Joe Rogan is a prominent celebrity in MMA and stand-up comedy, with a solid fan following. Rogan hosts 'The Joe Rogan Experience', featuring celebrities and professionals from many fields, and signed a licensing agreement with Spotify to air his podcasts.
But fame and fortune do not always come without complications. The podcast host has made several controversial statements during his podcast episodes over the years, gaining him unwanted publicity and placing him in the center of the public's fury.
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Joe Rogan's most controversial statements
1. Joe Rogan took ivermectin to treat COVID-19
When Rogan tested positive for COVID-19 he shared a video on Instagram stating that he was using ivermectin, a drug used to treat heartworms in horses, as part of his viral therapy. This sparked a debate, with many accusing him of spreading false information about COVID-19 treatment. Later, he went on his show to clarify the air and explain why he took the medication.
Rogan also made a statement about the COVID-19 vaccine, provoking a major uproar when he said on his podcast that healthy people do not need to take the vaccine. The statement sparked such a public outcry that White House officials were forced to go on record to condemn the podcaster's remarks. On his podcast, Rogan later clarified that he is not anti-vaccine.
2. UFC commentator used N-word
In one episode of his podcast, Rogan related a narrative of seeing 'Planet of the Apes' in a black neighborhood. The 52-year-old came under fire as many people labeled him a 'racist' for his comments. Unfortunately, this was not the only instance of him being accused of racism.
American politician Bernie Sanders made an appearance on his podcast. After their conversation, Rogan gave his endorsement to Sanders, saying he would vote for the 80-year-old in the primaries.
Many of Sanders' supporters were outraged, and they urged the 2020 presidential hopeful not to connect himself with Rogan, who has a history of making provocative remarks. During that time, a compilation video of the podcast host shouting the n-word in several episodes of 'The Joe Rogan Experience' surfaced online.
A Twitter user posted, "Bernie Sanders just recently received Joe Rogan’s endorsement. Here’s the former Fear Factor host using the (N WORD) on multiple occasions."
3. Accused of spreading false information
Rogan made the mistake of conflating two unrelated tragedies when he said that 'left-wing people' were to blame for the wildfires in Portland, Oregon. While two arsonists were detained in Portland, neither had any relation to left-wing agitation or the nearby wildfires.
Many people criticized the stand-up comedian for his remarks, accusing him of disseminating false information. The FBI Portland also issued a statement refuting Rogan's claim saying, "Reports that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue. Help us stop the spread of misinformation by only sharing information from trusted, official sources."
Rogan apologized on Twitter after realizing the mistake, stating he had not studied enough before making the comment. He wrote, "I f**ked up on the podcast with Douglas Murray and said that people got arrested lighting fires in Portland. That turns out to not be true. I was very irresponsible not looking into it before I repeated it. I read one story about a guy getting arrested for lighting fires..."
4. 'Unacceptable' remarks about transgender athlete
Rogan isn't one to hold back his thoughts, and he did the same with transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox. Fox used to compete in MMA battles as a transgender female fighter against cisgender female athletes.
According to him, Fox should not be fighting her cisgender counterparts because she has an unfair physical advantage and could cause life-threatening damage to her opponents. His remarks are based on the belief that transgender athletes have more bone density and strength than their cisgender counterparts.
5. Faces backlash for going easy on ex-Twitter CEO
Rogan's interview with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey (in 2019) is highly disliked by podcast listeners. Many viewers accused him of asking easy questions at the time. Many people wanted the JRE host to ask the tech giant to explain how the platform determines which accounts to ban and to address allegations that the corporation is biased when enforcing regulations.
The outcry was so strong that Rogan apologized to his audience a few episodes later. Dorsey and Twitter policy chief Vijaya Gadde were even invited back on the broadcast for a second interview to explore topics that fans had requested.
