Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster,

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

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 person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is one of the most popular

podcasts A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device or stream to listen to at a time of their ...

in the world and has been the number 1 most streamed podcast on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

since 2020. 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, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, and began his career in comedy in 1988 in the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

area. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1994, he signed an exclusive developmental deal with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

and appeared as an actor on several television shows, including '' Hardball'' and ''

NewsRadio ''NewsRadio'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995, to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Stephen R ...

.'' In 1997, he started working for the UFC as an interviewer and color commentator. He released his first

comedy special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

, ''I'm Gonna Be Dead Someday...'', in 2000 and hosted the game show ''

Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled '' ...

'' 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.

obtained exclusive distribution rights to ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' in 2020 for . Rogan's audience has since grown significantly, and in 2024, he renewed his deal with Spotify for an estimated , but will no longer be exclusive to them. Rogan has voiced support for

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

recreational drug Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime. When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an Sub ...

legalization,

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized a ...

universal basic income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive a minimum income in the form of an unconditional transfer payment, i.e., without a means test or need to perform Work (hu ...

gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, as well as ...

, and

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...

, while opposing

cancel culture Cancel culture is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professio ...

and military adventurism. Rogan has been criticized for promoting

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

COVID-19 misinformation False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messagi ...

, and for hosting guests who spread

misinformation Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. Misinformation and disinformation are not interchangeable terms: misinformation can exist with or without specific malicious intent, whereas disinformation is distinct in that the information ...

and

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

. Having previously endorsed

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Rogan supported

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Early life and education

Joseph James Rogan was born in

, on August 11, 1967. His paternal grandfather was Irish, 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, an architect, 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 San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California, and when he was 11 they moved to

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

. They later settled in

Newton Upper Falls Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Massachusetts, United States. The village is listed as the Newton Upper Falls Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Geography The area ...

, Massachusetts. He graduated from

Newton South High School Newton South High School is one of two public high schools in the city of Newton, Massachusetts, United States, the other being Newton North. History and student life By the late 1950s, Newton's sole public high school, Newton High, grew to 3 ...

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 Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

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 Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

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 The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public US-based research university. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Ma ...

but found the endeavor "pointless" and dropped out early.

Career

1988–1994: Early stand-up career

Rogan had no intention of being a professional comedian, but was a fan of comedy from a young age, later saying of

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

'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 university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

and in nearby Revere, delivering newspapers, driving a limousine, doing construction work, and assisting a

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...

. 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". Like any humour, ribaldry may be read as conventional or subversive. Ribal ...

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 Richard John Colangelo (April 14, 1957DOB according to Jeni's Website
and Social Security Death I ...

Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...

Sam Kinison Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distin ...

and

Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian and satirist. His material— encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy— was controversial and ofte ...

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 (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

comedy show ''Half-Hour Comedy Hour''. The appearance led to the network offering him a three-year exclusive contract and a role in a pilot episode of a "dopey game show" for . 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 An artist development deal (also known as a demo deal) is a recording artist contract with a record label or music publisher that promises to develop the skills and public profile of the artist. In exchange for development support, the recording l ...

with the

network. He secured his first major acting role in the 1994 nine-episode

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

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 The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...

, 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 Mitzi Shore (born Lillian Saidel; July 25, 1930 – April 11, 2018) was an American comedy club owner. Her husband, Sammy Shore, co-founded The Comedy Store in 1972 and she became its owner two years later. Through the club, she had a huge influe ...

. According to Rogan, 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 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sitcom ''

'' 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 Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his role as Raymond "Ray" Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005), for which he won three Primetime Emm ...

, 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 Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American comedian, actor, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and his family moved to the United States when he w ...

, 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) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

promotion

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC) as a backstage and post-fight interviewer. His first show took place at '' UFC 12: Judgement Day'' in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan is a city in and the county seat of Houston County, Alabama, Houston County in the U.S. state of Alabama. A slight portion of the city extends into Dale County, Alabama, Dale and Henry County, Alabama, Henry counties. It had a population ...

, on February 7, 1997. He became interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1994 after watching

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer ...

