Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, UFC colour commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He is well known for his work as a podcast host. There’s a show called The Joe Rogan Experience on his podcast network where he interviews a wide variety of people to talk about a wide range of topics.
The New Jersey native got his start in stand-up comedy in the Boston region in August 1988 after moving there from Newark, New Jersey. A few years later he relocated to Los Angeles and began working as an actor on many television shows, such as Hardball and NewsRadio.
Career
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hired him as an interviewer and colour commentator back in 1997. A comedy special, I’m Gonna Be Dead Someday, was published in 2000, and from 2001 to 2006, he hosted the game show Fear Factor.
Joe Rogan has had a rough time of it lately. In the midst of yet another tempest, musicians and the entire Twitterverse are putting pressure on Spotify to remove “The Joe Rogan Experience” from their playlists.
It appears to be functioning as well, too. The podcast’s 113 episodes were quietly removed by the OTT platform due to false information and the use of the ‘N-word.’ However, CEO Daniel Ek has come out in support of Rogan, stating he is “truly sorry” for the comments the podcaster made but adding, “cancelling voices is a slippery slope.”
This is not, however, Rogan’s first brush with controversy. When it comes to making controversial statements, it’s safe to assume that the comedian has made many throughout the years. A few of them have already been inspected:
1) His liberal use of the ‘N-word’
This is where Rogan tells the story of how he got lost while watching Planet of the Apes and ended himself in a predominantly black neighbourhood.
@oldmanebro Joe Rogan calls black people apes pic.twitter.com/FERH0PuDWb
— Post Capitalism Malone (@remibookchin) February 14, 2019
2) His anti-vaccination stance
This was the tipping point for Rogan’s podcast’s success. In April 2021, with the introduction of immunizations, he took a very controversial stance, arguing that young people should avoid obtaining the vaccine.
Spotify paid Joe Rogan a reported $100 million to spread anti-vaccine pseudoscience and misinformation to his massive podcast audience: https://t.co/oBqfflT9RI pic.twitter.com/KrGRA7Lj0O
— Media Matters (@mmfa) February 2, 2022
“It’s horrifying that they’re considering administering it to youngsters,” he continues.
3) To treat Covid-19, he administered horse medication
When Rogan was diagnosed with Covid-19, he decided to take a variety of medications instead of simply following the doctor’s orders. Ivermectin, a medication used to treat heartworm disease in horses, was included in this package.
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Amidst accusations that he was disseminating false information, the comedian came forward to give an explanation.
He’s a member of the Frontline Covid Critical Care Workers organisation. An established doctor, he is. Covid was used to treat thousands of patients. In the early stages of the pandemic, ivermectin was discovered to be effective. Many doctors have advised me to take the medication. More than one doctor told me to do so.
4) His transphobic comments
Fallon Fox, an MMA fighter who is openly transgender, was the target of another of his blunt declarations. Her cisgender rivals alleged that she was unfairly competing with them.
Rogan said, “She calls herself a woman, but I tend to disagree. In the past, she identified as a guy; in the present, she is transgender. It’s also her goal to be able to battle other women in mixed martial arts. Saying yes is a no-go for me. As far as I’m concerned, everybody who has ever had a d— has all the bone structure that comes with it. You have larger hands and shoulders because of your larger stature. ‘An f—–g dude. “OK, that’s a man.”
5) Comic feared his statements were misconstrued after the outcry.
Here’s what he had to say:
The Oregon wildfires, he concluded, were the fault of the liberals.
Joe doesn’t appear to much enjoy Portland. In 2020, the comedian made the claim that Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist protestors frequently battled with police intentionally and that this was done on purpose. “People have been arrested for igniting forest fires up there,” he continued, according to the official account. Some of the people accused of starting the forest fires are of the left.
Throwback to when Joe Rogan lied about “left-wing people” starting wildfires in Oregon and the FBI had to put out a statement because his fans kept making false reports as a result. pic.twitter.com/88GrCbjGC1
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) February 6, 2022
During this time period, the Oregon wildfires scorched over 11,000 acres of land and destroyed thousands of homes. Following their first arrests for setting the fires, two individuals were subsequently freed without charges. It’s worth noting that neither one of them was a member of any left-wing group.
By this point, the falsehoods had spread like wildfire. Rogan’s claim has to be disproved by the FBI Portland’s official Twitter account.
Of course, Rogan later apologised in his Joe Rogan way. But the damage was already done.