The Adam Carolla Show

Episode: Eddie Bravo Talks Global Governments and How Producers Ruined the Man Show
Date: January 13, 2026
Guests: Eddie Bravo, Alicia Krause

Episode Overview

This episode features Adam Carolla in conversation with Eddie Bravo, martial artist, podcaster, and well-known conspiracy commentator. The pair dig into their Southern California upbringings, their experiences in comedy and television production (specifically, The Man Show), and move into a wide-ranging critique of media, government, and global power structures. Eddie Bravo shares personal stories of career pivots, the dark underbelly of TV writing, and his worldview on societal manipulation, while Adam challenges, riffs, and contributes with his trademark candor and humor. After Bravo’s segment, Alicia Krause joins with news updates, expanding the discussion into politics, policing, media bias, and social commentary.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Southern California Roots and Early Careers

• Opening Banter and Radio Nostalgia (01:45–06:30)
  • Both Adam and Eddie reminisce about growing up in Southern California, listening to KROQ, and Loveline.
  • Discussion about the unique quirks and dysfunction within the radio industry.
  • Adam shares the behind-the-scenes politics at KROQ, including the infamous "Poor Man" and Dr. Drew saga.
• Eddie’s Path from Music to Martial Arts (07:00–09:12)
  • Eddie's original dream was to be a rock star; martial arts began as a way to avoid getting "fat."
  • Worked as a strip club DJ while trying to break into music before shifting to Jiu Jitsu.
  • Quote: “I always thought, man, I could give love advice too. But that would have been horrible. I would have been, I would have been destroying marriages.” — Eddie (01:54)

2. Comedy and Television Production: The Man Show

• Writing for TV and Adversity in Hollywood (09:13–20:20)
  • Joe Rogan brought Eddie into the writing room on The Man Show after Adam and Jimmy Kimmel's departure.
  • The new producers treated Bravo with hostility, ignoring his and Rogan’s sketches.
  • Quote: “They made it clear within the first half hour they don’t give a fuck about me. They’re just gonna hire me and they’re gonna pay me, but they don’t give a fuck.” — Eddie (14:09)
• Creative Control and the Difference between Originals and Successors (15:20–19:56)
  • Adam: The original Man Show cast (him, Kimmel, Daniel Kellison) did everything autonomously; the named producers were hands-off.
  • Once the originals left, the new producers finally got involved—but the magic was gone.
  • Adam reflects: “That’s the reason it was a good show. Then we left, and then they came in and they started producing, and that’s what happened.” (16:14)
• Pivot to Jiu Jitsu after TV Disillusionment (26:00–27:30)
  • Eddie recounts his win over Hoyler Gracie at ADCC, leading him to open his own Jiu Jitsu school and eventually build an empire.

3. The Nature of Passion and Work

• On Following Passions and Building a Life (28:05–29:41)
  • Adam and Eddie bond over doing things for intrinsic joy versus chasing fame or money.
  • “People should do what they feel they should do and want to do and feels good to them, whether people are watching or listening or not.” — Adam (27:31)
  • Adam reveals he built his own podcast studio: “But it’s what I like doing. You know what I mean?” (29:33)

4. Athleticism, Balance, and Life Lessons

• The Importance of Balance and Physical Skills (30:18–43:56)
  • Adam discusses his natural sense of balance and how it has benefited him in sports and life.
  • Eddie shares how balance is foundational in wrestling and Jiu Jitsu—and how natural aptitude in balance can't always be trained.
  • The conversation turns to broader insights on developing skills, working with what you’re naturally good at, and the mental benefits of physical balance.
  • Quote: “The thing about balance is it makes you better at everything and it also makes you catch on to things faster.” — Adam (40:13)

