AJ Gentile rejects the Tesla-Tunguska link with Shawn Ryan
The Why Files host brings planetary mysteries to the podcast, but first explains why he turns down celebrities and politicians.
Shawn Ryan Show
Story of Why this story? 1,295,340 views so far, and here is what is inside it.
AJ Gentile - Earth’s Strangest Mysteries and Wildest Conspiracy Theories | SRS #349
Things we can learn from the video
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- 1:45Gentile says he rejects celebrity, politician and journalist guests to keep The Basement apolitical.
- 6:47He expresses skepticism about witchcraft while acknowledging his belief in manifestation.
- 9:31Ryan recalls spending days plotting revenge; both describe holding grudges as wasted time.
- 27:07Gentile explains the fringe Maldek theory, which imagines an exploded planet becoming the asteroid belt.
- 33:33He discusses John Brandenburg's hypothesis that an ancient nuclear war devastated Mars.
- 48:43Gentile rejects myths linking the Tunguska explosion to Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower experiments.
An invitation to AJ Gentile's podcast is not something fame can secure. Returning to Shawn Ryan's show, the creator of The Why Files explains that he has been declining celebrities, politicians and journalists for The Basement. "And I don't want to be a tool for anyone's agenda," he says.
That boundary-setting opens a sprawling conversation about mysteries, belief and how Gentile chooses what to investigate. He is skeptical of witchcraft while acknowledging his own belief in manifestation, a tension he readily recognizes. Ryan, meanwhile, recalls wasting days planning revenge after being wronged. Both describe grudges as time poorly spent.
The planetary mysteries arrive later. Gentile lays out the fringe Maldek story: a supposed planet that exploded to become the asteroid belt, leaving Mars as its displaced moon. He also discusses physicist John Brandenburg's hypothesis of an ancient nuclear war on Mars. These are theories being explored in the interview, not discoveries it establishes.
At roughly 49 minutes, Gentile takes a different approach to another extraordinary story. Examining the Tunguska explosion of 1908, he rejects myths connecting the Siberian blast to Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower experiments. The distinction matters in an episode that moves between scientific models, speculation and personal spiritual beliefs: bringing up a mystery does not always mean endorsing its most exotic explanation.
The interview has drawn about 1.3 million views in six days and includes sponsored segments. Viewers also bring Gentile's own show into the conversation, with one waiting for his talking-fish sidekick, Hecklefish, to interrupt.
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What viewers say
"Do you ever think about the beginning of time?" is going to be my go-to icebreaker from now on.
@SensibleBoshSee it on YouTubeI kept waiting for heckle fish to but in
@lignitecoleSee it on YouTubeShawn giggling about the Dolphin is just the best thing I’ve heard all day.
@YippyKayakSee it on YouTube
3 more comments
AJ is right on with the podcast. Keep it on brand, and a supplement to the main show.
@BugbearMadnessSee it on YouTubeThe Why Files and SRS are my two FAVORITE shows!!
@ericjones6617See it on YouTubeMy grandma loved AJ and the why files before she passed on back about 6 months ago thanks for bringing her joy AJ ! ❤
@ryanpolly3583See it on YouTube
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- Channel
- Shawn Ryan Show
- Subscribers
- 6,660,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 35,123,992
- Channel views, pace per day
- 1,977,286 (on a normal day: 6,456,939)
- Video published
- October 19, 2026
- Video views so far
- 1,295,340 (6 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 48,979 (on a normal day: 392,180)
The numbers
The interview's views sit alongside the Shawn Ryan Show's channel-wide totals below.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which mystery-focused series did AJ Gentile create?
Gentile is the creator and host of The Why Files.