Ryan Bingham

Date: 2026-04-24 | Duration: 2h 22m

Category: Nature & Outdoors, Arts & Entertainment

Episode Overview

Joe Rogan and Ryan Bingham explore the musician's journey from rodeo rings to Hollywood, weaving together stories of survival, artistry, and authentic living. Bingham recounts his time on Yellowstone, his move to Montana, and attending hunting guide school, where he learned wilderness first aid and fire-starting techniques. The conversation moves through his adventures hunting axis deer in Hawaii and Alaska, his friendship with neighbor Remi Warren, and the therapeutic connection he finds working with horses. They discuss wildlife management controversies, including wolf reintroduction in Colorado and California, wild pig explosions in Texas, and mountain lions roaming near Bingham's property. The episode shifts to California's wildfire crisis, with both sharing harrowing evacuation experiences—Bingham from Topanga and Rogan from previous fires. They critique the state's bureaucratic failures, from empty reservoirs during emergencies to excessive regulations. Bingham reflects on his unconventional path: starting bull riding at age 10, learning guitar from a mariachi player, and traveling in a van during his early music career. He discusses the country music resurgence through authentic artists like Colter Wall, Zach Bryan, and Oliver Anthony, whom he advised against signing predatory contracts. Throughout, Bingham emphasizes songwriting as therapeutic salvation, a way to process trauma and find meaning beyond social media metrics and industry pressures.

About Ryan Bingham

Ryan Bingham is a country musician and actor best known for his role on Yellowstone, who has built an unconventional career bridging music, wilderness living, and authentic storytelling. Starting as a bull rider at age 10 before becoming a guitarist and songwriter, Bingham has become an advocate for artistic integrity in country music, counseling emerging artists like Zach Bryan against exploitative industry deals. His life—marked by survival, rodeo roots, hunting expeditions, and a recent move to Montana—reflects his philosophy that songwriting and connection to the land serve as therapeutic anchors against modern pressures and disconnection.

Key Moments

0:57:00 – Evacuating horses during Altadena fire
0:58:14 – Joe's 2018 wildfire evacuation experience
0:59:05 – California canyons burn inevitably
00:00:23 – Performing at Matthew McConaughey's Austin event
00:01:29 – Austin's supportive music community
00:02:07 – Working on Yellowstone in Montana
00:03:59 – Montana's spiritual beauty and landscape
00:05:19 – Attending hunting guide school in Montana
00:08:04 – Following survivalist Clay Hayes content
00:09:18 – Learning wilderness first aid and survival skills
00:13:13 – Six-day hunting trip in Alaska
00:15:40 – Alaska's rugged people and community
00:16:43 – Working manual labor jobs in youth
00:21:33 – Primal connection to nature and survival
00:24:43 – Therapeutic relationship with horses
00:26:35 – Meeting neighbor Remi Warren in Montana
00:28:28 – Axis deer hunting in Hawaii Lanai
00:34:51 – Wild pig population explosion in Texas
00:38:27 – Mule deer eradication on Catalina Island
00:41:42 – Wolf detected in Los Angeles County
00:44:54 – Colorado wolf reintroduction controversy
00:48:43 – California's $110 million wildlife bridge
00:53:54 – Mountain lion hunting with dogs debate
00:55:40 – Topanga wildfire evacuation experience
1:01:33 – Helicopter pilots dropping water on fires
1:03:26 – LA's empty reservoir during fires
1:05:08 – Toxic chemicals in burnt ground and air
1:09:00 – California's excessive regulations and bureaucracy
1:11:08 – Montana winters thin the herd
1:13:31 – Settling the frontier in 1800s
1:16:00 – Refrigeration as most important invention
1:18:11 – History of hunting regulations
1:21:08 – Mountain lions near Ryan's house
1:24:18 – Ryan starts riding bulls at age 10
1:29:03 – Learning guitar from mariachi player
1:36:16 – Meeting Jeff Bridges on Crazy Heart
1:38:03 – Getting cast on Yellowstone
1:41:37 – Bull knocks out Ryan's teeth
1:47:02 – Early music career traveling in a van
1:51:47 – Cowboys weren't cool in early 2000s
1:53:28 – Country music comeback and new authentic artists
1:54:38 – The romantic appeal of Ryan's unconventional life story
1:56:40 – First junior bull ride at age 10 in Odessa
1:58:50 – Test riding young bulls in breeding programs
2:00:12 – Wild scrub bulls in Australia
2:03:56 – Comedy and music as perspective and medicine
2:06:41 – Songwriting as therapeutic tool for healing
2:08:18 – Discovery of Colter Wall and young talent
2:10:03 – Oliver Anthony's viral success story
2:12:33 – Learning guitar through YouTube videos
2:14:34 – Advising Oliver Anthony against signing contracts
2:18:27 – Focus on writing over social media metrics
2:20:47 – Songwriting as personal salvation and therapy

Transcript Excerpt

[00:00:01] Joe Rogan podcast, checking out. The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. Man, good to see you. Yeah, this evening. Hold up to that microphone, sir. All right. You were fucking great at that McConaughey thing last year. [00:00:23] I really enjoyed that. That was my first time seeing you perform live. It was really cool. It was very cool. You're so relaxed up there, man. So it was like you brought everybody into a nice, like, comfortable, chill, vibe. It was cool. I'm glad you guys felt that way. Sometimes it takes me a minute to get into the groove, you know. Yeah, but it felt like that, you know, it felt like you were in it. Like it brought [00:00:45] the whole crowd into it too. That event that he does, the two events, the one, the singer-songwriter one, and then the other one with the auction and everything, they're so cool, such good events. Yeah, they're good people too, you know. I really grown to just appreciate the community around here in Austin and the hill country area and all of that stuff I definitely wouldn't have the career I don't think but it wouldn't have been for the community around here that this support and songwriters and music and the way that they do it's pretty incredible you know when they get behind anything it's just like it just feels so good to see that many people come together and it's a you know have that support it's a really good place man Austin is a really good community [00:02:07] It must be so fun to play. It was so much fun, man. I had the, I laughed. I always talk about it. I felt like I had, like, one of the easiest jobs there, you know. It's because my, the character was kind of a smaller role. You know, most of the time I'd work, like, one or two days a week. And then the rest of the time, I'd just be, like, fly fishing and get lost in the mountains and just disappear out there. [00:02:28] Yeah. It was awesome. God, Montana. That is awesome. That show made so many people ...

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Frequently asked about this episode

Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #2489?

Ryan Bingham was the guest on JRE #2489. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

What topics were discussed on JRE #2489?

On Joe Rogan Experience #2489 with Ryan Bingham, topics include Evacuating horses during Altadena fire, Joe's 2018 wildfire evacuation experience, California canyons burn inevitably, and Performing at Matthew McConaughey's Austin event.

Where can I read the transcript for JRE #2489?

The full searchable transcript for Joe Rogan Experience #2489 with Ryan Bingham is available on this page, along with key topics and timestamps.