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Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts '' The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, politics, philosophy, science, and hobbies with a variety of guests. Rogan was born in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
, and began his career in comedy in August 1988 in the
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1994, he signed an exclusive developmental deal with Disney and appeared as an actor on several television shows, including '' Hardball'' and '' NewsRadio.'' In 1997, he started working for the UFC as an interviewer and color commentator. He released his first comedy special, ''I'm Gonna Be Dead Someday...'', in 2000 and hosted the game show '' Fear Factor'' from 2001 to 2006. After leaving ''Fear Factor'', Rogan focused on his stand-up career and hosted more comedy specials. He launched ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' in 2009; by 2015, it was one of the most popular podcasts in the world, regularly receiving millions of plays per episode.
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...
obtained exclusive distribution rights to ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' in 2020 for 200 million.


Early life

Joseph James Rogan was born in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
, on August 11, 1967. He had one Irish grandparent, while his three other grandparents were all of Italian descent. His parents divorced when he was five, and he has not been in contact with his father since he was seven. He recalled, "All I remember of my dad are these brief, violent flashes of domestic violence. But I don't want to complain about my childhood. Nothing bad ever really happened to me. I don't hate the guy." At the age of seven, he moved with his mother to San Francisco, California. When he was 11, they moved to Gainesville, Florida. They later settled in Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Newton South High School in 1985. Rogan participated in Little League Baseball and developed an interest in martial arts in his early teens. He recalled being "terrified of being a loser" as a child and said, "Martial arts gave me not just confidence, but also a different perspective of myself and what I was capable of. I knew that I could do something I was terrified of, and that was really difficult, and that I could excel at it. It was a big deal for me." Martial arts were "the first thing that ever gave me hope that I wasn't going to be a loser. So I really, really gravitated toward it." At age 14, he took up karate and started taekwondo a year later. When he was 19, he won the US Open Championship taekwondo tournament as a lightweight. He was a Massachusetts full-contact state champion for four consecutive years and became a taekwondo instructor. He also practiced amateur kickboxing and held a 2–1 record; he retired from competition at age 21, as he began to suffer from frequent headaches and feared he might sustain worse injuries. He attended the University of Massachusetts Boston but found it pointless and dropped out early, later moving away from the
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area at the age of 24.


Career


1988–1994: Early stand-up career

Rogan had no intention of being a professional comedian, and initially considered a career in kickboxing. He was a fan of comedy from a young age, later saying of Richard Pryor's special '' Live on the Sunset Strip'', "It affected me in such a profound way. Nothing had made me laugh like that." His friends from gym and Taekwondo school, whom he would make laugh with impressions and jokes, convinced him to try stand-up. At 21, after six months preparing material and practicing his delivery, he performed his first stand-up routine on August 27, 1988, at an open-mic night at a Stitches comedy club in Boston. While living in Boston and working on his stand-up, Rogan held several jobs to secure himself financially, including teaching martial arts at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
and in nearby Revere, delivering newspapers, driving a limousine, doing construction work, and assisting a private investigator. Meanwhile, his
blue comedy Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy". Sex is presented in ribald material more for the purpose of poking fun at ...
style earned him gigs at bachelor parties and strip clubs. One night, he persuaded the owner of a comedy club in Boston to allow him to try a new five-minute routine. At the show was talent manager Jeff Sussman, who liked the act and offered to become his manager, which Rogan accepted. In 1990, Rogan moved to New York City. As a full-time comedian, he was "scratching and grinding" for money and stayed with his grandfather in Newark for the first six months. Rogan later cited Richard Jeni, Lenny Bruce, Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks as comedy influences.


