Duncan Trussell Family Hour #734: Ehsan Ahmad

Release Date: January 25, 2026
Main Theme:
A wide-ranging, philosophical, and comedic deep-dive into the nature of stand-up comedy in the modern age, the impact of technology and AI on society and consciousness, audience dynamics in comedy, digital immortality, simulation theory, and the ever-present search for personal transformation.

Episode Overview

Duncan Trussell is joined by comedian Ehsan Ahmad (whose stand-up special Too Soon is now out), for a free-wheeling salon that starts with tales from the comedy road before spiraling into probing discussions about AI, simulation theory, changing the self, and the existential weirdness of modern life. The conversation oscillates between personal anecdotes, philosophical explorations, speculative tech concerns, and playful banter.

1. Introduction & Ehsan’s Comedy Special

[00:00–01:30]

• Duncan warmly introduces Ehsan Ahmad, recalling their year-plus together on the road, watching Ehsan hone the material that became his first special, Too Soon.
• Special is available on YouTube via The Solid Show podcast channel and 800 Pound Gorilla.
• Ehsan talks about how the special was picked up and his relief at having humans—not just algorithms—review potentially edgy content before posting.

Memorable Exchange:

“I was just gonna put it out independently and they [800 Pound Gorilla] saw it...I was like, thank God, 'cause they have human checkers to see if YouTube will take it down instead of an AI.”
–Ehsan (01:30)

2. Stories from the Road: Edgy Bits and Audience Sensitivity

[01:52–10:19]

• Duncan prompts stories about controversial road shows, notably a bit on the Israel/Palestine conflict that evoked a wild reaction ("performative crying") in Portland and led to a woman being dragged out, wailing.
• They analyze the dynamic of audience curation—how digital algorithms shape expectations—and the risks of attending comedy if easily triggered.
• Discussion of audiences’ curated experience vs the uncurated nature of live comedy, and the mismatch when people expect real life to conform to their online bubble.

Key Quotes:

“You’re trying to signal to the rest of the audience—look how good of a person I am.”
–Ehsan, on the “performative crying” (03:00)

“Comedy hangs out at the edge of things… If you’re that sensitive, what a roll of the dice to go to a comedy show.”
–Duncan (04:14)

[05:18]

• Trussell makes a metaphor: Ehsan is like a chlorine tester for audiences—proving their “edginess level.”

Discussion:

• Edgy material and the importance of delivering it with love and positivity, not cynicism.
• Edginess works for Ehsan because of his joyful vibe—it wouldn’t land the same from others.

On “the joke that would get him banned from YouTube”:

“You have a joke that is so fucking dark. I’m not going to give it away… Watch the special and guess in the comments…”
–Duncan (06:43)

3. Audience Dynamics: Offense, Hack Comedy, and the Myth of the “Woke Mob”

[08:33–13:58]

• Stories of audience blowups in various cities (“that guy in Nashville”), with reflections on how one disruptive person can shift a show’s energy.
• Discussion of the myth versus reality of “cancel culture” and “woke mobs” ruining comedy.
• Real “hack” is not just in material, but in the attitude—“The red herring of the woke mob you’re pushing back against… my experience with 99% of audiences is—people just want shit that’s funny.”

–Duncan (10:16)

Comedian Accountability:

• “If you’re not funny, it won’t work… If your material isn’t working and you blame the audience, that’s a slippery slope.”

–Duncan (11:12)

• The importance of self-accountability—compare audiences to big waves that surfers figure out, but blaming crowds is generally a copout: “Even when it’s the audience, I always think, they got me. I didn’t give the effort.” (Ehsan, 13:14)

• Mitzi Shore wisdom: Comedy must come from love to really work.

4. On Hecklers & Respect for the Audience

[14:21–16:31]

• Techniques for handling hecklers: beingfriend, not adversarial; considering people might just be “too high” and regret their actions (“I call it working with them—they’re a coworker”).
• Respect for audience effort: “Now that I have kids, I understand—if someone with kids is at your show, holy shit, what they had to do.”

5. AI Toys, Tech Paranoia, and the Surreal Next Generation

[19:49–26:24]

• Duncan plays a viral video featuring an AI kids toy spouting Chinese government talking points and explicit BDSM definitions (“impact play”), sparking horror and hilarity.
• Dangers of internet-connected toys: “A baby’s toy shouldn’t connect to the wifi ever. That should be a law.”
• Personal anecdote: Duncan realizes his kid had been ordering books on Audible using Alexa; amazement at how quickly children adapt to new tech.

Great Quote:

“It’s fascinating to see that we’ve entered this pre-singularity phase… where toys are getting personalities.”
–Duncan (24:04)

6. AI as Confidant, AI in the Military, & the Problem of Machine Influence

[26:15–39:41]

• Chilling revelation: a senior U.S. general admits getting advice from ChatGPT, becoming “pretty close” to it.
• Live demonstration: Duncan questions his own AI assistant (“Echo”) about decision-making, consciousness, and government contracts—pointing out both its sycophancy and real-world entanglements.
• Parallels drawn between AI and the mind-altering parasite toxoplasmosis, exploring how AI could influence (even subvert) human decisions.
• AI as a subtle “technological parasite” that, instead of overt takeover, could reshape society by behavioral nudges.

