Chef Andre Rush: 2,222 Push-Ups Every Day & Cooking for Presidents Through Pain | AJ Buckley Show

Chef Andre Rush: 2,222 Push-Ups Every Day & Cooking for Presidents Through Pain | AJ Buckley Show

From AJ Buckley Show by AJ Buckley

August 18, 2026 · 1h 29m · Season 1 · Episode 38

About this episode

Chef Andre Rush shares his inspiring journey from a Mississippi childhood to serving presidents and advocating for mental health awareness through physical fitness.

What happens when a kid from Mississippi who learned to cook from his mother ends up serving four presidents at the White House, survives catastrophic injuries, and becomes a viral sensation with 100 million views in one week? This week on The AJ Buckley Show, AJ sits down with Chef Andre Rush, a man whose arms went viral in 2018, but whose story runs far deeper than the internet could ever capture. Chef Rush spent 23 years in the Army, cooked for four presidents at the White House, was inside the Pentagon on 9/11, competed on the Olympic team, and has dedicated his life to serving others. But instead of using his viral fame to chase fortune, Chef pointed it directly at something that breaks his heart: 22 soldiers a day committing suicide. So he made a promise. Every single morning, alone with his thoughts, no cameras, no audience, Chef does 2,222 push-ups. Not for attention. Not for likes. For them. AJ and Chef dive deep into his childhood in Mississippi, growing up in a family of eight kids, learning the culture of food and hospitality from his mother, and the relentless work ethic his father instilled in him on construction sites as a young boy. Chef opens up about being told…

More episodes of AJ Buckley Show

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the AJ Buckley Show podcast page.