Photo: Joe Rogan on April 10, 2013 in New York City, RW/MediaPunch /IPX
Popular podcaster Joe Rogan has once again stirred controversy with his recent comments regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict during a segment on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. Rogan, known for his unfiltered and often provocative commentary, sparked debate–and some criticism- among listeners. But will his remarks finally get him canceled.
During a recent podcast episode, Rogan addressed video footage circulating on social media purportedly showing Palestinians being killed by Israeli bombs. He described Israel’s actions as “genocide” and questioned the morality of targeting unarmed civilians. He also referred to the Holocaust, Mediate reported.
“If you can’t talk about that, if you can’t say that’s real, then you’re saying that genocide is okay as long as we’re doing it,” Rogan said, directing his comments towards Israel. He continued, “You went through the Holocaust and now you’re willing to do it?”
He added, “You’re saying that from the perspective of someone who literally went through the Holocaust or your people, your tribe. You went through the Holocaust and now you’re willing to do it?”
Rogan has been on the verge of being canceled before, but even remarks deemed racist in 2022 didn’t get him culturally canceled. And, again it seems he will skate along, even though fellow podcaster Candace Owens had her podcast killed for similar remarks about Israel.
In November 2023, Owens tweeted about Israel’s war on Gaza, posting: “No government anywhere has a right to commit a genocide, ever. There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.” And others, have lost their jobs over remarks criticizing Israel.
These remarks sparked immediate backlash, with some labeling Rogan’s statements as “wholly false and dangerous.” Democratic Majority for Israel condemned his comments, Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh criticized Rogan, urging him to engage in more balanced discussions on the topic.
Democratic Majority for Israel called the prominent podcaster’s statement “wholly false and dangerous.”
Joe Rogan accuses Israel of genocide. Compares the war in Gaza to the Holocaust. He’s just plain wrong, and he really ought to have someone on his podcast who disagrees with him for some enlightening, informative conversation,” wrote Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman from Illinois. “Instead of just tossing that ugly charge out there.”
This is not the first time Rogan has courted controversy with his commentary about Jewish people. In February 2023, he faced criticism for making remarks perceived as insensitive towards Jewish people. he said at the time, “The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That’s like saying Italians aren’t into pizza.”
There have been some who said Rogan is “too big” to get canceled. In fact, in 2021 The New York Times wrote an article entitled “Joe Rogan Is Too Big to Cancel.” The article said, “He’s now one of the most consumed media products on the planet.” It also noted that in 2019, his podcast was downloaded about 190 million times in a month.
Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” boasts a massive following, with millions of subscribers, and was ranked as Spotify’s most popular of 2023. He has 16.4 million subscribers on YouTube.
Photo: Joe Rogan on April 10, 2013 in New York City, RW/MediaPunch /IPX