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 Campbell McLaren (born June 18, 1956) is an American entrepreneur and media executive. He is the co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. ESPN said he is the 10th most influential person in UFC history and that "his influence on th ...

. 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. After the UFC was taken over by

Zuffa TKO Operating Company, LLC (TKO OpCo), doing business as Zuffa (), 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 I ...

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 is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

, who offered him a job as a

. 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 Mike Goldberg (born November 24, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, play-by-play commentator currently working with BYB Extreme Fighting Series and ProBox TV, both alongside color commentator Paulie Malignaggi. He is mainly known for his ...

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 The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

. In 1999, Rogan secured a three-album deal with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

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 ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...

'' 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 Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall near the waterfront and Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts, Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches ...

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 ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

'' and downloads from

Napster Napster was an American proprietary peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, the platform originally launched on June 1, 1999. Audio shared ...

. "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 ''

''. He declined initially as he thought NBC 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 ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...

'' as Chris, the boyfriend of lead character Maya Gallo.Gonzalez, Erika (April 5, 2002). Now 'Fear' This: Joe Rogan uncensored. ''

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...

'' 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 ''The Man Show'' is an American sketch comedy television show on Comedy Central that aired from 1999 to 2004. It was created by its two original co-hosts, Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison. The pilot ...

'' on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

for its fifth season from August 2003, with fellow comedian

Doug Stanhope Doug Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, political activist and podcast host. His stand-up material consist of profane and confrontational observations of life. Early life Stanhope was born in Worcest ...

, following the departure of original hosts

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967), known professionally as Jimmy Kimmel, is an American television host, comedian, writer, voice actor, and producer. He has been the host and executive producer of '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-n ...

and

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

.Chocano, Carina (August 15, 2003)
The Man Show.
''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' 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 Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...

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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

for alleged

tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...

. 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 The Endeavor Talent Agency was a Beverly Hills–based talent agency founded by Ari Emanuel, Rick Rosen, Tom Strickler, and David Greenblatt. It was launched in March 1995 and went on to represent a wide variety of acclaimed film and television s ...

. Two months later, he filmed his second stand-up comedy special, ''Joe Rogan: Live'', in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) 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 over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. The special premiered on ''

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

'' in 2007. In 2005, Rogan wrote a blog entry on his website accusing comedian

Carlos Mencia Ned Arnel "Carlos" Mencía (born October 22, 1967) is a Honduran-American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class. From ...

joke thievery Joke theft is the act of performing and taking credit for comic material written or performed by another person without their consent and without acknowledging the other person's authorship. This may be a form of plagiarism and can, in some cases, ...

, 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.
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' A video of the incident was uploaded onto YouTube and included evidence and comments from other comedians, including

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is most known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom '' George Lopez''. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican ...

, "The Reverend" Bob Levy,

Bobby Lee Robert Young Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. Lee co-hosts the podcasts Bad Friends (podcast), ''Bad Friends'' with Andrew Santino and ''TigerBelly'' with Khalyla Kuhn. From 2001 to 2009, ...

, and

Ari Shaffir Ari David Shaffir (born February 12, 1974) is an American comedian, actor, podcaster, writer, and producer. He produced and hosted the ''Skeptic Tank'' podcast from 2010 to 2023. He now hosts the podcast "You Be Trippin'" where he discusses trav ...

.Lussier, Germain (February 15, 2007
Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia face off at comedy club.
''

Times Herald-Record The ''Times Herald-Record'', often referred to as ''The Record'' or ''Middletown Record'' in its coverage area, is an American daily newspaper published in Middletown, New York, covering the northwest suburbs of New York City. It covers Orange, ...

'' The incident led to Rogan's talent agent expelling him as a client of

The Gersh Agency Gersh (also known as The Gersh Agency) is an international entertainment and sports agency headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, New York City, and Madrid, with offices and representatives in 14 countries. Established in 1949 by Phil Gers ...

, 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 The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...