1994–1999: ''Hardball'' and ''NewsRadio''

In 1994, Rogan relocated to Los Angeles, where his first national television spot followed on the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
comedy show ''Half-Hour Comedy Hour''. The appearance led to the network's offering him a three-year exclusive contract and a role in a pilot episode of a "dopey game show" for $500. Rogan declined, but it prompted Sussman to send tapes of Rogan's performances to several networks, which sparked a bidding war. After a period of negotiation, Rogan accepted a development deal with the Disney network. He secured his first major acting role in the 1994 nine-episode Fox sitcom '' Hardball'' as Frank Valente, a young, egocentric star player on a professional baseball team. Rogan called the hiring process "weird", as the network had no idea if he could act until he was asked by Dean Valentine, then-president of Walt Disney Television, to whom he replied: "If you can lie, you can act, and if you can lie to crazy girlfriends, you can act under pressure." The filming schedule was a new experience for Rogan, who started to work 12-hour days. Rogan later said: "It was a great show on paper until a horrible executive producer with a big ego was hired by Fox to run the show and he rewrote it." Around this time, Rogan began performing at
The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...
in Hollywood and was hired as a paid regular by owner Mitzi Shore. He performed at the club for the next 13 years for free and paid for the venue's new sound system. From 1995 to 1999, Rogan starred in the NBC sitcom '' NewsRadio'' as Joe Garrelli, an electrician and handyman at the show's fictional news radio station. The role was originally set to be played by actor Ray Romano, but Romano was let go from the cast after one rehearsal and Rogan was brought in. The switch caused Rogan to work with the show's writers to help develop the character before the show was set to launch, which he later described as a "very dumbed-down, censored version" of himself. Rogan befriended fellow cast member Phil Hartman, who confided his marital problems to him. Rogan claimed he tried to persuade Hartman to divorce his wife five times, but "he loved his kids and didn't want to leave." In 1998, Hartman was murdered by his wife. The loss affected Rogan's ability to perform stand-up, and he canceled a week of scheduled gigs. Rogan later saw acting as an easy job, but grew tired of "playing the same character every week", and only did so for the money. He later viewed his time on ''NewsRadio'' as "a dream gig" that allowed him to earn money while working on his stand-up as often as he could. During the series, he worked on a pilot for a show entitled ''Overseas''.


1997–2006: UFC commentator and ''Fear Factor''

Rogan began working for the
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship as a backstage and post-fight interviewer. His first show took place at '' UFC 12: Judgement Day'' in Dothan, Alabama on February 7, 1997. He became interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1994 after watching Royce Gracie fight at '' UFC 2: No Way Out'', and landed the position at the organization as Sussman was friends with its co-creator and original producer, Campbell McLaren. He quit after two years as his salary could not cover the cost of traveling to the events, which were often held in rural locations at the time. After the UFC was taken over by
Zuffa Zuffa, LLC () is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of ...
in 2001, Rogan attended some events and became friends with its new president
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 mil ...
, who offered him a job as a
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
. However, Rogan initially declined as he "just wanted to go to the fights and drink". In 2002, White was able to hire Rogan for free in exchange for prime event tickets for him and his friends. After about 15 free gigs as a commentator, Rogan accepted pay for the job, working alongside Mike Goldberg until the end of 2016. Rogan won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for Best Television Announcer twice, and was named MMA Personality of the Year four times by the World MMA Awards. In 1999, Rogan secured a three-album deal with Warner Bros. Records and began tentative plans to star in his own prime-time televised sitcom on Fox named ''The Joe Rogan Show''. The show, co-written by '' Seinfeld'' writer Bill Masters, was to feature Rogan as "a second-string sportscaster who lands a spot as the token male on a '' View''-style women's show". In December 1999, he recorded his first stand-up comedy album in two shows at the Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall in Boston, which was released as ''I'm Gonna Be Dead Some Day...'' in August 2000. It received national exposure on '' The Howard Stern Show'' and downloads from Napster. "Voodoo Punanny", a song Rogan wrote after Warner suggested to produce a song they could play on the radio, was subsequently released as a single. Around this time, Rogan also worked on ideas for a film and a cartoon with his comedian friend Chris McGuire, and began to operate a blog on his website, JoeRogan.net, which he used to discuss various topics that helped him develop his stand-up routines. In 2001, the development of Rogan's television show was interrupted after he accepted an offer from NBC to host the American edition of '' Fear Factor''. He declined initially as he thought the network would not air such a program due to its content, but Sussman convinced him to accept. Rogan later said that the main reason he accepted was to obtain observations and anecdotes for his stand-up comedy. The show increased Rogan's national exposure which caused turnouts at his stand-up gigs to grow. ''Fear Factor'' ran for an initial six seasons from 2001 to 2006. Rogan's role as host of ''Fear Factor'' led to further television opportunities. In 2002, he appeared on the episode "A Beautiful Mind" of '' Just Shoot Me'' as Chris, the boyfriend of lead character Maya Gallo.Gonzalez, Erika (April 5, 2002). Now 'Fear' This: Joe Rogan uncensored. '' Rocky Mountain News'' In December 2002, Rogan was the emcee for the 2002 Blockbuster Hollywood Spectacular, a Christmas parade in Hollywood. In February 2003, Rogan became the new co-host of '' The Man Show'' on Comedy Central for its fifth season from August 2003, with fellow comedian Doug Stanhope, following the departure of original hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla.Chocano, Carina (August 15, 2003)
The Man Show.
''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
''
A year into the show, however, the hosts entered disagreements with Comedy Central and the show's producers over content. Rogan recalled: "I was a little misled ... I was told: 'Show nudity, and we'll blur it out. Swear and we'll bleep it out.' That hasn't been the case". The show ended in 2004. Around this time Rogan entered talks to host his own radio show, but they came to nothing due to his already busy schedule.


