Joe Rogan

After supporting Donald Trump in 2024, Rogan compared certain ICE arrest operations to Gestapo methods and criticised the administration's immigration policy, fuelling debate over his distancing from the president whose election campaign he had helped support.

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Personally implicated

Rogan hosted Darryl Cooper for a lengthy programme in which the guest advanced highly disputed interpretations of the Second World War and Nazi antisemitism. Historians, commentators and even some regular associates of the podcast criticised Rogan for providing a largely unchallenged platform for revisionist claims.

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Directly implicated

After hosting Donald Trump for nearly three hours during the 2024 presidential campaign, Rogan publicly endorsed his candidacy a few days later, giving the episode and the podcast a prominent role in the election's media contest.

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Political responsibility

Rogan strongly criticised US authorisation for Ukraine to use certain long-range weapons against targets in Russia, then said "fuck you" to Volodymyr Zelensky, asserting that "you're about to start World War III". Former Ukrainian champion Wladimir Klitschko accused him of repeating Russian propaganda and invited him to debate.

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Personally implicated

Discussing the earlier controversy surrounding Ilhan Omar's phrase "all about the Benjamins", Rogan stated that the idea that Jews were not "into money" was ridiculous and compared it to saying that Italians were not "into pizza". The remarks were criticised for repeating a longstanding antisemitic stereotype.

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Rogan hosted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a lengthy interview in which the guest made numerous claims about vaccines and Covid that had already been challenged by health authorities and fact-checkers. The episode renewed criticism of the podcast's ability to give a vast audience to unsupported medical claims.

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After Peter Hotez criticised the RFK Jr. episode, Rogan offered $100 000 to charity if Hotez agreed to debate Kennedy without a time limit. Online pressure intensified, and two anti-vaccine activists subsequently appeared outside Hotez's home to confront him.

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Indirectly implicated

Rogan devoted a lengthy episode to Robert Malone, who notably discussed "mass formation psychosis" and made several disputed claims about vaccines and the Covid response. More than 270 scientists, doctors, healthcare professionals, professors and science communicators signed a letter calling on Spotify to introduce a misinformation policy.

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Neil Young asked Spotify to choose between his music and Rogan's podcast, then Joni Mitchell and other artists withdrew their catalogues or announced their departure in protest against the podcast's Covid content. Spotify announced advisories and information links on Covid episodes, while Rogan apologised and promised to achieve greater balance among guests.

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After a compilation emerged showing Rogan repeatedly using the N-word in older episodes, alongside the renewed circulation of a story in which he compared a predominantly black neighbourhood to the film "Planet of the Apes", Rogan publicly apologised and described his use of the term as deeply regrettable.

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Rogan stated that he would not advise a healthy 21-year-old to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Anthony Fauci and several public health specialists publicly challenged this advice, particularly because of the risks of transmission and illness among young people.

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Personally implicated

After contracting Covid-19, Rogan announced that he had taken ivermectin prescribed by a doctor, among other treatments. The drug has human antiparasitic uses but was neither approved nor proven effective against Covid. Rogan subsequently accused CNN of distorting the facts by portraying him as having taken a "horse dewormer".

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Personally implicated

On his podcast, Rogan repeated and elaborated on earlier jokes suggesting that the Kardashian family environment had contributed to Caitlyn Jenner's transition, while using her former first name. Jenner described the remarks as homophobic and transphobic and said he had "a lot to learn".

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Personally implicated

Rogan claimed on his podcast that left-wing activists had been arrested for starting wildfires in Oregon. The FBI and local law enforcement had denied these rumours. Rogan subsequently acknowledged that the claim was false and apologised for repeating it without verification.

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Personally implicated

An episode featuring author Abigail Shrier on gender transition among adolescents drew strong objections from Spotify employees, some of whom called for oversight or removal of content they regarded as transphobic.

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Directly implicated

Rogan hosted Alex Jones in an episode distributed on Spotify even though the platform had previously removed Jones's own content. The episode drew internal and external criticism because Jones repeated disputed claims about vaccines and masks.

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Directly implicated

Rogan strongly challenged trans fighter Fallon Fox's participation in women's categories and repeatedly described her as a man, citing alleged physical advantages in particular. Fox denounced his remarks as misogynistic and transphobic and publicly demanded an apology.

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Rogan confronted Carlos Mencia on stage at the Comedy Store, publicly accusing him of plagiarising other comedians' jokes. The filmed confrontation became emblematic of "joke stealing" allegations in stand-up, and Rogan subsequently lost his slots at the Comedy Store; he also said that his agency had dropped him.

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Directly implicated