. 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 ...

released Rogan's fourth comedy special, '' Shiny Happy Jihad''. The set was recorded in September 2006 at

Cobb's Comedy Club Cobb's Comedy Club is a stand-up comedy venue in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. It was founded in 1982, and has had many top comedians on its stage. History Chestnut Street :"Femprov....worked with a construction manager to design th ...

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 CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

show '' Game Show in My Head'', which aired for eight episodes in January 2009. It was produced by

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur. His accolades include a People's Choice Award and fifteen Teen Choice Awards, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. K ...

. 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 Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He is known for his use of observational comedy, observational, often blue comedy, vulgar, and sometimes black comedy, dark comedy. He released six comedy ...

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 A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen Gr ...

''.O'Connell, Sean (July 8, 2011)
If he could talk to the animals.
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' 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 ''Here Comes the Boom'' is a 2012 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Allan Loeb and Kevin James, and produced by James and Todd Garner. It stars James as a biology teacher who attempts to save his school's music pr ...

'', another action-comedy film starring

Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally as Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal ...

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 ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, known on-air as ABS-CBN News (formerly known as ''ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs''), is the news and current affairs division of the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. The division is the coun ...

In December 2012, Rogan released his sixth comedy special ''Live from the Tabernacle'' exclusively as a download on his website for , following

Louis C.K. Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, actor and filmmaker. C.K. has won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Act ...

'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 Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

and

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

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 A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

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 IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to the IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest office ...

, 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 iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

and in 2011, was picked up by

SiriusXM Satellite Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

. The podcast features an array of guests who discuss current events, politics, philosophy, comedy, hobbies, and numerous other topics. By January 2015, the podcast reached over 11 million monthly downloads. 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 multiyear licensing deal with

worth an estimated , 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. In February 2022, singer

India Arie India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence with her debut album, '' Acoustic Soul (2001),'' which was a commercial and critical success. She has since released the albums '' Voyage to ...

shared a compilation of Rogan saying the racial slur "

nigger In the English language, ''nigger'' is a racial slur directed at black people. Starting in the 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been increasingly replaced by the euphemistic contraction , notably in cases where ''nigger'' is Use–menti ...

" on ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

. Rogan apologized, calling his past language "regretful and shameful" while also saying that the clips were taken out of context and that he only quoted the slur to discuss its use by others. The footage in question was first published by the

political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...

PatriotTakes, an affiliate of the liberal PAC MeidasTouch. This resulted in allegations of a

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

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 publishes sports journalism and pop culture-related content. It is owned by Dave Portnoy, who founded the company in 2003 in Milton, Massa ...

founder

David Portnoy David Scott Portnoy (born March 22, 1977) is an American businessman and social media personality. He is the founder and owner of sports and popular culture company Barstool Sports. Early life Portnoy was born and raised in Swampscott, Massa ...

, instead attributing the source of the footage to

Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American Far-right politics, far-right radio host, radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas. ''The Alex Jones Show'' is the lo ...

who was a recurring guest on Rogan's show. Rogan described the video compilation as a "political hit job". A number of UFC fighters, including

Israel Adesanya Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya (born 22 July 1989) is a Nigerian-New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, former kickboxer and boxer. As a mixed martial artist, he currently competes in the Middleweight di ...

Terrance McKinney Terrance Kitarius McKinney (born September 15, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2017, McKinney also compet ...

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler Jr. (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chandler previously competed for Bellator MMA from 2010 ...

Aljamain Sterling Aljamain Antoine Sterling (born July 31, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. S ...

Frankie Edgar Frankie Edgar (born October 16, 1981) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning his career in the Lightweight division ...

Darren Till Darren Till (born 24 December 1992) is an English professional mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter, and professional boxer. Born in Liverpool, Till started his Muay Thai training at the age of 12 and turned professional three years la ...

Marlon Vera Marlon Andrés Vera Delgado (born December 2, 1992), also known as Chito Vera, is an Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 25, ...

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer and Olympic wrestler. He was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade ...

, and

Brendan Schaub Brendan Peter Schaub (born March 18, 1983) is an American podcast host, former professional mixed martial artist, and stand-up comedian. He is the host of '' The Fighter and the Kid'' podcast, the ''Below the Belt with Brendan Schaub'' podcast ...