2005–2009: Comedy specials

In 2005, actor Wesley Snipes challenged Rogan to a cage fight. Rogan trained for the event for five months before Snipes backed out following an investigation by the
IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
for alleged tax evasion. Rogan believed Snipes needed a quick payout to alleviate his debt. After ''Fear Factor'', Rogan focused his career on his stand-up comedy, as concentrating on television had made him feel lazy and uninspired to work on new material for his act. With the money he had earned from television, Rogan hired two people full-time to film him and his comedy friends on tour, and release clips on his website for his ''JoeShow'' web series. In May 2005, Rogan signed a deal with the Endeavor Talent Agency. Two months later, he filmed his second stand-up comedy special, ''Joe Rogan: Live'', in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. The special premiered on '' Showtime'' in 2007. In 2005, Rogan wrote a blog entry on his website accusing comedian Carlos Mencia of joke thievery, a claim he had made since 1993. The situation culminated in February 2007 when Rogan confronted Mencia on stage at The Comedy Store in Hollywood.Raustiala, Kal; Sprigman, Chris (March 30, 2010)
The Vigilantes of Comedy.
''
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''
A video of the incident was uploaded onto YouTube and included evidence and comments from other comedians, including George Lopez, "The Reverend" Bob Levy,
Bobby Lee Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on '' MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series ''Splitting Up Together'' alongsi ...
, and
Ari Shaffir Ari David Shaffir (born February 12, 1974) is an American comedian, actor, podcaster, writer, and producer. He produces and hosts the ''Skeptic Tank'' podcast. He also co-hosts the podcast ''Punch Drunk Sports'' with Jayson Thibault and Sam Tri ...
.Lussier, Germain (February 15, 2007
Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia face off at comedy club.
''
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''
The incident led to Rogan's talent agent expelling him as a client of
The Gersh Agency The Gersh Agency (also known as simply Gersh) is a talent and literary agency established in 1949 by Phil Gersh, based in Beverly Hills, California and New York City. The Gersh Agency is the fourth largest talent agency in the United States. H ...
, who also managed Mencia, and his ban from The Comedy Store, causing him to relocate his regular venue to the Hollywood Improv Comedy Club. Rogan later said that every comic he had talked to was happy and thankful that he did it, and went on to sign with William Morris Agency. Rogan returned to The Comedy Store in 2013 to support Shaffir in the filming of his first special. In April 2007,
Comedy Central Records Comedy Central Records is a record label based in New York and owned by Paramount Global. The label specializes in stand-up comedy albums and is distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. The label has r ...
released Rogan's fourth comedy special, '' Shiny Happy Jihad''. The set was recorded in September 2006 at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco, and contains excerpts of an improvized Q&A session with the audience that was typical of Rogan's act at the time.


