Episode overview

#656 - Fahim Anwar

Theo Von · 30 April 2026 · 5 Egleze moments

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What happened in this episode?

Egleze identified 5 source-linked moments from this conversation.

Which topics are covered?

Entertainment Society Money

How is this page sourced?

Programme: Theo Von
Published: 30 April 2026
Original episode: Open the original source ↗

Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.

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5 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected

Entertainment

Fahim Anwar Details First Time Filming Stand-Up Comedy on Netflix

at 0:00 · Attributed speaker claim

I want to let you know that I'll be doing a podcast, taping this podcast, uh, before a live audience. Um, it's the only time I've ever done that, and it may be the only time I ever do. I don't know. Uh, but that will be with the champ, Iron Mike Tyson, on May 5th in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater, um, as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest.

The host announces a rare live podcast taping with Mike Tyson as part of Netflix's comedy festival. This marks an unprecedented format change for the show, bringing a major cultural figure to a live audience setting. The event represents a significant crossover between podcast and traditional entertainment formats.

Read this moment → Check original at 0:00 ↗

Society

Inside The Comedy Store's Golden Era Before COVID Changed Everything Forever

at 51:19 · Attributed speaker claim

We were in the heyday of The Comedy Store and we didn't even know it before COVID happened, you know? Like, Rogan was there. Uh, yeah, it was just juggernaut after juggernaut. These lineups were insane. Tom Segura. Yeah, I mean, even on a Tuesday, Eliza Schlesinger. Um, I mean, and that was it. That was just like kind of people that were just there.

Fahim reflects on the pre-COVID era at The Comedy Store as an unrecognized golden age, when massive comedy stars like Rogan, Segura, and Burr regularly performed on the same lineups. After COVID, many comedians relocated to Austin, New York, Vegas and Nashville, fundamentally changing the LA comedy scene.

Read this moment → Check original at 51:19 ↗

Money

Comedian Reveals MTV Fame Came Without Financial Security or Control

at 1:28:43 · Attributed speaker claim

One thing that was, I think, in hindsight a blessing about that experience was that I kind of got to be like, you got a level of popularity there, but you didn't like with doing Road Rules, be on MTV, but you didn't have any money, right? So you had no— and you had no, uh, the only way you could get like any, like, kind of— you had to keep going back to them to— if you wanted something else, you know, you just had to be in their world.

The host reflects on his MTV Road Rules experience, revealing that early fame brought popularity without financial rewards or creative control. Years later, he was sleeping on a friend's floor despite public recognition. This experience shaped his understanding of fame's true value before building his comedy career.

Read this moment → Check original at 1:28:43 ↗

Money

Engineer Quit Boeing Job Through Strategic Termination to Collect Unemployment Benefits

at 1:41:28 · Attributed speaker claim

I read that you can only collect unemployment if they fire you. So then, yeah, so then I sent an email. I go, I will be leaving on this day and I plan on returning this day, just to let them know that I plan on returning. And then I just left the office, you know? And then I wouldn't answer their calls or emails or anything. I was just waiting for them to terminate me.

Fahim Anwar describes deliberately engineering his termination from Boeing to qualify for unemployment while pursuing an MTV show opportunity. The mechanical engineer avoided calls until Boeing officially terminated him, allowing him to transition into entertainment. This strategic move helped launch his comedy career during a financially precarious period.

Read this moment → Check original at 1:41:28 ↗

Society

Comedians Discuss How Muslim Americans Were Profiled After 9/11 Attacks

at 2:05:06 · Attributed speaker claim

It was dicey for a while because every time there was a, you know, post-9/11, the temperature was— if you happen to be that, you felt it. You know, when I would fly, I would be secondary search. And I grew up with Boy Meets World and TGIF. I'm just as American. I watched Saved by the Bell. But you just happen to look a certain way.

Fahim Anwar, whose parents are from Afghanistan, describes experiencing systematic discrimination after 9/11 including routine secondary searches at airports. Despite being culturally American, he faced prejudice based on appearance. He argues social media has reduced this type of broad-stroke stereotyping by allowing people to form their own opinions beyond controlled narratives.

Read this moment → Check original at 2:05:06 ↗