, defended Rogan. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In early 2022, the video platform Rumble offered Rogan to switch from Spotify. ''Variety'' reported that Rogan had declined the offer. In December 2024, Spotify confirmed that The Joe Rogan Experience was the top podcast on its platform for a fifth consecutive year.

Onnit

Rogan is a co-founder of the supplements and fitness company Onnit, which was sold to

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

in 2021. Rogan frequently advertises for Onnit products on his podcast. In April 2024 a lawsuit was filed against Onnit, alleging that its 'Alpha BRAIN' supplement performed no better than a

placebo A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...

in a

clinical study Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

and that the product was surrounded by "false, misleading and deceptive advertising".

Comedy Mothership

Rogan is also the owner of the Comedy Mothership comedy club in Austin, Texas, which opened in March 2023.

Views

Political views

In 2011, Joe Rogan endorsed Congressman

and his presidential campaign during the Republican primaries, calling him "the only guy who is saying anything that makes any sense whatsoever." On ''America's Morning News'', Rogan joked that electing Paul would be the ultimate stunt for presidential candidates. He had also expressed cynicism about politics, likening voting to professional wrestling—entertaining, but unlikely to change the outcome. In 2020,

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

described Rogan as "

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

-leaning". In 2019–20, Rogan described himself as

socially liberal Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...

, saying he supports

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), 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 c ...

recreational drug use Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime. When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an Sub ...

, and the

Second Amendment The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

. He describes himself as a strong supporter of

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, and has criticized

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. While admitting that he has "zero understanding" of Canada's political system, Rogan opposed Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

, calling him "a fucking dictator", and called Canada "

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

" and "fucked". Rogan also said that he liked Trudeau prior to the

. In March 2024, Rogan described Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip as a "

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

". In a podcast with writer

Coleman Hughes Coleman Cruz Hughes (born February 25, 1996) is an American writer and podcast host. He was a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and a fellow and contributing editor at their '' City Journal'', and he is the host of the podca ...

eight days later, where Hughes disputed the genocide allegations, Rogan said he appreciated Hughes' perspective, saying: "You clearly know more about it than I do". Rogan described the way that President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

leads Russia as "evil" but "impressive". He called Putin a "strong leader" and said, "Isn't there always a longing for a

strong man {{disambig *Ring name of American professional wrestler Jon Andersen *Strong Man, a cartoon superhero in '' The Mighty Heroes'' ...

". In November 2024, Rogan said the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

was "100% wrong". He criticized outgoing U.S. President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

for allowing Ukraine to strike back at mainland Russia with US-supplied missiles. He also criticized Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

, saying "Fuck you, man. You fucking people are about to start world war three". Ukrainian world heavyweight boxing champion,

Wladimir Klitschko Wladimir Klitschko; an equivalent English spelling is Vladimir Klichko . His full name in , . (born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held multiple heavyweight world championships betwe ...

, accused Rogan of "repeating Russian propaganda". Klitschko posted a video offering to debate Rogan on his podcast "like free men". In 2020, Rogan had endorsed left-wing Democratic candidate

, saying "I believe in him, I like him, I like him a lot". In 2022, Rogan said Republican

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

would be "a good president". On November 4, 2024, the day before the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

, Rogan endorsed Republican candidate

. Rogan said that

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

, who had been a guest on his podcast a couple of days prior, "makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you'll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way". Shortly after the election Rogan criticized some of Trump's actions with which he disagreed. He said that Trump’s feud with Canada was "stupid" in March 2025 and pointed out that during professional sporting events held between teams from both countries, Canadians "booed us over

tariffs A tariff or import tax is a duty imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods or raw materials and is ...

". By April 2025, little over two months into the second Trump administration and its deportation operations, Rogan referred to the operation to deport immigrants to El Salvador as "horrific".