2009–present: Latest endeavors and podcast

Rogan hosted the short-lived CBS show '' Game Show in My Head'', which aired for eight episodes in January 2009. It was produced by Ashton Kutcher. The show involved contestants who try to convince people to perform or take part in increasingly bizarre situations for money. He agreed to host the show as the idea intrigued him, calling it "a completely mindless form of entertainment". In 2010, Rogan accused comedian Dane Cook of joke thievery. In 2011, Rogan resumed his role as ''Fear Factor'' host for its seventh and final season (until 2012). Rogan took the job, saying he "would hate to see somebody else do it." Later in 2011, Rogan played his first major film character, Gale, in the comedy film '' Zookeeper''.O'Connell, Sean (July 8, 2011)
If he could talk to the animals.
''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
''
He was also working on a book around this time that he tentatively titled ''Irresponsible Advice from a Man with No Credibility'', based on his blog entries on his website. Rogan played himself in '' Here Comes the Boom'', another action-comedy film starring Kevin James that was released in 2012.Buan-Deveza, Reyma (April 5, 2011)
Charice filming 2nd Hollywood movie with Salma Hayek?
ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs
In December 2012, Rogan released his sixth comedy special ''Live from the Tabernacle'' exclusively as a download on his website for $5, following Louis C.K.'s example. In 2013, Rogan hosted the television show '' Joe Rogan Questions Everything'' on the SyFy network, which aired for six episodes. The show covered topics discussed on his podcasts, including the existence of Bigfoot and
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...
s, and featured several comedians, experts, and scientists with the aim of trying to "put some subjects to bed ... with an open-minded perspective". SyFy agreed to produce the show without a pilot episode. The production team gave Rogan some creative control over the program and aimed to present it in his own words where possible.


''The Joe Rogan Experience''

In December 2009, Rogan launched a free podcast with his friend and fellow comedian Brian Redban. The first episode was recorded on December 24 and was to be a live weekly broadcast on Ustream, with Rogan and Redban "sitting in front of laptops bullshitting". By August 2010, the podcast was named ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' and entered the list of Top 100 podcasts on iTunes, and in 2011, was picked up by SiriusXM Satellite Radio. The podcast features an array of guests who discuss current events, politics, philosophy, comedy, hobbies and numerous other topics. In January 2015, the podcast was downloaded over 11 million times. By October that year, the podcast was downloaded 16 million times each month, making it one of the most popular free podcasts. On May 19, 2020, Rogan announced that he had signed a multi-year licensing deal with
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...
worth an estimated $200 million, making it one of the largest licensing agreements in the podcast business. The deal made ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' available on Spotify starting September 1, 2020, and exclusive on the platform from January 2021. The podcast is available with both audio and video within the Spotify app and video is no longer streamed or uploaded to YouTube. The podcasts are typically released one day after recording, to allow time for the producers to make clips of the podcast. Clips from the video version will continue to be available on YouTube. In February 2022, Spotify removed 113 episodes of ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' over the course of a few days owing in part to some of the episodes having been perceived to have racist and insensitive language.


Onnit

Rogan is a co-founder of the supplements and fitness company Onnit, which was sold to Unilever in 2021. Rogan frequently advertises for Onnit products on his podcast.


