Joe Rogan Dethroned

avatar

In all honesty, it’s a little sad to watch. For years now, I’ve been a Joe Rogan listener almost daily. If you work with your hands, like I do, there are plenty of opportunities to listen to long-form content in the background of your day, as you can imagine.

image.png

For more than a decade, The Joe Rogan Experience dominated the emerging landscape of podcasting. A king, they’d say—his throne was hardly debatable for the longest time. But one has to wonder: What happened?

Some people have taken the time to make what I’d call contrast videos of Joe. Videos where they show him just a few years ago, talking to his guests about politics, about social issues and whatnot—spliced with his current political position. Two entirely different human beings who look exactly the same.

I heard someone describe his old style of running his podcast as “childish curiosity for knowledge”—charming and refreshing. Yet today, it’s more about running defense for the ones in charge of the ship. It may not be every single show, but every other episode, he’s bringing on a guest who practically acts as a cheerleader for Elon and Trump.

His unwillingness to push back when his guests say the most obvious lies to his face is too frustrating to bear. Thus, people have begun unsubscribing from his show and seeking alternatives.

The new kings, at least for now, of the podcasting world are the Midas Touch crew. Their podcast’s sole focus at the moment is opposition to Trump. In my opinion, boxing themselves as leaders of thought for the opposition might play well during Trump’s term, but it might not last much after that.

A small line from Jesse Welles’ song “Red” seems fitting:
“Everybody looks a little bit nicer, when you finally meet the devil.”

It’s like those who usually bicker and split hairs—the left and the anti-Trump right—have put their differences aside for once. They’re uniting behind Midas Touch to oppose Trump’s regime, looking a little nicer in the face of a common foe.

Will this change Rogan’s approach?

I sincerely doubt it. His echo chamber is getting more hermetic by the day. One could argue this is a survival strategy of a kind, since Trump has shown he won’t hesitate to attack his critics. But I submit to you, it’s not very effective—the beast will always take the free meal when it can.

Now the question I don’t see anyone asking is: Does it matter?
Are we seeing a shift in the seas of public opinion, or is this just an illusion that gives us comfort?

Now, that’s something to think about with a strong cup of coffee in our hands.

MenO



0
0
0.000
15 comments
avatar

I never intentionally watched Joe Rogan.

My observation through the years is that pundits eventually run out of stuff to say. They then start to rely on a formula and the formula becomes grating.

Pundits have a shelf life. While it might feel like the world is going through a sea change as pundits reach their expiration date, we really are just experience a natural cycle that's been going on since antiquity.

!WINE

0
0
0.000
avatar

Had not thought of it as a cycle. It certainly does fit the bill. But his shift maybe accelerated the rot?

0
0
0.000
avatar

“Everybody looks a little bit nicer, when you finally meet the devil.”

That's an awesome quote. I used to like the old ones of Joe, where he had scientists on at the very least interesting, knowledgeable people on. Compared to now it is like a propaganda show.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I learnt a lot from some of his scientist guests Now, we can learn awesome things like "Churchill is the real bad guy of WWII" and that "Teachers are making kids pee in cat sand boxes" .

Sad...

0
0
0.000
avatar

Exactly. It's getting dumber and dumber without the funny bits

0
0
0.000
avatar

Nowadays we can literally watch someone’s views do a full 180 over time. Makes me wonder if it was growth realization, survival, or just following the money lol

0
0
0.000
avatar

it might be a combination of factors, but regardless... its sad

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

As someone who observes from the outside and listens to little Rogan media, I think a lot of it has to do with Joe's growing disillusionment with the American left over the years. They guy still supports a lot of welfare and social services, for example, but the mainstream media and left-wing politicians absolutely threw him under the bus because they never liked his willingness to talk to absolutely anyone, and he wasn't in lockstep with the regime during COVID. I don't like people seeing the GOP as the solution to that, but in our polarized society, a lot think that of one is bad, the other is good by default.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Your reasoning is always refreshing to read. I'm going to call you the "back the balance guy". I think you are spot on.

0
0
0.000
avatar

That makes me sound like so much of a fence-sitter that my crotch hurts, LOL! I'm a radical libertarian, and if it sounds like I'm in the middle, it's because I denounce the left and right alike on how they pollute liberty with authoritarianism.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Nooo my brother.

Look, allow me to present to you a messenger, our spirit animal, if you will.

https://x.com/tyrannideris/status/1904556444449489085

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yup. It's weird how trying to be a consistent advocate for freedom means the left calls me fascist while the right calls me a commie instead of either engaging with anything I actually write. Labels and dismissal are easier than thinking.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Tis the burden we've chosen

0
0
0.000
avatar

I think he's done well to keep going as long as he has, others succumb to the clickbait dichotomy much more quickly, one of your other commenters has summed up the life-cycle for podcasters. Although I'm not sure about the unsubscribing, he's at 19.6m, up from 18.8m before Christmas. He's still got a long way to fall.

0
0
0.000