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 crimes, of which one ...

use of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

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 Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

psilocybin mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms, or psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or as shrooms, are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom and a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain the prodrug psilocybin, which turns into t ...

s, and

DMT Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), also known as ''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (''N'',''N''-DMT), is a serotonergic hallucinogen and investigational drug of the tryptamine family that occurs naturally in many plants and animals, including humans. D ...

toward the exploration and enhancement of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

, as well as

introspection Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the process of introspection relies on the observation of one's mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one's s ...

. He was the presenter in the 2010 documentary '' DMT: The Spirit Molecule''. Rogan has an interest in

sensory deprivation Sensory deprivation or perceptual isolation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses. Simple devices such as blindfolds or hoods and earmuffs can cut off sight and hearing, while more complex devices can ...

and using an

isolation tank An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin. Method ...

. He has stated that his personal experiences with

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

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.

COVID-19 and vaccines

In April 2021, Rogan made contentious remarks about

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...

s, in particular claiming that young, healthy people do not need to be vaccinated against the virus. This view was criticized by

Anthony Fauci Anthony Stephen Fauci ( ; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 to 2022, and the chief medical ...

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 A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a Lineage (evolution), cell lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell. Mon ...

prednisone Prednisone is a glucocorticoid medication mostly used to immunosuppressive drug, suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases. It is also used to treat high blood calcium ...

azithromycin Azithromycin, sold under the brand names Zithromax (in oral form) and Azasite (as an eye drop), is an antibiotic medication used for the treatment of several bacterial infections. This includes otitis media, middle ear infections, strep throa ...

NAD NAD or Nad may refer to: Geography * Nad, County Cork, a village in Ireland * North American Datum, a series of geographic coordinate systems * North Atlantic Drift, an Atlantic Ocean current * Hobli, a subdivision of a taluka in southern Ind ...

drip, a vitamin drip, as well as

ivermectin Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug. After its discovery in 1975, its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis. Approved for human use in 1987, it is used to treat infestations including head lice ...

, an

antiparasitic Antiparasitics are a class of medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases, such as those caused by helminths, amoeba, ectoparasites, parasitic fungi, and protozoa, among others. Antiparasitics target the parasitic ...

drug that medical experts say is not an effective treatment for viruses such as

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. This drew controversy due to multiple people reportedly being hospitalized after self-medicating with an over-the-counter form of ivermectin designed to treat

parasitic infections Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...

in livestock, which typically has a significantly larger dosage. Rogan criticized CNN for describing ivermectin as a "horse dewormer". On Rogan's podcast, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

Sanjay Gupta Sanjay Gupta (born October 23, 1969) is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer. He serves as associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, associate professor of neurosurgery at ...

said that ivermectin is used to treat parasitic infections, but that CNN should not have implied that Rogan was taking a

veterinary drug An animal drug (also veterinary drug) refers to a drug intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals. Regulation United States The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the broad mandat ...

since Rogan acquired it through a doctor. On September 3, 2021, Rogan was retested for the virus and the results were negative. 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

, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic" and more specifically "a highly controversial episode" featuring guest

Robert W. Malone Robert Wallace Malone (born October 20, 1959) is an American physician and biochemist. His early work focused on Messenger RNA, mRNA technology, pharmaceuticals, and Drug repositioning, drug repurposing research. He is credited for the first s ...

(#1757)", a biochemist who has promoted vaccine misinformation. The episode was criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, including "an unfounded theory that societal leaders have 'hypnotized' the public". The signatories wrote that "Dr. Malone is one of two recent JRE guests who has compared pandemic policies to

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. 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, the songwriter

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

posted an open letter demanding that Spotify remove his music from their service if they would not remove ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' from their service. 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, the songwriter

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

removed her catalog from Spotify in support of 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. On January 10, 2025, Joe Rogan published an interview with

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

CEO

Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born May 14, 1984) is an American businessman who co-founded the social media service Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms, of which he is the chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling sharehold ...

, where Zuckerberg alleged that the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

had pressured Facebook to take down posts claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine had side effects.

