#229 AJ Gentile - Creator & Host of The Why Files

The Shawn Ryan Show

Shawn Ryan Show

Society & Culture, Philosophy

4.9 • 38.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2025

⏱️ 229 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

AJ Gentile is an American producer, writer, actor, and YouTube personality best known as the creator, host, and writer of "The Why Files," a channel that delves into conspiracy theories, mysteries, and unexplained phenomena with engaging storytelling and a skeptical lens. Before gaining fame on YouTube, Gentile worked in Hollywood as a producer and writer, contributing to projects like The Naughty Show (2011) and Stoned Science (2018), and provided voice-over work, including roles in The Legend of Korra. In 2011, he co-founded SpeedWeed, a cannabis delivery company, with his brother Gino and wife Jen. The Why Files has amassed a large following for its professional, encyclopedia-like analysis of conspiracies without interruptions. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: ⁠https://betterhelp.com/srs⁠ This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. ⁠https://americanfinancing.net/srs⁠ ⁠https://tryarmra.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://aura.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://shawnlikesgold.com⁠ ⁠https://ketone.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://patriotmobile.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://ROKA.com⁠ ⁠https://USCCA.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://ziprecruiter.com/srs AJ Gentile Links: The Why Files - https://www.thewhyfiles.com YT (The Why Files) - https://www.youtube.com/@TheWhyFiles X - https://x.com/ajgentile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, J. Gentile, welcome to the show.
0:07.0	Good to be here.
0:08.0	It's good to have you.
0:09.0	This is exciting for me. I'm a fan.
0:12.0	Well, this is exciting for me because I'm a fan.
0:14.0	In fact, I was telling you at breakfast, you are the only YouTube channel that I watch on a consistent basis, because I don't want to hear all the noise and stuff.
0:24.2	I kind of live in it.
0:26.0	And, man, you just have a great presentation, great topics.
0:30.5	It just sucks you in.
0:31.8	So you are what, being my wife watched just about every night when we climb into bed. And so to meet you
0:39.9	is pretty surreal. Thank you for coming.
0:41.5	I breakfast and I said that. I said, I don't believe you, but it's very sweet. And I'll say
0:47.1	it again, but it's very nice of you to say.
0:49.3	Well, it's real. It's real. I appreciate it.
0:52.3	But yeah, so I want to talk about a couple of the videos that I've seen on your platform in particular. And I want to talk about why you got into it and where you came from. And I think it'll be an awesome interview. But everybody starts off with an introduction here.
1:15.1	So, AJ Gentile, the creative force behind the hit YouTube channel, the Y Files,
1:21.3	where you dive into mysteries, myths, and conspiracies with millions of subscribers,
1:26.5	a talented voice actor, producer, and writer known for your captivating narration and the hilarious commentary from your animated sidekick, the hecklefish.
1:37.3	A Mintsa member with a sharp skeptical mind always presenting intriguing stories before breaking down the facts and scientific explanations.
1:46.6	You hook me every single time. A dedicated truth seeker who started the Y files in 2020 blending
1:53.4	entertainment with education to help audiences question the unknown while grounding it in reality.
2:00.6	And you do a perfect job of it.
	...

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