Podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan is touting independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this election cycle, disappointing Trump supporters who expected him to endorse the former president.
Rogan praised Kennedy on a recent episode of his massively popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, for focusing on the issues and described how his opinion of Kennedy changed after reading his polemic against former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“I am a fan. He’s the only one to make sense to me. He’s the only one that doesn’t attack people. He attacks actions and ideas, but he’s much more reasonable and intelligent. The guy was an environmental attorney and cleaned up the East River. He’s a legitimate guy.” Rogan said.
“I thought he was this nut, this like conspiracy theorist nut, until I read his book. I read The Real Anthony Fauci.”
Rogan and Kennedy have both expressed skepticism of Covid-19 vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry’s relationship with regulatory bodies. Both men have challenged proponents of the vaccine to debate Kennedy on Rogan’s podcast.
“For the record, this isn’t an endorsement. This is me saying that I like RFKjr as a person, and I really appreciate the way he discusses things with civility and intelligence,” Rogan said on X, clarifying that he was not officially endorsing Kennedy’s campaign, after receiving criticism from Trump supporters online.
“I also think Trump raising his fist and saying ‘fight!’ after getting shot is one of the most American fucking things of all time,” he added. Rogan advised his followers to listen to libertarian comedian Dave Smith to get political information.
Trump himself speculated that Rogan would get booed at the next major Ultimate Fighting Championship event for not endorsing him.
“It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024,” Trump said on Truth Social. Rogan is a longtime UFC commentator and regularly interviews top UFC fighters on his podcast.
Last year, Kennedy appeared on Rogan’s podcast for a lengthy interview after Kennedy began running in the Democratic primary and unexpectedly gained traction in early polling. Kennedy’s positions on coronavirus restrictions and the vaccine won him conservative admirers, especially when he was running as a Democrat.
Last fall, Kennedy left the Democratic party and began running as an independent after repeatedly criticizing the Democratic National Committee’s primary process. He is still fighting to gain ballot access nationwide and is polling far behind the two major candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
Besides his longtime opposition to vaccines, Kennedy is known for his work as an environmental lawyer and his famous family name.
“From one “legitimate” guy to another, thank you @JoeRogan for always putting substance first,” Kennedy said on X, above a clip of Rogan’s endorsement.
“This election is not about left vs. right. It’s about Americans of goodwill coming together to end the tyranny of corruption in our system – so that we once again have a government and economy that works for all people.”
From one “legitimate” guy to another, thank you @JoeRogan for always putting substance first.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? He’s the only one that makes sense to me. He’s the only one that doesn’t attack people. He attacks actions and ideas. He’s much more reasonable and intelligent.… pic.twitter.com/iYtm0kGUMY
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 8, 2024
While he has spoken out against progressive cultural initiatives, Rogan tends toward the Left on economics: Last election cycle, he supported socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and expressed interest in Andrew Yang’s universal basic income plan.
In September 2021, Rogan received significant blowback for promoting ivermectin and other Covid-19 treatments as alternatives to the vaccine, after he himself tested positive for the virus. Then, Rogan interviewed CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and challenged Gupta to defend the coronavirus vaccine from claims that the risk of unintended side effects outweighed the benefits, at least for young, healthy people. A few months later, Rogan drew controversy again for interviewing mRNA expert and coronavirus vaccine skeptic Robert Malone, who rose to prominence for opposing the coronavirus vaccine.
Rogan’s position on the coronavirus vaccine and interview with Malone lead to a pressure campaign from medical experts and news organizations for Spotify to censor Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the top podcast on the music-streaming service. Rock music legends Neil Young and Joni Mitchell eventually boycotted Spotify because of Rogan’s views, and Spotify took their music off the platform. Spotify also added a disclaimer to Rogan’s podcast, a move Rogan supported.
The Joe Rogan Experience continues to be one of the best performing podcasts in the world, consistently ranking as Spotify’s top show overall. Earlier this year, Rogan extended his contract with Spotify, a deal worth an estimated $250 million, and Spotify allowed Rogan’s show to stream on other platforms again.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated after Rogan’s clarification.