Personal life

Rogan married Jessica Ditzel, a former cocktail waitress, in 2009. They have two daughters, who were born in 2008 and 2010. Rogan is also the stepfather of Ditzel's daughter from a previous relationship. In 2008, they moved to Gold Hill, Colorado, but returned to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
four months later when Ditzel became pregnant. They settled in
Bell Canyon, California Bell Canyon is an unincorporated community in eastern Ventura County, California, United States. Bell Canyon is a gated community in the Simi Hills with the main access through the Los Angeles community of West Hills and the western San Fe ...
, where Rogan had lived on and off since 2003. In 2018, they purchased a new home in the area for almost $5 million. In 2020, the family moved into a $14 million home on
Lake Austin Lake Austin, formerly Lake McDonald, is a water reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Austin is one of the seven Hi ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. Rogan became interested in
jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...
after watching Royce Gracie fight at ''UFC 2: No Way Out'' in 1994. In 1996, he began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Carlson Gracie at his school in Hollywood, California. He is a black belt under Eddie Bravo's 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, a style of no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and a black belt in gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Jean Jacques Machado. Rogan has vitiligo on his hands and feet. He was raised
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, having attended Catholic school in first grade, but has since abandoned organized religion and has called himself an agnostic. In October 2019, he revealed that he is a first cousin once removed of
My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist ...
members Gerard Way and
Mikey Way Michael James Way (born September 10, 1980) is an American musician and actor. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He is also the multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist of rock duo Electric Century. Mikey c ...
, although he has never met them. In January 2020, Rogan went on a
carnivore diet The Carnivore diet (also called a zero carb diet) is a low-carbohydrate fad diet in which only animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy are consumed. The carnivore diet is not supported by evidence-based medicine, and has attracted criticism ...
for the month, eating only beef, elk, eggs, and supplements such as
amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha ...
s and fish oil. As a result, he said that he lost 12 lb (5.4 kg) and experienced an increase in energy and relief from some prior health issues. However, he admitted that the diet negatively impacted his digestive system. In January 2022, he went on a "meat and fruit" diet for the month. He has previously tried vegetarianism, but claimed it did not work for him.


Views


Political positions

In 2020, CNN described Rogan as " libertarian-leaning". Rogan has said that he holds a wide variety of political views and does not easily fall on any particular side of the political spectrum. He has described himself as socially liberal, saying that he supports same-sex marriage, gay rights,
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...
, recreational drug use, universal health care, and universal basic income, but also supports gun rights and the Second Amendment. Rogan describes himself as a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and has criticized cancel culture and what he perceives to be suppression of those who hold right-wing views in the television and film industry. He has also criticized what he describes as an American foreign policy of military adventurism. Rogan endorsed Ron Paul in the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign and voted for Libertarian candidate
Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He endorsed Bernie Sanders during the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, but ended up voting for Jo Jorgensen in the general election. Rogan has criticized
political polarization in the United States Political polarization is a prominent component of politics in the United States. Scholars distinguish between ideological polarization (differences between the policy positions) and affective polarization (a dislike and distrust of political o ...
and accused American liberals of hoping for former U.S. President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
to fail simply because they disliked his persona. Rogan has said that the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, would be "a good president", adding that "what he's done for Florida has been admirable." Rogan opposes Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...
, calling him "a fucking dictator" and called Canada " communist" while admitting that he has "zero understanding" of Canada's system. Rogan also said that he liked Trudeau prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.


2020 presidential election

Rogan publicly supported Tulsi Gabbard and encouraged her to run for the U.S. presidency in 2020. On January 21, 2020, Rogan said he would "probably" vote for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary, adding, "He's been insanely consistent his entire life." Sanders was criticized by fellow Democrats for touting Rogan's endorsement during the 2020 presidential campaign, including by
MoveOn MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown into one of the largest grassroots ...
, which referred to Rogan as "someone known for promoting transphobia, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism and misogyny". The Human Rights Campaign called on Sanders to reject Rogan's endorsement. After Sanders dropped out of the race, Rogan said he would "rather vote for Trump than Biden" adding that "I don't think idencan handle anything." He claimed that he was concerned that Biden, who turned 78 shortly after Election Day, lacked the cognitive ability needed to run the United States and would not be able to handle the pressure of the presidency. Rogan criticized Biden for his verbal slip-ups, which he described as "not a normal way to communicate, unless you're high". Fox News reported that "Biden, to me, is like having a flashlight with a dying battery and going for a long hike in the woods, it is not going to work out. It's not going to make it." Donald Trump subsequently retweeted Rogan's comments on Biden's mental fitness. Rogan offered to moderate a four-hour debate with Trump and Biden in an effort to avoid what he referred to as
media bias Media bias is the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of many events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening o ...
; Trump said he would be willing to do such a debate. A Change.org petition was started "to elect Joe Rogan as the moderator for the 2020 Presidential Debate," claiming that Rogan was qualified to handle the debates because he is nonpartisan. The petition received over 300,000 signatures. Rogan later revealed during a live election night podcast that he voted for Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen.


