Podcast host Joe Rogan was mocked by the media as unfunny and tone deaf in his new Netflix standup special for joking about gender identity and the COVID vaccine.
Top podcaster Joe Rogan's new Netflix special was brutalized by the left as "weird," unfunny and "stupid" after he unabashedly mocked the transgender issue and expressed skepticism of COVID vaccines.
"I mean at least be funny if you're being ignorant and offensive," Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali wrote on X about the comedic routine. "Joe Rogan's main crime during his comedy special was he wasn't funny. His cult loves it, so it doesn't matter, but he's making too many smart people stupid."
"Rogan is a testament to the dangers of going down the 'red pill' rabbit hole. Avoid at all costs. It rots your brain," Project Liberal co-founder Joshua Reed Eakle posted.
In his "Burn the Boats" special that debuted Saturday on the streaming giant, the comedian defended some of the controversial views he's presented on his popular podcast while dismissing media critics who've accused him of spreading misinformation.
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In one section that angered the left, Rogan questions if society has become too accepting of biological men who identify as transgender women.
"I just want to be real clear. I believe in trans people," he said to a live Austin audience in the new special. "Because I think the world is strange and nature is strange, and nature can throw you a curveball and you believe you’re in the wrong body. And I fully support your right as an adult to do whatever you want that makes you happy. I believe in freedom, and I believe in love. But I also believe in crazy people."
"I’m open-minded. I just want to know what happened," he continued. "It’s almost like a pervert wizard waved a magic spell on the whole world. ‘With a wave of this wand, you can walk into the women’s locker room with a hard c---, and anybody who complains is a Nazi. Abracadabra!’ And it just works!’"
This "new reality" is what's "weird," he argues. "You can’t just put lipstick on, now you can s--- in the women’s room."
In another clip that went viral, Rogan jokes that he's become more open to believing conspiracy theories after the coronavirus pandemic.
"We lost a lot of people during COVID and most of them are still alive," Rogan says. "Before COVID, I would have told you that vaccines are the most important invention in human history. After COVID, I’m like, ‘I don’t think we went to the moon. I think Michelle Obama’s got a d---. I think Pizzagate is real. I think there’s direct energy weapons in Antarctica.’ I’m just kidding — I don’t think Michelle Obama’s got a d---, but I believe all of that other s---."
"But here’s my take on that, sincerely: If you’re getting your vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault?" he added.
Rogan's jokes about not wanting to be "surrounded by" gay men and his complaints about cancel culture were also highlighted in negative reviews by media outlets like the New York Times, The Daily Beast and others.
"Joe Rogan Is Weirder Than J.D. Vance in Gay Sex-Obsessed Live Netflix Special," critic Sean L. McCarthy wrote for The Daily Beast.
"‘Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats’ Review: Netflix Special Relies on Same Old COVID and Gay Jokes," a review published by The Wrap said.
A critic in The New York Times gave credit to Rogan for exploring controversial topics from different perspectives on his podcast, but argued that his comedy routine didn't have the same nuance or intelligence.
"Rogan is interested in ideas on his podcast, whereas in his new special, he prefers playing dumb," critic Jason Zinoman wrote in his review for the paper.
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Rogan's "The Joe Rogan Experience" has consistently ranked as one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S. His huge platform and openness to controversial topics has made him a target for the left-wing media, his defenders say.
