Joe Rogan Experience #2568 - Ross Edgley · Aired Oct 20, 2026
Claim summary · not a verbatim quotation
The 17th-century writer Samuel Johnson said, "Become a beast to get rid of the pain of being a man."
The finding
What the evidence shows
Ross identifies Samuel Johnson as a 17th-century writer. Johnson was born in 1709 and died in 1784, placing him in the 18th century. The familiar beast quotation is attributed to him, but the century is wrong. This is a minor historical slip, not a strong audience-harm clip candidate.
Read the supporting source · samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk ↗Quick answer & review status
Quick answer
Is it true that the 17th-century writer Samuel Johnson said, "Become a beast to get rid of the pain of being a man."?
Partly. The claim stretches what the evidence shows. Ross identifies Samuel Johnson as a 17th-century writer. Johnson was born in 1709 and died in 1784, placing him in the 18th century. Ross Edgley said it (matched by voice) on Joe Rogan Experience #2568 - Ross Edgley, aired Oct 20, 2026, at 1:03:27. The supporting source is samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk, linked below.
The context belongs here.
No separately verified on-air correction is recorded for this check. That is not a claim that nobody corrected it.
- Attribution
- Not independently confirmed in this record
- Editorial context review
- Not recorded; generated finding
- Coverage
- One selected claim from the episode
Revisions to this check
No dated revision is recorded here. Older checks may predate this log.
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