Joe Rogan peforms in Ann Arbor on Friday.

Many of us first got to know Joe Rogan when he played “NewsRadio”’s Joe Garrelli — a conspiracy theory-loving electrician. Later, Rogan gained a broader audience as host of NBC’s hit reality show “Fear Factor,” which lasted six seasons and dared contestants to do terrifying or repulsive stunts. And these days, Rogan — who won the U.S. Open Tae Kwon Do Championship as a lightweight at age 19, then beat both the middle and heavyweight title holders to obtain the Grand Championship title — provides color commentary for the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Pay Per View and Spike Television.

But one thing you probably didn’t know was that Rogan got his start in stand-up comedy and never really left his first love behind. (You can catch his act at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase on Friday.) And while Rogan’s stand-up is featured on albums and in television specials, he perhaps got the most play online for accusing Carlos Mencia of stealing jokes from others while on stage at the Comedy Store in 2007 — a confrontation that was filmed as part of Rogan's internet reality show, “JoeShow,” and went viral.

Recently, while traveling to Germany, Rogan answered some questions by e-mail.

Q: I was a big fan of “Newsradio” when it was on the air, and in a way, you were the “beefcake” of that sitcom, showing up shirtless on several occasions. Was this something the writers ran with after getting to know you and learning of your physical training? Or did your physique play a part in your landing the role? A: It was something that they ran with after they found out I worked out all the time. Fortunately, none of the auditions I went on involved me taking off my clothes.

Q: Were you surprised when the show's producers planned to continue with “Newsradio” after (co-star) Phil Hartman’s death? Did you believe the show could ever really recover from that? A: We all wanted to continue the show. It was horrible losing Phil, but one of the cast members said it best in that Phil would have definitely wanted us to go on, and he would have definitely not wanted (Hartman’s wife, Brynn, who killed Hartman and then herself) to take the show away from everyone when she had already taken Phil. It was incredibly sad. I've never known a couple to go out with a murder/suicide like that, and it completely changed the way I think about relationships. Once you know that's possible on a personal level it just changes the whole game. I have zero tolerance for angry people in my life after that.

Q: Your shock at how long “Fear Factor” lasted, and how bored you got with it, is widely reported. Would you have even watched the show if you’d had no involvement with it? A: Sure. It was fun, mindless entertainment. It would have been fun to do if I had to film a show every now and then, but when you're cranking out 34 of them a year, and you really would rather be doing other things, it got a bit tiresome. The opportunity was tremendous, though, especially from a financial perspective, so I'm very grateful. I would have definitely watched it every now and again. I think we put together some really entertaining shows on that series.

Q: “Fear Factor” and “The Man Show” were primarily geared toward a male audience, and the people watching your UFC stuff skew largely male too, I suspect. Why do you think you’ve been slotted into this decidedly “male” role, career-wise? Do you see your stand-up work as a chance to broaden your audience, or is this not a consideration? A: I really don't know. I've just always tried to be myself, and those are the things that I've naturally gravitated towards. I think one of the things that's helped me is that I have very varied interests, and because of that, I've had options as far as my career goes. When you have options, you tend to be more honest, because you have the luxury of knowing that if you don't get this job, it's OK, because there are all these other things that you're already doing as well. I've always had stand-up, and that's always been the main focus of my career, so I've never had to pretend to be someone else to get an acting job. “Fear Factor” actually helped with that freedom even more, because it capitalized on my background in competitive martial arts and my understanding of the pressure of competition. Being able to do that show freed me of the (fake) world of actors, where the majority of people involved are constantly trying to project some contrived image. I really hated that part of the acting world, and when “Fear Factor” came along, it allowed me to not have to deal with those people and get sucked into that world. The UFC was always something that I really enjoyed watching, and when I got the opportunity to do commentary for the fights, it sort of fit with the whole theme of my career in just following my interests.

Q: Your act is very focused on conveying your worldview in comic terms, and I read that you became a father two years ago. How has being a father altered or reinforced your “big picture” perspectives? A: Really in too many ways to give justice to it just by writing down some words.

Being a father changes everything about who you are as a person. Being responsible for another life, a life that came from you and someone that you love is really indescribable. I'm more sensitive, I'm nicer, I'm more aware and more balanced, and I think my view of the world is radically different now.

I don't think having kids is for everyone, but for some people it ushers in the next stage of their development as a human being. It's certainly been that to me and more. Much more.

Joe Rogan jokes about becoming a father:

Q: In one interview, you talked about using an isolation tank that, in part, helps you let go of negative thoughts and anger, but the Mencia incident at the Comedy Store seems to fly in the face of that kind of Zen mentality. Do you distinguish between principled anger and nonproductive anger? A: The Mencia incident was unfortunate, but necessary. It's always better to be positive, but when you're confronted with overwhelming negativity, if you don't act to diffuse it, you're going to allow it to grow and become an ever-bigger problem. No one was doing anything about that guy, and people all throughout the industry that were involved with him were basically turning a blind eye towards his crimes and profiting off of him victimizing other artists. It was a terrible situation. I've never in my career seen someone that was such … a bully and a thief, and not only was doing all those things but was getting away with it because he was making people money with his crimes.

Someone had to do something, and the way the stars aligned, I was the right one for the job.

I would certainly prefer to live a life free from that kind of … conflict, but sometimes in life, you've just got to do things that aren't pleasant to deal with a (bad) situation.

Q: In what ways do you think your stand-up has evolved over the decades that you’ve been working at it? A: Stand-up is a reflection of who you are as a person and what you think is funny. My sense of humor has evolved, and I've evolved as a human being, so my comedy has evolved along with it. It's one of those things that doesn't have a finish line. If you keep practicing stand-up, you'll continue to get better as long as you remain focused and passionate about it. I love the whole process; the creating new material, honing it onstage, crafting a set and putting the material together, experimenting on the order, and eventually putting it all down on a DVD or CD and moving on to crafting the next set. It never ends, and every one I do is better than the one before, as long as I approach it honestly and thoughtfully. It's a beautiful art form, and I just feel very, very fortunate that one day 22 years ago I decided that was what I wanted to do for a living. I've never wished I made a different choice, and I truly look forward to every single show. I can't wait to get to Ann Arbor. … I'm getting chicken skin just thinking about it.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.