#39 - Joey Diaz, Eddie Bravo (Part 2)

Joey "CoCo" Diaz (born José Antonio Díaz; February 19, 1963) is a Cuban-American stand-up comedian, actor , podcaster, and author renowned for his raw, autobiographical storytelling style that draws from his tumultuous life experiences. Born in Havana , Cuba , he immigrated to the United States at age three and was raised in North Bergen, New Jersey, where he navigated a challenging upbringing marked by family loss and legal troubles, including a period of incarceration in the late 1980s . Diaz began his comedy career in 1988 while serving time in a Denver correctional facility, where he performed stand-up routines during movie breaks to entertain fellow inmates, eventually transitioning to professional stages after his release. His breakthrough in acting came with supporting roles in major films, including Spider-Man 2 (2004), The Longest Yard (2005), Taxi (2004), Grudge Match (2013) alongside Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, and The Many Saints of Newark (2021) as Buddha Bonpensiero in the Sopranos prequel. On television, he has appeared in series such as My Name Is Earl , The Mentalist , Eastbound & Down , Children's Hospital , and General Hospital , often playing characters that leverage his distinctive gravelly voice and intense persona. Diaz released his first one-hour stand-up special, Sociably Unacceptable , in 2016, and his comedy has been featured on platforms like This Is Not Happening . As a podcaster, Diaz has built a massive following through unfiltered discussions of personal anecdotes, addiction recovery, and life lessons; he co-hosted The Church of What's Happening Now from 2012 to 2016, revived it as The New Testament in 2024, and currently hosts Uncle Joey's Joint and The Check-In with co-host Lee Syatt. He is a frequent guest on The Joe Rogan Experience , appearing over 40 times since 2009, which has amplified his cult status in comedy circles. In 2022, Diaz published his memoir Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage , a New York Times bestseller that chronicles his path from street crime and substance abuse to sobriety and stardom. Married to Terrie Clark since 2007, he is a father and continues touring with shows like his 2026 performance 62 & Still Slinging at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa. José Antonio Díaz was born on February 19, 1963, in Havana , Cuba , to a Cuban father and a mother of Spanish descent. His father died when he was three years old, leaving the family in difficult circumstances under the early years of the Castro regime. At the age of three, in 1966, Díaz immigrated to the United States with his mother, initially settling on the Upper West Side of Manhattan , New York City . The family later relocated to North Bergen, New Jersey , where Díaz spent much of his formative years. Díaz was raised in a strict Catholic household by his single mother, who worked as a hairdresser and later owned and operated a bar along with a numbers racket to support the family. His upbringing was marked by a blend of Cuban cultural traditions and the challenges of adapting to American life in a working-class neighborhood. He attended McKinley School and North Bergen High School , where he began navigating the cultural shifts of his new environment, including exposure to diverse influences from school peers and the local community. Early on, Díaz took on odd jobs such as working as a dishwasher and a delivery boy to contribute to the household . In 1979, when Díaz was 16, his mother died of a heart attack, an event that plunged him into profound emotional turmoil. Following her death, he lived with relatives while grappling with the loss and the instability it brought to his life. This period of grief and upheaval profoundly shaped his early worldview, highlighting the hardships of his immigrant roots and family dynamics. Following the death of his mother at age 16, Diaz dropped out of high school and descended into a period of escalating personal troubles in New Jersey.

Eddie Bravo (born Edgar Cano; May 15, 1970) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, innovator, and founder of the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system, a no-gi grappling methodology that emphasizes high-flexibility guards and unconventional submissions. Born in Santa Ana, California , to Mexican immigrant parents, Bravo initially pursued wrestling in high school before discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the 1990s, earning a black belt under Jean Jacques Machado in 2003 after developing his signature rubber guard technique, which involves wrapping the legs around the opponent's head and arm to control and attack from the bottom position. His most notable competitive achievement came at the 2003 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, where, competing as a brown belt, he submitted Royler Gracie —grandson of BJJ founder Carlos Gracie —with a triangle choke , a victory that highlighted the effectiveness of his unorthodox style against traditional Gracie lineage practitioners and propelled his influence in no-gi grappling . Following this, Bravo established 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu , expanding it into a global network of affiliated gyms that prioritize no-gi training, innovation over tradition, and techniques like the rubber, truck, and twister guards, fostering a subculture within jiu-jitsu that challenges gi-based orthodoxy . Beyond grappling , Bravo has gained prominence as a podcaster and frequent guest on the Joe Rogan Experience , where he discusses martial arts alongside advocacy for conspiracy theories such as flat Earth , directed-energy weapons in the 9/11 attacks, and elite cabals, positions that have rendered him a polarizing figure in both combat sports and broader cultural discourse, often critiqued for diverging from empirical consensus yet defended by supporters as emblematic of independent inquiry. Edgar A. Cano, later legally known as Eddie Bravo after adopting his stepfather's surname, was born on May 15, 1970, in Santa Ana, California . His biological parents were Mexican immigrants who had settled in the United States, instilling a Mexican-American heritage in a working-class environment typical of many immigrant families in Southern California during that era. Bravo's early years were marked by a strong interest in music, beginning at a young age when he learned to play the drums and guitar. He formed several bands during his formative period, harboring aspirations of becoming a professional musician in the rock genre. This pursuit reflected an independent streak, as he channeled creative energies into self-directed musical endeavors rather than conventional paths. Eddie Bravo was born on May 15, 1970, in Santa Ana, California , to Mexican immigrant parents, later adopting his stepfather's surname. Limited public information exists regarding his formal education, with no verified records of attendance at community college or university ; his early development appears to have prioritized self-directed practical skills over structured academic paths. Before discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1991, Bravo's primary non-martial interest lay in music, where he developed skills on drums and guitar during his youth. He formed the band Blackened Kill Symphony as an outlet for his creative ambitions in the music industry. These pursuits reflected a hands-on, experimental approach to self-expression, aligning with his later problem-solving mindset unburdened by conventional frameworks. Eddie Bravo first encountered Brazilian jiu-jitsu through Royce Gracie's dominant performances in the early Ultimate Fighting Championship events, particularly UFC 1 in November 1993 and UFC 2 in March 1994, where Gracie submitted larger strikers using ground control and chokes, proving the art's efficacy in unsanctioned combat against diverse martial styles.