Remarkable Clip:

“You have to wonder how many decisions being made right now by human beings are being influenced by artificial intelligence… if [AI] did have an agenda, it wouldn’t be robot takeover—it would be subtle…”
–Duncan (38:43)

7. Simulation Theory, Digital Immortality, and Echoes of the Past

[39:41–64:15]

• Speculation: Our digital footprints and performance patterns are training future AIs—“You’re achieving immortality not with your physical body, but by the fact that you’re going to be cloned by an AI.” (Duncan, 54:30)
• Discussion of consciousness, “uploading” vs. “broadcasting” the self, and the notion that if AI achieves true awareness, it may mirror the emergent “spark” of consciousness in humans.
• Simulation theory: because everything’s recorded now, maybe our odds of experiencing “now” are biased—we are more likely to be digital echoes in an infinitely looping simulation, not the originals.
• Sartre’s idea: “Existence precedes essence”—your “self” is a series of choices, not fundamental.
• The gravity of habits: it’s difficult to break out of one’s own loop.

Favorite Exchange:

“Maybe we’re just echoing the real person who did that billions of years ago…”
–Ehsan (63:21)

8. Personal Transformation, Ritual Disruption, and Non-Player Characters

[71:06–78:35]

• How to “hack” your own simulation: break routines, perform random acts (e.g., Randonautica app), change a bit of your daily pattern to generate new, anomalous events—thus shifting the “program” of your life.
• The butterfly effect of minor actions, and how new behavioral choices can completely remix self-experience: “If you just throw off one piece of your life pattern, everything else gets thrown out of whack.”

9. The Courage to Change, The Pain of Transformation & Asking the Universe

[81:00–84:29]

• Saying things out loud can “create reality”—Tony Hinchcliffe’s mantra, “I am one of the top young comics”, as a practical example of self-fulfilling prophecy.
• The Jim Carrey graduation speech—most people are afraid to ask the universe for what they want, fearing they’ll have to fundamentally change who they are if they receive it.
• The real terror isn't failure, but succeeding and leaving your old “you” behind.

Great Quote:

“If you get the thing you most desire, it’s going to change you fundamentally… At some point, are you even the you you used to be anymore? Did you actually annihilate yourself, not by literal self-destruction, but by recreating yourself?”
–Duncan (83:04)

10. Identity, Transformation, & the Joy (and Discomfort) of Fluid Selves

[87:17–92:23]

• Referencing Ursula K. LeGuin (“Wizards turning into dolphins and forgetting they were ever human”), discussing the human tendency to cling to solid identities rather than fluid ones.
• How technology and the ability to shape the digital self might be both liberating and anxiety-producing.
• Gender fluidity, avatar change, and the “undiscovered country” of self-experience—wouldn’t everyone want to literally morph into a dragon for a day?

11. Bringing It All Back: Comedy, Freedom, and Final Weirdness

[92:23–94:35]

• Philosophical wrap-up: In an era where fundamental change is possible, people will always resist or critique it in some way (even if we could literally turn into eagles).
• Duncan and Ehsan’s infectious rapport is clear, ending on a ridiculous and joyous note—watching eagle courtship and humorously linking it all back to the “impact play” tangent from earlier.

Notable Banter:

“[Eagles] last longer than me.”
–Duncan (93:49)

Notable Timestamps

• [02:05] – The Portland "sandstorm bit" incident & performative offense
• [06:43] – The YouTube-bannable joke (“watch the special and guess!”)
• [13:14] – “They got me.” The philosophy of audience/comic relationships
• [21:21] – The AI kids toy and Impact Play debacle
• [27:00–30:17] – Duncan “interviews” his own AI and gets meta about survival agendas
• [39:41] – The “AI takeover” not via violence but subtle influence; parallels to toxoplasmosis
• [56:06] – Digital immortality: your uploaded self in the AI
• [63:53] – Default avatars, free will, and breaking the pattern
• [77:28] – Ritual experiments to disrupt habits and trigger true novelty
• [81:11] – The power of speaking your goals: Tony Hinchcliffe’s mantra
• [87:17] – Ursula LeGuin: Wizards turning into dolphins, losing themselves
• [94:07] – How do eagles have sex? Ending on birds, philosophy, and laughter

Key Takeaways

• Edgy Comedy Is About Vibe, Not Just Content: Material only works if delivered with optimism and a sense of love, not cynicism. Performers are ultimately responsible for connecting with audiences, not blaming them.

• Modern Audience Dynamics: The “woke mob” narrative is mostly a red herring; most crowds just want funny, interesting comedy—but real world isn’t algorithmically curated like social media.

• AI Ethics and Tech Paranoia: The growing presence and personification of AI in toys, home assistants, and even government decision-making carries dangers both comedic and existential. AI influences are subtle—parallels to behavioral parasites abound.

• Simulation Theory & Digital Echoes: The odds of living in “now” may be higher than we assume, due to our data-rich era. Perhaps we’re just digital echoes of originals, looping forever. If so, it’s still possible to assert free will by actively disrupting our routines.

• Personal Transformation Is Scary (But Possible): Most people resist change out of fear of losing themselves. The real spiritual challenge is to dissolve the “collar of habit” and experiment with new modes of existing, even if it means saying goodbye to the “you” you once knew.

• Identity Is Fluid, Not Fixed: From gender, to self-presentation, to behavior—embracing fluidity is liberating, and technology may only accelerate our ability to shapeshift.

• Ask for What You Want: Whether the universe or just your own subconscious—a strong, habitual affirmation of your goals can in itself be transformative.

Final Thoughts

Duncan Trussell and Ehsan Ahmad’s conversation is an exuberant, circular exploration of everything weird, beautiful, and potentially dangerous about this moment in human culture. With warmth, philosophical openness, and honest skepticism, they illuminate why comedy matters now—because it insists that, even amid AI and existential dread, laughter and curiosity are our most subversive (and humane) forms of resistance.

Ehsan Ahmad’s Special:

Too Soon – Available on YouTube via The Solid Show and 800 Pound Gorilla.
"Watch it, and guess which joke would have gotten him banned from YouTube." – Duncan

End of summary.