💬 The Rubin Recap: The Sunday return to normalcy

Being normal, staying to true to my values as I close in on milestone birthday

As you get older in life (I’m turning 50 next month), the more you realize that some of the only things you can actually control are your words and your integrity. Integrity is something my mom and dad instilled in me growing up — something I’m thinking about on Mother’s Day today. And I wish all the mom’s out there who watch and subscribe a happy Mother’s Day. Family is so important, something I realize more and more each year.

The sense of integrity my parents instilled in me is part of why I left legacy media and went independent years ago. I built my own home studio from scratch, and launched a subscription platform (Locals) so I could control my own destiny.

The relationship I’ve forged over the past 13 years with you, my audience, is a genuine two-way street. You support the show, and I don’t BS you in return.

I’m not perfect. I don’t get everything right. I’ve made wrong predictions, missed things, and even have had to correct myself live on air (which, for some reason, I actually enjoy doing.) But you always know I’m saying what I actually believe. Nobody talking in my ear, no focus-grouping my opinions, no testing which take will get the most clicks before I say it.

This may sound crazy, but it’s the truth … I actually have no desire for more clicks, more fame, or more celebrity. If they come because I’m doing good work, fine. But I’m not chasing them. I’m chasing the ideas that will help keep America prosperous and successful. That’s the unspoken deal we’ve had from day one.

Now contrast that with the grifters like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. Both of them wrote blurbs for my books. Megyn even called me for advice when she went independent. Asking me how to build a studio, assemble a team, and how to do it right. Tucker walked into my home studio years ago and said I was living his dream.

Yet here we are: Tucker gets caught in flat-out lies over and over again and just keeps doing it, doubling down like you won’t notice. Megyn has been betraying every principle she once claimed to stand for, and throwing old friends under the bus for clicks.

They don’t care about their audiences at all. You’re just a product to them.

In this online ecosystem, we’re all easily replaceable. There are a thousand voices competing for your attention and eyeballs. So why keep giving your time and support to people who repeatedly insult your intelligence by lying to your face? Or to people who change their opinions based on which way the wind is blowing.

If you want honesty, even when it’s messy, you’ll always know where to find me.

And if fail you, you can always unsubscribe, and I'll just move on to my next career as an NBA player.

Dr. Debra Soh on whether the sex recession is a real thing, how 2020s culture is reshaping sexuality in America

You’ve read the headlines about Gen Z’s so-called sex recession. Dr. Debra Soh was back on the show this week and she dispelled some myths around the idea as well as explained what factors are actually causing declining libido and testosterone, as well as how the pandemic left a lasting impact on the American dating scene. We also discussed sex robots, and the interview took an unexpected turn when Debra revealed that she bought a sex robot … that looks exactly like herself. (It was for research, people — she has a new book out called Sextinction: The Decline of Sex and the Future of Intimacy.) Naturally, though, I had to ask her whether she’s been intimate with the robot. Informative and fun conversation with Debra, as it always is. 🤖