Joe Rogan, previously hailed as an anti-establishment voice in media, is facing backlash from his own fans after repeatedly praising Elon Musk's role in the Trump administration.
The Joe Rogan Experience—whose massive fandom was built on a mix of comedy, fitness and conspiracy talk—was credited as playing a major role in the re-election of Donald Trump. Trump's three-hour appearance on the show racked up nearly 40 million views on YouTube the weekend before the election and was followed by Joe Rogan's official endorsement of his campaign.
The increasingly political nature of the show, which has recently featured Rogan's defense of Elon Musk and his work with DOGE, has sparked an uproar among the podcast's massive fanbase. The uproar is particularly notable on Reddit, where a 1.5 million-member subreddit dedicated to the podcaster has been flooded with memes and complaints.
"It's kinda scary how many people in this country genuinely believe that a person's financial success is a direct measure of their intelligence," one user wrote.
"Joe is state-run propagandist media," another accused.
"He's not even objective or fair when it comes to politics anymore," a commenter lamented, with another adding, "I'd really like to listen again but it's just exhausting hearing from the same circle of perspectives and his same talking points."
Rogan's embrace of Musk—whom he has repeatedly called a "brilliant mind"—comes as the billionaire exerts major influence over the early days of Trump's administration. Musk's DOGE initiative, which aims to drastically cut government spending and privatize key public services, has been met with fierce criticism from progressives and even some libertarians.
While Reddit tends to lean liberal, and social media comments are often critical even in fan groups, the outpouring of the sentiment that "Joe and his anti-elite billionaire friends are becoming the swamp they've always hated," is notable in volume and consistency.
While Rogan remains one of the most popular podcasters in the world, his growing alignment with Musk and the administration risks alienating parts of his audience who once admired him for his skepticism of power. Ironically, the man who built his brand on distrusting authority now finds himself accused of serving it.
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