Eric Goode & Jeremy McBride

Date: 2026-08-06 | Duration: 2h 15m

Category: True Crime & Justice, Nature & Outdoors

Episode Overview

Eric Goode and Jeremy McBride join Joe Rogan to discuss their new HBO docu-series "Monsters of God," which explores the global reptile trade and the often-unsettling subculture surrounding exotic animals. The conversation immediately dives into the problem of invasive species, particularly the Burmese pythons in Florida, with Joe and his guests debating the origins of the infestation. Eric shares a dramatic personal story of being bitten by a highly venomous tiger rattlesnake, detailing the excruciating symptoms and the lasting impact of serum sickness from antivenom. This leads into a broader discussion about snake venom, the dangers of certain species, and the alarming reality that antivenom for some rare bites is no longer cost-effective to produce. The discussion shifts to the psychology of reptile enthusiasts, many of whom are intensely obsessive about collecting rare and exotic species. Eric and Jeremy explain how the illegal wildlife trade, a multi-billion dollar industry, often intersects with drug and gun trafficking due to the ease of concealing animals. They highlight how pop culture phenomena, like *Jurassic Park* or *Harry Potter*, inadvertently fuel demand for certain pets, leading to devastating ecological consequences and a booming market for endangered animals in places like Asia. The conversation also touches on peculiar aspects of the trade, such as the demand for python skins (despite Florida's python overpopulation), the "luxury consumption" of rare and endangered animals for perceived medicinal benefits or status symbols, and the bizarre practices found in massive Asian wildlife markets. Eric shares insights into the challenging process of making documentaries about such guarded subcultures, including encounters with individuals who have served serious prison time. The episode also features shocking details about the high value of certain turtles, which can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the disturbing trade in tiger parts, including tiger penis soup. Throughout the episode, Joe and his guests grapple with humanity's complex and often contradictory relationship with the animal kingdom, questioning why certain creatures are vilified or revered and the ethical implications of our interactions with wildlife.

About Eric Goode

Eric Goode is a filmmaker and wildlife expert known for creating the HBO docu-series "Monsters of God," which investigates the global exotic animal trade and the subcultures surrounding reptile collection. His work exposes the intersection of illegal wildlife trafficking with broader criminal enterprises like drug and gun smuggling, while revealing how pop culture inadvertently drives demand for endangered species. Goode brings firsthand credibility to these investigations, including personal encounters with venomous wildlife and access to secretive communities within the exotic animal world.

About Jeremy McBride

Jeremy McBride is a documentarian and filmmaker who co-created the HBO docu-series "Monsters of God" with Eric Goode. The series explores the global reptile trade and the obsessive subcultures surrounding exotic animal collection. McBride's work investigates how the multi-billion dollar illegal wildlife trade intersects with broader criminal enterprises and reveals the ecological devastation caused by both invasive species and the demand for endangered animals driven by pop culture and perceived medicinal value.

Key Moments

00:00:21 – Introducing the "Monsters of God" docu-series
00:00:41 – The invasive Burmese Python problem in Florida
00:03:03 – Eric Goode's lifelong passion and history with reptiles
00:03:27 – Eric recounts a dangerous Tiger Rattlesnake bite experience
00:08:53 – Eric's hidden reptile interest in New York's art scene
00:10:14 – Reading "The Lizard King" and dangers of the reptile trade
00:11:05 – Illegal wildlife trafficking: A $20 billion global industry
00:12:14 – How reptiles were easily smuggled in the past
00:13:57 – California's ban on python skins and endangered species
00:16:38 – Invasive green iguanas in Florida and their potential as food
00:20:40 – Strictly Reptiles and the boom in pet iguana sales
00:22:15 – "Jurassic Park" effect on pet demand and de-extinction
00:23:32 – The plight of endangered iguana species worldwide
00:27:19 – The dangerous and dinosaur-like Crocodile Monitor
00:27:48 – Contrasting human connection with chimps vs. reptiles
00:28:34 – Tortoises as Eric's preferred pets and most endangered group
00:30:26 – The psychology of obsession and scarcity in reptile collecting
01:31:17 – Reptiles' lack of emotional connection to humans
01:32:26 – US native reptiles smuggled for high value in Asia
01:33:59 – Strict US laws on bird of prey ownership and falconry
01:35:51 – Exclusive dinners in China serving endangered species
01:37:13 – Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" and DDT's impact on eagles
01:39:42 – Controversy of reintroducing grizzly bears to California
01:40:10 – Challenges of wolf reintroduction in Colorado
01:41:31 – Mountain lion attacks on pets in California residential areas
01:43:53 – Personal story of failed Madagascar tortoise conservation
01:45:01 – Successful captive breeding of an endangered Madagascar tortoise
01:46:13 – Debate on legalizing exotic animal trade to reduce poaching
01:47:40 – Attempt to deter poachers by defacing tortoise shells failed
01:50:50 – Earliest writing discovered on Chinese turtle shells
01:51:46 – Massive Chinese turtle farms for consumption and pets
01:53:59 – Golden Coin Turtle valued at $20k for alleged medicinal properties
01:58:23 – Asian markets for snake meat and blood drinks
01:59:07 – Tiger penis and tiger bone wine for virility in Asia
02:02:19 – Chinese giant salamander farms and their luxury consumption
02:05:47 – Costs and difficulties in modern species recovery programs
02:06:10 – Historical failures of human attempts to manage nature
02:10:46 – Filmmakers' process for selecting impactful documentary projects

Transcript Excerpt

[00:00:01] Joe Rogan podcast, checking out. The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. Good, bro. Gentlemen, good to see you again. You're back into the world of crazy people and animals. I watched episode one today. Like, oh, God. [00:00:21] First of all, where the fuck do you find these people? You live in that world. Like, you're in the world of reptiles. We should just explain. It's a docu-series. It's on HBO. It's called Monsters of God. And it's all about the reptile trade, which may or may not be responsible for Florida having 500,000 pythons. [00:00:41] Yeah. It's debatable, right? Like, it seems like it was partially pet owners who let them go. And partially there was some sort of a reptile research facility or something like that. Well, there's different theories. There was a hurricane theory. It was the people letting go go. I think the more reasonable one, because I had a Burmese python in the 70s when I was a teenager. [00:01:16] That's weird. I know. You had a monster, and you don't know what happened to your monster? I think when I went to college briefly, I gave it to someone, and then I don't know what happened to. But I gave my whole menagerie away to people when I went to college. I had reptiles in my room. Is there an extra level of response? [00:01:32] when you're giving away monsters. You know what I mean? Like if you have a Chihuahua and you say and your friends like, I'll take her, I love her. That's, you know, you don't really have to worry about your, you know, you have a fucking python. You're giving away a python. You got to worry about your Chihuahua because the pythons in the Everglades are going to eat your Chihuahua when it gets away. Well, certainly you worry about that. But I mean, you don't worry about your Chihuahua being a monster. [00:02:10] That's a good way to put it, did really well. Another way to put it is invasive species that's destroying the ecosystem. Well, they're like us, Joe. Th...

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Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #2536?

Eric Goode & Jeremy McBride was the guest on JRE #2536. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

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On Joe Rogan Experience #2536 with Eric Goode & Jeremy McBride, topics include Introducing the "Monsters of God" docu-series, The invasive Burmese Python problem in Florida, Eric Goode's lifelong passion and history with reptiles, and Eric recounts a dangerous Tiger Rattlesnake bite experience.

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