2022 Midterm Elections

Rogan has urged his followers and those who are angry over COVID-19 safety protocols to "vote Republican" in an episode of his podcast centered around lessons learned during the pandemic. He also praised Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, stating that his response to the pandemic was "open and reasonable".


Drugs and spirituality

Rogan supports the
legalized Legalization is the process of removing a legal prohibition against something which is currently not legal. Legalization is a process often applied to what are regarded, by those working towards legalization, as victimless crime A victimle ...
use of cannabis and believes it holds numerous benefits. He hosted the documentary film '' The Union: The Business Behind Getting High'' and was featured in ''Marijuana: A Chronic History'' and '' The Culture High''. He also supports the use of LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and
DMT ''N'',''N''-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or ''N'',''N''-DMT, SPL026) is a substituted tryptamine that occurs in many plants and animals, including human beings, and which is both a derivative and a structural analog of tryptamine. It is used as a ...
toward the exploration and enhancement of
consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
, as well as introspection. He was the presenter in the 2010 documentary '' DMT: The Spirit Molecule''. Rogan has an interest in sensory deprivation and using an isolation tank. He has stated that his personal experiences with meditation in isolation tanks have helped him explore the nature of consciousness and improve his performance in various physical and mental activities and overall well-being.


Other views and advocacy

Rogan is an avid hunter and is part of the "Eat What You Kill" movement, which attempts to move away from factory farming and the mistreatment of animals raised for food. Rogan is opposed to routine infant circumcision and has claimed there is a lack of significant scientific evidence for any benefits to the practice, which he considers not entirely different from female genital mutilation because of its nonconsensual nature. Rogan has been an outspoken critic of
trans women A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and s ...
competing with women in all forms of amateur and professional sports, including MMA matches. In April 2022, Rogan said that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas "might be the woke straw that breaks society's camel's back". In October 2022, while interviewing Tulsi Gabbard on his show, Rogan shared the widely discredited litter boxes in schools hoax, claiming that public schools were providing litter boxes to students who dress up as cats.


Controversies


Remarks on COVID-19

In April 2021, Rogan made contentious remarks about COVID-19 vaccines, in particular claiming that young, healthy people do not need to be vaccinated against the virus. This view was criticized by Anthony Fauci and White House communication director Kate Bedingfield, as well as by several media outlets. Part of the objection was that there have been notable cases affecting young, healthy people. Rogan acknowledged there was "some legitimate science" behind Fauci's view and emphasized that he is not a doctor and should not be taken as "a respected source of information". On September 1, 2021, Rogan tested positive for the virus. Soon after, he released an online video reporting on the status of his condition and stating that he had begun a regimen including monoclonal antibodies, prednisone, azithromycin, NAD drip, a vitamin drip, as well as ivermectin, a drug usually taken to treat parasitic infestations and not endorsed by the FDA as an effective treatment for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
. This caused some controversy due to multiple people reportedly being hospitalized after self-medicating with an over-the-counter form of ivermectin designed to treat ailments in livestock, which typically has a significantly larger dosage. Rogan criticized CNN for describing ivermectin as a "horse dewormer". CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta later admitted during a podcast "They NNshouldn't have said that". Outpatient prescribing of ivermectin had recently increased significantly due to the unproven claim that it is effective against COVID-19. The FDA called this trend "disturbing". On September 3, 2021, Rogan tested negative for the virus. In January 2022, 270 scientists, physicians, professors, doctors, and healthcare workers wrote an open letter to Spotify expressing concern over "false and societally harmful assertions" on ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' and asked Spotify to "establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform." The 270 signatories took issue with Rogan "broadcasting
misinformation Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. It differs from disinformation, which is ''deliberately'' deceptive. Rumors are information not attributed to any particular source, and so are unreliable and often unverified, but can turn ...
, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic" and more specifically "a highly controversial episode featuring guest Robert W. Malone (#1757)", a contributor to the studies recognized as among the earliest steps towards mRNA vaccine development. The episode has been criticized for promoting baseless conspiracy theories, including "an unfounded theory that societal leaders have 'hypnotized' the public". The signatories further assert that "Dr. Malone is one of two recent JRE guests who has compared pandemic policies to
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...
. These actions are not only objectionable and offensive, but also medically and culturally dangerous." The signatories also note that Malone was suspended from Twitter "for spreading misinformation about COVID-19". On January 24, 2022, musician
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...
posted an open letter threatening to remove his music from Spotify if they did not remove the podcast '' The Joe Rogan Experience'' from their service. The podcast, one of Spotify's most popular, has been criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Young wrote that "Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform." On January 26, Spotify removed Young's music; a spokesperson said Spotify wanted "all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users" and that it had a "great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators". On January 29, Joni Mitchell removed her catalog from Spotify in support of long-time friend and fellow
polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sy ...
survivor Neil Young "and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue." Responding to the controversy, Rogan denied intentionally spreading misinformation and pledged "to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people's perspectives", and said that he agreed with Spotify adding a disclaimer to the beginning of his videos. During the controversy in early 2022, video platform Rumble offered Joe Rogan $100 million to switch from Spotify. Shortly after the offer, it was reported by Variety that the offer was declined.