Other views, medical misinformation, and advocacy

Rogan is an avid

hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

and is part of the "Eat What You Kill" movement, which attempts to move away from

factory farming Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to mass animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing co ...

and the mistreatment of animals raised for food. Rogan has been an outspoken critic of transgender women competing in women's sports, including MMA matches. In April 2022, he said that transgender swimmer

Lia Thomas Lia Catherine Thomas (born May 1999) is an American swimmer and the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, having won the women's 500-yard freestyle event in 2022, before being barred from competing ...

"might be the

woke ''Woke'' is an adjective derived from African-American English used since the 1930s or earlier to refer to awareness of racial prejudice and Racial discrimination, discrimination, often in the construction ''stay woke''. The term acquired p ...

straw that breaks society's camel's back". Rogan has offered a critique of transgender martial arts artist

Fallon Fox Fallon Fox (born November 29, 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist (MMA), and the first MMA fighter who is openly transgender. Early life Fox was born in Toledo, Ohio. She recalls struggling with her gender as early as age five or s ...

, saying "If you had a dick at one point in time, you also have all the bone structure that comes with having a dick. You have bigger hands, you have bigger shoulder joints. You're a fucking man". In October 2022, while interviewing

Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving as the director of National Intelligence, director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She has held the rank of Lieutenant colonel (United Stat ...

on his show, Rogan shared the widely discredited

litter boxes in schools hoax Starting in 2021, a false rumor alleged that certain North American schools were providing litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the Furry fandom, furry, otherkin or Therian (identity), therian subc ...

, claiming that public schools were providing litter boxes to students who dress up as cats. Rogan said several weeks later that "it doesn't seem that there's any proof that they put a litter box in there", but falsely claimed that there were discussions considering the idea. During an episode of his podcast in February 2023, Rogan stated the "idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza. It's fucking stupid." Rogan made the comment in defense of Congresswoman

Ilhan Omar Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...

, who faced allegations of antisemitism for saying that political support for Israel was "all about the benjamins".

Jonathan Greenblatt Jonathan Greenblatt (born November 21, 1970) is an American entrepreneur, corporate executive, and the sixth national director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Prior to heading the ADL, Greenblatt served in the White House as Speci ...

, the Director of the Anti-Defamation League, condemned Rogan's comment as reflecting "antisemitic tropes about Jews and money". In a February 2024 podcast with

Bret Weinstein Bret Samuel Weinstein (; born February 21, 1969) is an American podcaster, author, and former professor of evolutionary biology. He served on the faculty of Evergreen State College from 2002 until 2017, when he resigned in the aftermath of Ever ...

, Rogan promoted the debunked claim that party drugs such as

poppers Poppers are recreational drugs belonging to the alkyl nitrite family of chemical compounds. When fumes from these substances are inhaled, they act as potent vasodilators, producing mild euphoria, warmth, and dizziness. Most effects have a r ...

were "a very important factor in AIDS", and falsely claimed that the antiviral drug

AZT Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), was the first antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use in combination with other antiretrovirals. It may be used to prevent vertica ...

killed people "quicker" than AIDS itself. Rogan and Weinstein also praised AIDS denialist

Peter Duesberg Peter Heinz Hermann Duesberg (born December 2, 1936) is a German-American molecular biologist and a professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is known for his early research into the genetic aspects o ...

, saying that he had been "demonized" for his arguments about AZT. The

American Foundation for AIDS Research amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, known until 2005 as the American Foundation for AIDS Research, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of ...

reacted by saying, "The fact is that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), untreated, causes AIDS" and criticizing the podcast for "disseminating false information".

Personal life

Family

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 or adopted father of Ditzel's daughter from a previous relationship. In 2008, they moved to

Gold Hill, Colorado Gold Hill is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Gold Hi ...

, but returned to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

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 Fernan ...

, where Rogan had lived on and off since 2003. In 2018, they purchased a new home in the area for almost . In 2020, the family moved into a 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 Texa ...

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. In October 2019, he revealed that he is a first cousin once removed of

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...

members

Gerard Way Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the Rock music, rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, ''Hesitan ...

and

Mikey Way Michael James Way (born September 10, 1980) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He also serves as the multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist of rock duo Electric Century. ...

