episode's main subject
Vladimir PutinPresident of Russia
Volodymyr ZelenskyPresident of Ukraine
Shane SalernoScreenwriter and literary agent who encouraged Douglas to write his memoir
Jane FondaActress, Turner's former wife
Danny DeVitoActor and director, longtime friend of Douglas
Glenn CloseActress who starred in Fatal Attraction
Steve MartinAmerican comedian, Randolph's Only Murders in the Building co-star
Eddie MurphyAmerican comedian and actor Druski names as having set the bar for comedy careers
Jackie MasonComedian whose Broadway show Douglas produced
Richard PryorInfluential American stand-up comedian and mentor figure to Hall
Lenny BruceAmerican comedian repeatedly arrested on obscenity charges
Mel LymanLeader of the Lyman Family commune
Terry MelcherRecord producer targeted by the Manson Family
Rick PerryFormer Texas governor involved in the Texas ibogaine initiative
Milos FormanDirector of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Saul ZaentzFantasy Records owner and co-producer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Karl MaldenActor, Douglas's co-star on The Streets of San Francisco
Jack NicholsonActor who played R.P. McMurphy
Joe BidenFormer president whose economic approval is compared to Trump's
Gavin NewsomGovernor of California, cited for his 2018 primary strategy
Phil HartmanLate NewsRadio co-star recalled by Rogan

Topics

From the publisher

Michael Douglas is an actor, producer, writer, and philanthropist whose film and television credits include "Wall Street," "Fatal Attraction," "Basic Instinct," "Behind the Candelabra," and "The Kominsky Method." He has won two Academy Awards, multiple Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He is also a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award and has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His new book, "One Helluva Ride," is available now.https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/michael-douglas/one-helluva-ride/9781538782224/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000140/ Perplexity: Download the app or ask Perplexity anything at https://pplx.ai/rogan. Use code ROGAN at https://BlueChew.com to get 10% OFF + Free Overnight Shipping on your first order. Visit https://squarespace.com/ROGAN to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 31, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Film Interviews·Politics·Books