Joe Rogan has hosted many guests on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, from politicians and actors to activists and leaders. Some have dropped shocking truth bombs during their appearances.Joe Rogan excelled in martial arts during his early 20s before moving to New York City to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. After performing for diverse crowds and earning recognition, he shifted base to Los Angeles and received a television spot on an MTV show. He made appearances in television series while hosting reality shows on network TV. His success in the late 1990s led him to host the UFC Championships. In 2009, he started a podcast and a year later named it The Joe Rogan Experience.In 2013, Rogan began posting videos of his podcast on YouTube, which gained traction with over a million views for every episode. The show's success led to many notable guests appearing on the podcast, including famous media personalities. In 2020, The Joe Rogan Experience moved base to Spotify in an exclusive deal that was reportedly worth $200 million. Over the years, many guests have dropped major truth bombs on the show with their unfiltered opinions and stories. Let’s look at the celebrities who dropped truth bombs on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
10 Elon Musk
Elon Musk hasn’t made many appearances on talk shows and podcasts, but he made exceptions for Joe Rogan. During his first appearance in 2018, he discussed AI and even smoked pot in the studio, causing Tesla stock to drop. Despite his heavy use of Twitter, he made a shocking claim about disliking social media applications.
9 Ted Nugent
A highly popular guitarist, Ted Nugent, came under fire in the 1990s for his racist comments and political beliefs. Nugent was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2018, where he expressed his solid pro-gun views. Nugent detailed he was familiar with guns from a very young age and had a right to be armed if he wanted. The comments were highly criticized as many debates exist about the country’s gun-control laws.
8 Bret Weinstein
Bret Weinstein was a former professor at Evergreen State College and received public criticism for his intolerant and racist remarks about the minority race students in the college. During his appearances on the Experience podcast, Weinstein debated freedom of speech and made shocking comments about Marxism and Naziism.
7 Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden received worldwide attention for being a whistleblower and leaking top-secret NSA information to the world. Since being exiled in Russia, Snowden has made appearances through virtual interviews. When he came on the Experience podcast, Snowden criticized smartphone companies for their lack of global security, claiming that every moment on the phone is tracked and saved via a worldwide foundation.
6 Jordan Peterson
During his time as a professor at the University of Toronto, Jordan Peterson has been a subject of discussion for his societal, political, and social views. Along with opposing beliefs about climate change, he has objected to the Canadian Bill C-16 recognizing the use of correct pronouns and shared the same on the podcast.
5 Candace Owens
As a Trump supporter and political activist, Candace Owens has been under fire for her support of Donald Trump. She was a strong speaker representing Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. On the podcast, Owens made critical claims about Black Americans and outraged people when she denied climate change, calling it a natural phenomenon.
4 Maajid Nawaz
Maajid Nawaz has been a government advisor and was even imprisoned as a part of an Islamist movement in 2002. Having appeared on the podcast many times, Nawaz has discussed his time in prison and modern society. In February 2022, he returned to the podcast and shared his thoughts about digital currency and COVID passports. The episode was taken down from Spotify for misinformation.
3 Gavin McInnes
Being a political commentator, Gavin McInnes has been in the public eye for his strong opinions about American politics. During the 2010s, McInnes penned an essay sharing his views about transphobia and has continued to share a similar sentiment. When appearing twice on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he openly supported Donald Trump and made offensive comments about feminism/masculinity.
2 Milo Yianoppoulos
British journalist Milo Yianoppoulos came to prominence in 2016 as an advocate for free speech and his blogs about technology. While being an openly gay person, Yianoppoulos has stated that being homosexual makes people unhappy, and his comments are labeled misogynistic. During his appearance on Experience, the journalist was under fire for supporting right-wing politicians.
1 Alex Jones
Alex Jones has garnered media attention as a conspiracy theorist and political activist for his pro-Trump stance and the illusion of the Illuminati. Jones was accused of hate speech, and his Spotify podcast was taken down. There were many protests regarding his return with Rogan’s podcast as he spread misinformation about aliens, interdimensional beings, and Chinese human-animal hybrids.
Joe Rogan’s Experience podcast has been a highly lucrative deal for Spotify as it guarantees millions of listeners each week and a series of guests that stir public conversations. His podcast allows guests to have freedom of speech, including making statements they think are right. While some receive love and attention for listeners, controversial opinions backfire in the media.
Sources: Business Insider, Men’s Health, Yahoo Finance, BBC