, although he has never met them.

Martial arts

Rogan became interested in

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

after watching

fight at ''UFC 2: No Way Out'' in 1994. In 1996, he began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under

Carlson Gracie Carlson Gracie (August 13, 1932 – February 1, 2006) was a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A member of the Gracie family, he was the eldest son of Carlos Gracie, and nephew to Hélio Gracie, founders of Gracie jiu-jitsu. Carlson ...

at his school in Los Angeles, California. He is a black belt under

Eddie Bravo Edgar Bravo (Birth name, né Cano; born May 15, 1970) is an American martial arts instructor, podcaster, stand-up comedian, and musician. After earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003, Bravo began teaching his own self-developed styl ...

10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is a non-traditional system of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu developed by Eddie Bravo. It is a no-gi based style so the fighters use Rash_guard#Rash_guards_for_grappling_/_mixed_martial_arts, rash guards as their ...

, a style of no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and a black belt in gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu under

Jean Jacques Machado Jean Jacques Machado (born February 12, 1968) is a Brazilian Jiu jitsu practitioner. He is one of the five Machado brothers ( Carlos, Roger, Rigan and John). Machado is nephew of BJJ co-founder and Grandmaster Carlos Gracie, and lear ...

Religion

Rogan was raised and baptized

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, having attended Catholic school in first grade, and once abandoned

organized religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established, typically by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership ...

and called himself

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

. However, when questioned by

Zahi Hawass Zahi Abass Hawass (; born May 28, 1947) is an Egyptians, Egyptian archaeology, archaeologist, Egyptology, Egyptologist, and former Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt), Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, a position he held twice. He has ...

, he affirmed his belief in religion. According to Christian apologist

Wesley Huff Wesley "Wes" Huff (born 1991) is a Canadian Christian apologist and speaker, specializing in biblical manuscripts and Christian theology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in theological studies and sacred and canonical texts (concentration: New Te ...

, Rogan attends church every Sunday.

Health condition

Rogan has

vitiligo Vitiligo (, ) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but it may be related to immune system changes, genetic factors, stress, or sun exposure, and susceptibili ...

on his hands and feet.

Filmography

Films

Television

Comedy specials

Video games

Documentaries

Publications

* Foreword to ''Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering'', by Cameron Hanes, with an afterword by

David Goggins David Goggins (born February 17, 1975) is an American motivational speaker, author, and retired United States Navy SEAL. He is also an ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker and the author of two memoirs, and ...

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

(2022). .

Awards and honors

Teen Choice Award The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...

** Choice TV Reality/Variety Host for ''Fear Factor'' (2003, Nominated) *

** 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 The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' ** Best Television Announcer (2010, 2011)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogan, Joe 1967 births Living people 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors American color commentators American conspiracy theorists American fishermen American game show hosts American hunters American interview podcasters American libertarians American male comedians American male television actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American psychedelic drug advocates American stand-up comedians Comedians from Florida Comedians from Massachusetts Comedians from Newark, New Jersey COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy Critics of the Catholic Church Former Roman Catholics Male actors from Gainesville, Florida Male actors from Newark, New Jersey Male actors from Newton, Massachusetts Mixed martial arts broadcasters Newton South High School alumni People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Gainesville, Florida Entertainers from Newton, Massachusetts People with vitiligo Television personalities from Florida Television personalities from New Jersey University of Massachusetts Boston alumni YouTubers from Florida YouTubers from Massachusetts YouTubers from New Jersey

Early life and education

Career

1988–1994: Early stand-up career

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

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

2005–2009: Comedy specials

2009–present: Latest endeavors and podcast

''The Joe Rogan Experience''

Onnit

Comedy Mothership

Views

Political views

Drugs and spirituality

COVID-19 and vaccines

Other views, medical misinformation, and advocacy

Personal life

Family

Martial arts

Religion

Health condition

Filmography

Films

Television

Comedy specials

Video games

Documentaries

Publications

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links