Joe Rogan came under fire last year when he did a sit down interview with Kennedy on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, regarding Covid-19 and vaccines. The three hour long episode is full of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the impact Covid-19 has had on communities, as well as the Coronavirus vaccine. The San Antonio Current reports that Rogan said in 2023 that "A lot of times if you see me on this podcast talking about s***, I probably just read the headline". The controversy surrounding his podcast began in 2021, when he encouraged his audience to ignore the advice of medical professionals regarding the Omicron strand of the virus. He received backlash for having a number of guests who were set on spreading their anti-vaccine agenda, providing no evidence or research, US News reports. His main talking point in 2021 was that Covid-19 is just like the cold and anyone who gets it just needs a couple days of rest. This was disproved by a countless number of experts in the field, but Rogan never responded to it. This is just one example of his lack of accountability, which “requires that individuals, companies, and organizations explain themselves”(Caroll 273).
The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly published data showing that the benefits of the coronavirus vaccines overwhelmingly outweigh the risks. But the internet firestorm highlights that vaccine misinformation is becoming increasingly mainstream with no signs of slowing down. While Joe Rogan’s podcast is right-leaning, his choices of guests highlight his bias and lack of objectivity on current issues. Caroll explains in chapter 9 that credibility depends on at least the perception of objectivity, or to “embrace and acknowledge our biases and, in disclosing them, present transparency as our claim to credibility and trustworthiness”(269). Rogan doesn't seem to practice either of these. If an entire episode is going to be dedicated to discussing the virus and vaccines, it’s not good practice to have on one guest with one (unresearched) view point.
His most recent controversy surrounds a conversation on his podcast with longtime vaccine misinformation spreader and current not-inconsequential Joe Biden primary challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to Vox, Rogan invited vaccine scientist Peter Hotez to debate vaccines with Kennedy on his show. Hotez declined, instead offering Rogan a one-on-one conversation. Rogan insisted on a debate, and Elon Musk popped into his replies with a jab at Hotez, implying Hotez was afraid of the debate. Debates are less than ideal forums for communicating science. The Vox article also explains that “if someone seems most motivated by a desire to create a public spectacle — if, perhaps, they refuse one-on-one conversation — or they don’t seem interested in learning something new about a subject, these may be indicators that an interaction with that person is going to be unproductive”.
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