5. Societal Control, “Conspiracy,” and COVID-19

• Power Structures, Government, and COVID Skepticism (54:52–71:57)
  • Eddie and Adam discuss the role of money and control in politics, media, and “the elite.”
  • Eddie posits that global decision-making is mafia-like, run by ruthless power-seekers with blackmail and corruption.
  • Deep dive into skepticism about the COVID-19 pandemic:
    • Eddie argues the pandemic hysteria was staged and akin to “just the flu.”
    • He claims none of his 200+ Jiu Jitsu schools lost a member to COVID, citing it as evidence of a hoax.
    • Adam relays his early suspicion based on “missing ages” data in media and lack of messaging about Africa.
    • Both criticize the media, big business, and political opportunism around health crises and climate change.
    • Quote: “If this was real, Jiu Jitsu would have been wiped out… We didn’t have one person die. And we’re doing the opposite of what they told us to do.” — Eddie (62:28)
    • Adam: “It’s kind of on us as citizens because…everyone just attacked me. I’m like, you fucking pussies. You fucking cowards.” (68:14)
• One World Government and Climate Change (66:56–67:31)
  • Eddie: The ultimate historical goal has always been one world government, with international banking and media at the helm.
  • Adam notes the parallels in profiteering between COVID and climate change policies.

6. News Segment with Alicia Krause

• Government Overreach and Regulation (79:31–84:46)
  • Stories about the absurdity of local government regulations—burying pets, property permits, and business licenses.
  • Adam rails against increasing government intrusion: “How much bigger do you want government to be? You want the government dictating to this small business owner who he can make his cakes for? That’s what you want.” (83:14)
• Media Manipulation and Political Hypocrisy (86:30–92:31)
  • Discusses selective outrage and narrative control in high-profile police shootings.
  • Critique of media and entertainment figures (e.g., Wanda Sykes, Mark Ruffalo) for virtue signaling and ignorance of realities outside their narrative bubble.
  • Adam on “race in America” as a cudgel: “It’s a non issue that you guys wanna keep talking about so you can use as a cudgel a weapon.” (107:14)

7. Cultural Clashes and the State of the World

• Middle East Turmoil and Social Change (109:02–115:48)
  • Coverage of recent protests in LA regarding the Iranian regime, using it as a segue into the (un)changing nature of Middle Eastern conflict.
  • Adam reflects: “Every news broadcast I’ve seen in the last 75 years starts with Trouble in the Middle East. And then I would go, could you people get your fucking shit together?” (111:46)
  • Parallels drawn between foreign governments and domestic social unrest.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Passion versus Success:
  “If you’re a person whose passion is music or your passion is comedy, you’ll always win if you’re doing it because you love doing it and because that’s what you do.” — Adam (28:05)

• On COVID Skepticism:
  “We were the opposite of social distancing. And we never stopped…we didn’t have one person die. And we’re doing the opposite of what they told us to do.” — Eddie (62:28)
  “You cowards made this happen…It’s mostly women.” — Adam (72:04)

• On Creative Freedom and TV:
  “The Man Show was never produced. It’ll say, produced by Stone Stanley…It’s all bullshit. We produced it, we created it, we wrote it, we cast it, we did everything.” — Adam (17:16)

• On Media and Narrative:
  “The news is basically just propaganda.” — Eddie (59:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:45 - Adam and Eddie discuss Southern California upbringings, Loveline, radio stories
• 09:13 - Eddie’s introduction to The Man Show, TV writing experiences
• 14:09 - The hostile writers’ room after producers took over
• 28:05 - Conversation on pursuing passions, Adam’s philosophy
• 30:18–43:56 - The science and art of physical balance
• 54:52–71:57 - Global governments, COVID-19 skepticism/conspiracy, media control
• 79:31 - News with Alicia Krause starts; government regulation stories
• 86:30–92:31 - Media bias in coverage of policing; hypocrisy in celebrity activism
• 109:02–115:48 - Protests regarding Iran and endless conflict in the Middle East

Episode Highlights: Humor & Tone

• The episode is marked by Adam’s signature blend of dry sarcasm, sharp social critique, and nostalgia, matched by Eddie’s freewheeling conspiratorial worldview and personal anecdotes.
• Despite the heavy criticism of institutions, the tone is largely conversational and laced with black comedy and self-deprecating asides.
• The news segment continues the irreverent tone, spotlighting bureaucratic inanities, selective outrage, and the shifting winds of political correctness.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a densely packed, open-ended digression through show-business war stories, the hollowing out of creative industries, the mechanics of global control, and the fracturing of modern discourse. Adam and Eddie’s chemistry produces both laughs and provocative, if controversial, social commentary, anchored by a recurring message: Value independent thought, question authority, and don’t relinquish your critical faculties to the mob.

For listeners seeking no-holds-barred conversation, inside showbiz dirt, and a window into the contemporary “dissident right,” this episode is a must.