JOE Rogan slammed his estranged dad as a “sperm donor” when his half-sisters reached out in the hopes of sparking a relationship, it has been claimed.
Joe’s half-sibling Bridget Carselda, 43, told The Sun that she and her twin sister Rosa emailed the podcast star when their dad, also called Joe Rogan, told them he was their brother.
But she says that their request to meet with the now globally famous podcast star was “not perceived kindly” and they have not been in touch since.
Bridget revealed that the closest she has come to ever meeting Joe was when she once high-fived him – but he had no clue who she was.
The UFC commentator and stand-up comedian has spoken several times about the pain he felt after losing contact with his dad when he was just seven.
He has also claimed to have witnessed domestic abuse and violence from his namesake father before his parents split up.
Bridget explained that their dad, a retired New Jersey cop who is now 80, first told her and her sister about Joe almost 25 years ago.
Speaking about the family drama publicly for the first time ever, government worker and mom-of-two Bridget said: “We found out about Joe when we were 19.
“I was sat at the computer and my father told us about him. He said he was a comedian.
“His show Fear Factor hadn’t even come out yet, he wasn’t even famous.
“When we googled him at the time, he was on a show named NewsRadio, but we had never watched it.
“My dad just came out with it, I guess he thought we were mature enough. I guess maybe he tried to protect us until a certain age.”
Bridget said she and her sister then emailed Joe, along with a photo of themselves, saying they would like to meet.
But she claims he was clearly not interested, so following an aggressive reply they left it at that.
She said: “It was one email, and we sent a picture of myself and my sister.
“I did say, ‘We would like to meet you someday if you would be willing’. But it wasn’t perceived kindly.
“He did reply, vaguely. He basically just referred to my father as a sperm donor, and something about abuse to women, and I thought, ‘Why should I even pursue this any further?’
“When you are not perceived in the right way, you just back off.
“But he doesn’t really know my father, you know? He has been my father for 43 years. He is the greatest guy that I know.”
Bridget admits she was disappointed by her brother’s response at the time but has since come to accept it.
She said: “We were excited. Even if he pumped gas for a living, if you’re my brother I would want to reach out and meet you – and wouldn’t you feel the same way about me?
“That’s how I thought about it at the time.
“Now it doesn’t faze me anymore, we have become fans of his.
“I don’t really look at him like a brother, because we never had that relationship.”
Although it is the first time Bridget has spoken out, she has been approached to discuss her connection to Joe before.
Around 2002, when Joe had become a regular on the Howard Stern show, she was contacted to go on air to talk to the shock jock and defend her dad.
Bridget said: “The show kept calling my sister and I to come on to possibly tell our side of the story and meet Joe if they could make that arrangement, but we had no intention of meeting Joe on the Howard Stern Show, it just wouldn’t be appropriate.
“It’s not the place to be doing this. Someone from the Stern show had said he might want to meet us, but I don’t believe anything unless I hear it with my own ears.
“Since then, there has been no contact at all.”
Despite that, Bridget admits her family are big fans of Joe’s work – and can see the similarities between him and their dad.
She said that where they differ is in their attitude to weed, which Joe has been known to smoke with guests on his show.
Bridget said: “We are fans of Joe in the UFC in my household, I have to say that. My son and my husband are big UFC fans.
“My son and his friends like the podcast. I mean, who doesn’t like Joe?
“I don’t have time to listen to the podcast but I have seen clips and stuff on TikTok. He’s funny.
“He is very outspoken. My father is also a straight shooter. If he says something, it’s the truth. That reminds me of Joe, 100%.
“I’d say we all have that in common. Absolutely, we like that he speaks his mind.
“If what he talks about is what he believes, he is entitled to say it.
“Our father is that way, he raised us that way.
“The whole smoking marijuana thing – my father is not like that, he is a straight guy.
“But when they speak their mind, you can see that they have that in common.
“My father and Joe look exactly alike. And the name is the same, so I’ve gotten those questions about them over the years.”
Bridget also revealed that even though her and Joe have never properly met – they have kind of shaken hands.
She explained: “My husband and I went to a UFC event in New Jersey, about 15 years ago.
“For the main fight Joe came out of the tunnel right under us, he was slapping everyone’s hands, so we reached out from our seats and he high-fived us.
“So I guess we have kind of met him, but he has no clue.”
She added: “The person that Joe portrayed from when he was a young boy is not the person that we know and love, so I can’t wrap my head around that.
“He has his belief and I certainly have mine, and how can I argue with someone who believes that. That’s his truth, it’s not ours.
“No bad blood, no hard feelings, it is what it is. Let him live his life, and we will live ours.
“My message to him would be good luck. Congratulations for all his success.
“He has done it all on his own. He earns that right to say what he feels. God bless him.”
The Sun reached out to Joe for comment.
