Joe Rogan is a multi-millionaire conspiracy enthusiast with the confidence of a Nobel Prize winner and the fact-checking skills of a bloke arguing in a pub after six pints. The American podcaster, comedian and UFC commentator has turned rambling conversations, questionable medical advice and right-wing talking points into one of the most influential media empires on the planet. He’s spent years presenting himself as an independent thinker who simply asks questions, while repeatedly giving conspiracy theorists, political extremists and self-appointed experts a massive platform to broadcast their nonsense. Apparently, being curious means you never actually have to know what you’re talking about.
Rogan likes to portray himself as a fearless defender of free speech, a champion of ordinary people and someone who refuses to blindly trust authority. Yet his supposed independence becomes rather selective when Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin or one of his favourite political commentators enters the conversation. He’s happy to lecture the world about personal responsibility while promoting online gambling, question medical professionals while dispensing his own medical opinions, and demand scrutiny of politicians while allowing extraordinary claims from friendly guests to go largely unchallenged. With millions of listeners hanging on his every word, he’s become considerably more influential than his qualifications or intellectual discipline would suggest.
Is a prick because…
- He became a Covid misinformation megaphone: During the pandemic, Rogan repeatedly questioned vaccines, promoted unproven treatments and suggested healthy young people didn’t need vaccination. After contracting Covid in 2021, he announced that he had taken ivermectin, among other treatments. His podcast also gave vaccine sceptics and conspiracy theorists enormous audiences, prompting hundreds of doctors and scientists to demand that Spotify take action.
- He repeatedly used the N-word: In 2022, a compilation emerged showing Rogan using the racial slur numerous times across old podcast episodes. One particularly disturbing clip showed him recounting how he had compared entering a predominantly nlack neighbourhood to being transported into Planet of the Apes. Rogan apologised, calling the footage shameful, and Spotify removed around 70 episodes.
- He lectures about gambling addiction while taking betting money: DraftKings has been a sponsor of The Joe Rogan Experience, with Rogan personally acknowledging its sponsorship during a December 2025 discussion about gambling addiction. He described gambling as an evil addiction and admitted knowing people whose lives had been destroyed by it. Meanwhile, his enormous platform carries promotional messages encouraging listeners to sign up with an online sportsbook. Apparently, gambling addiction is a terrible problem, provided there’s an advertising cheque attached.
- His Putin and Zelensky double standards are extraordinary: In November 2024, Rogan launched an expletive-filled attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of risking World War III by using Western-supplied missiles against Russia. He suggested Zelensky was behaving like someone on cocaine and repeatedly portrayed Ukraine’s resistance as an unnecessary escalation. Although he acknowledged that Putin shouldn’t have invaded, his outrage was overwhelmingly directed at the country being invaded. He subsequently described Putin and Zelensky as being equally afraid of Donald Trump, while portraying Trump as a uniquely peaceful figure. Russia launches the invasion, but somehow Zelensky is the one getting the lecture.
- He helped turn Donald Trump into a podcast celebrity: In October 2024, Rogan gave Trump a three-hour interview that attracted enormous attention before the presidential election. He subsequently endorsed Trump, praising his appearance and interviewing style. For someone who regularly complains about establishment media and political manipulation, providing an increasingly influential political candidate with an enormous, largely unchallenged platform was a rather convenient exercise in independent journalism.
- He gave Alex Jones a platform to recycle conspiracy theories: Rogan repeatedly hosted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, including lengthy appearances in which Jones discussed everything from government plots to Sandy Hook. Jones had already been found liable in defamation cases brought by families of children murdered in the Sandy Hook school shooting after falsely claiming the massacre was staged. Rogan’s willingness to provide him with millions of additional listeners attracted widespread criticism.
- He has repeatedly promoted anti-trans talking points: Rogan has made numerous inflammatory comments about transgender athletes, medical treatment for transgender young people and gender identity. He has frequently portrayed transgender participation in women’s sport as an existential threat to female athletics, while hosting guests who promote highly controversial claims about transgender healthcare.
- He turned election conspiracies into casual conversation: Rogan has repeatedly entertained claims about election manipulation and questioned the integrity of American democratic institutions. His conversations with guests have included unsubstantiated allegations about voting systems and political interference, often without the level of scrutiny expected from someone with such an enormous audience.
- He thinks being an expert on everything is a personality trait: Rogan regularly discusses medicine, politics, science, history and international relations with extraordinary confidence despite having no relevant professional qualifications in most of those fields. His podcast format allows guests to talk for hours, but frequently leaves listeners with speculation presented as established fact.
- He has made a fortune complaining about censorship: Rogan’s Spotify deal was initially reported at around $100 million and his subsequent agreement was reportedly worth considerably more. He has repeatedly attacked mainstream media, corporations and governments for restricting speech while earning enormous sums from one of the world’s biggest media companies. His complaints about corporate censorship haven’t stopped him from accepting corporate money.
Is not a prick because…
- He’s genuinely good at what he does: Rogan is an accomplished comedian, interviewer and broadcaster. His long-form conversational format allows guests to explain complicated subjects without the interruptions and artificial time limits of traditional television interviews. His UFC commentary has also made him a familiar and respected voice in mixed martial arts.
- He has helped expose people to unfamiliar ideas: His podcast has featured scientists, academics, historians, athletes, comedians and researchers who rarely receive mainstream media attention. Some of his most interesting interviews have introduced millions of listeners to subjects they might never otherwise have explored.
- He has supported free speech across political divides: Rogan has defended controversial guests and comedians, including people whose opinions he doesn’t necessarily share. His willingness to host people with radically different viewpoints is valuable, even when the resulting conversations deserve considerably more scrutiny.
- He has been willing to criticise Trump: Despite endorsing Trump in 2024, Rogan subsequently criticised his handling of the Ukraine war and questioned his administration’s foreign policy. He has also expressed opposition to certain military interventions and government decisions.
Joe Rogan is perhaps the most successful pub bore in human history. He’s accumulated extraordinary wealth and influence by sitting in a room talking absolute bollocks for three hours at a time, occasionally accompanied by someone who knows what they’re talking about. His podcast can be genuinely entertaining, and his willingness to question authority is not inherently a bad thing. The problem is that he increasingly seems unable to distinguish legitimate scepticism from conspiracy theories, informed criticism from political propaganda, or personal opinion from established fact. His Ukraine commentary was particularly revealing, as was his willingness to promote gambling while discussing its devastating consequences. For a man who constantly tells everyone else to think for themselves, he seems remarkably comfortable allowing his own prejudices to do the thinking.
