Taylor Kitsch joined The Joe Rogan Experience and discussed the death of his father, who he had barely seen in 20 years.
Kitsch told Rogan that he also hadn’t spoken to his two brothers, and the loss of their father brought them back together.
Rogan went on to explain a story of how the death of his close friend to an overdose impacted him.
Joe Rogan has done an incredible job of bringing a broad and unique range of guests on his podcast over the years. In turn, it’s made The Joe Rogan Experience one of the most popular podcasts on the internet. One noteworthy guest that led to a great conversation was popular actor and star of the hit TV series Friday Night Lights, Taylor Kitsch.
While Rogan and Kitsch spoke about several topics, one of the most interesting was a conversation that involved gratitude and not taking people for granted. In short, one lesson that was driven home was the fact that you have to just take people as they are sometimes, especially those related to you.
Taylor Kitsch Talks About Father’s Death on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’
Taylor Kitsch attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation screening and Q&A of ‘American Primeval’ at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center.
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
During the conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience, Kitsch opened up a lot while discussing his father’s death, and gave some background and details that led to him seeing things differently.
Kitsch explained to Rogan what it was like to lose his dad, revealing that he had barely seen him over the past 20 years, along with his two brothers. He went on to say that there was ultimately a positive that came away from it all, that the loss of their father brought all the brothers back together.
Rogan and Kitsch discussed the topic and took a deeper dive into the subject of appreciating people, which can be hard sometimes until they’re gone.
“You just need to appreciate people and sometimes it takes a loss before you appreciate others,” Rogan said. “It’s just like, you just get too used to people, too used to them being around, you take them for granted. And then if they’re gone, you know…”
Later in the conversation, Kitsch added that he had forgiven his dad, and didn’t hold his childhood or anything from it against him.
“I forgave him. I wasn’t that son that was like, ‘F—, where were you? Why didn’t you do this for me?’” Kitsch explained. “I wasn’t. And you learn that as you get older [that people are who they are].”
*If you or someone you know is struggling with drug addiction, there are ways to get help. You can call or text 988 on your phone or go to FindTreatment.gov.
Joe Rogan Explains the Impact of Losing His Close Friend
Rogan told a story about his best friend who had a drug addiction and died of an overdose. He explains how when he moved to Los Angeles from New York, his friend came to his house in L.A. and detoxed, laying in bed for four or five days. The host admitted that even though he knew his friend’s addiction could lead to the death eventually, that it was still hard to wrap his head around.
“Another buddy of mine that I’m good friends with called me, we were all tight together, and it just never made sense,” Rogan said.” It’s like, ‘How is he not here? How is he gone?’ It just f—ed me up to where I knew he was going to die, I knew it was going to happen, but I couldn’t believe it happened. And then you know, you’ve got to go back to work, back to life, and you feel like a piece of you is missing. The world doesn’t make sense. A person isn’t in the world anymore, it’s so hard to imagine until it actually happens.”
Kitsch added to Rogan’s point, by stating that it’s “totally different” when someone dies, even if you have time to know it’s going to happen.
“I had enough time to understand he was going, but when they’re gone it’s just totally different. And then you just take stock and you’re like, ‘Ok, am I doing enough?’” Kitsch said.
It was a pretty incredible back-and-forth between the two, as both Rogan and Kitsch opened up entirely about losses in their lives they’ve struggled with. In the end, they both seem to have fully embraced the fact that the death of someone close to you can change a lot, including how you view your relationship with them as a whole.
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This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Oct 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.