Use of offensive language

In February 2022, singer-songwriter India Arie shared a compilation of Rogan saying the racial slur '' nigger'' on ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' on Instagram. Rogan apologized, calling his past language "regretful and shameful" while also saying that the clips were "taken out of context" and he only quoted the slur to discuss its use by others. The footage in question was first published by the political action committee PatriotTakes, an affiliate of the liberal PAC
MeidasTouch MeidasTouch is a liberal American political action committee formed in March 2020 with the purpose to stop the reelection of Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election. The SuperPAC has aligned with the Democratic Party in ...
. This resulted in allegations of a defamation attempt by MeidasTouch, which the founders denied in an interview with
Barstool Sports Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that produces content on sports and pop culture. Founded by David Portnoy in 2003 in Milton, Massachusetts, the company's two primary owners ...
founder
David Portnoy David Portnoy (born March 22, 1977) is an American internet celebrity, blogger, and founder of the sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports. Early life Portnoy grew up in Swampscott, Massachusetts. He is Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah. ...
, instead attributing the source of the footage to Alex Jones who was a recurring guest on Rogan's show. Rogan described the video compilation as a "political hit job". Spotify had refused to carry 42 episodes of the podcast when it acquired the exclusive rights. Spotify says it spoke to Rogan about his "history of using some racially insensitive language", and it says (in an internal memo) that Rogan selected 70 episodes which were removed on February 4, 2022, all of which pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic.


Filmography and discography


Television


Feature films and documentaries


Comedy specials


Video games


Awards and honors

* Teen Choice Award ** Choice TV Reality/Variety Host for ''Fear Factor'' (2003, Nominated) * World MMA Awards ** 2011 MMA Personality of the Year ** 2012 MMA Personality of the Year ** 2014 MMA Personality of the Year ** 2015 MMA Personality of the Year ** 2016 MMA Personality of the Year ** 2017 MMA Personality of the Year ** 2019 – July 2020 MMA Personality of the Year * '' Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ** Best Television Announcer (2010, 2011)


See also

* List of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners * List of United States stand-up comedians


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogan, Joe 1967 births Living people 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Comedians from New Jersey Actors from Newton, Massachusetts American agnostics American color commentators American fishers American game show hosts American hunters American libertarians American male comedians American male television actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American podcasters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American stand-up comedians American YouTubers Audio podcasts Critics of the Catholic Church Former Roman Catholics Male actors from Newark, New Jersey Male actors from San Francisco American male YouTubers Mixed martial arts broadcasters Mixed martial arts people Non-interventionism People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Bell Canyon, California People with vitiligo American psychedelic drug advocates University of Massachusetts Boston alumni Newton South High School alumni YouTube podcasters