Thread by @P_Kallioniemi

In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a podcaster and conspiracy theorist, Joe Rogan (@joerogan). He’s best-known for launching the biggest podcast in the world, promoting various conspiracy theories, his support for Donald Trump and his anti-Ukraine rhetoric.

1/22

Joe Rogan started as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s, found fame on NewsRadio, and became a household name with Fear Factor. But his biggest impact came in 2009 when he launched The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), one of the first major podcasts.

2/22

JRE started as casual but deep conversations, often covering countercultural topics like psychedelics, MMA & hunting. Joe’s podcasting style is largely non-confrontational, often allowing his guests to share their views without significant pushback or critical questioning.

3/22

Many of the show’s guests also flirted with various conspiracy theories, and at some point Rogan also became friends with one of the most prominent conspiracy theorists, Alex Jones. Ozempic-Alex has been a guest of Joe’s several times.

4/22

And that’s not all! Many other prominent vatniks have also been guests of Joe, including Russell Brand (four times), Elon Musk (five times), Tulsi Gabbard (five times) and Tim Pool (two times). Some of them are now supporters or part of the Trump administration.

5/22

For years, Rogan claimed to be a “counter-cultural” figure, often criticizing both “mainstream media” and the “deep state”. Today, Joe Rogan has become so influential that he essentially is the mainstream media, his reach surpassing most traditional outlets like CNN.

6/22

Over the years, his ideological shift to the right has been noticeable – hardly a secret & undeniably lucrative. The trend is similar to figures like Russell Brand, who began by promoting inner peace & spirituality but have since gravitated toward illiberal narratives.

7/22

In his earlier years, Joe leaned libertarian and progressive on several issues, advocating for policies like universal healthcare, decriminalization of drugs, and marriage equality. During the 2020 primaries, Joe said he’ll “probably vote for Bernie [Sanders].”

8/22

Before 2022, Rogan also called Donald Trump “so fucking dangerous” and a “man baby,” even claiming that “not all Trump supporters are racist, but all racists are Trump supporters.” In 2024, his tone had changed - he had Trump as a guest and later fully endorsed him.

9/22

His stance against Big Pharma grew stronger during COVID-19, featuring conspiracy theorists like RFK Jr. & Robert Malone who fueled skepticism. Recently, one of his guests, Suzanne Humphries, claimed that “vaccines do not account for the decline of infectious diseases”.

10/22

Rogan’s conversion into an anti-Ukraine figure (allegedly) happened fast. But many of his guests, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Dave Smith (who’s appeared on JRE 14 times!) and Mike Benz have spread disinformation about the origins of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

11/22

RFK Jr. falsely claimed that Ukraine declined the settlement in the Minsk accords, also blaming NATO for the war. Smith and Benz shared these sentiments, blaming Victoria Nuland’s cookies and the Biden administration (and Hunter Biden) for the escalation of the conflict.

12/22

In Nov 2024, Joe finally shared his thoughts on Ukraine and Zelenskyy, while doing a podcast with Scott Storch. It didn’t take long before the discussion turned to Ukraine, where his uninformed ramblings quickly started resembling the stories you hear from the Kremlin.

13/22

First, he criticized Biden for allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike inside Russian territory, claiming that it was an escalation towards World War III. Then he shifted his focus on the Ukrainian president, which you can see in the video below.

14/22

Joe quickly got massive backlash for his comments, and after these ridiculous & uninformed hot takes, both Zelenskyy and Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko offered to come on JRE as guests – but Rogan declined. To this day, he hasn’t featured one real pro-Ukraine guest.

15/22

It seems that Rogan is willing to entertain flat earthers and conspiracy theorists for hours on end, yet he declined an opportunity to host Zelenskyy, another comedian who sought to discuss his country’s struggle for survival and rally support for a war-torn nation.

16/22

Additionally, Joe has no problem inviting literal Hitler apologists like Darryl Cooper on the show. Cooper’s main shtick is to promote dictatorships, authoritarianism, and of course re-writing history to make Hitler seem like the good guy:

17/22

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1847253303354118426

Interestingly, Joe only addressed the war in Ukraine after endorsing Donald Trump & following Trump’s victory in Nov 2024. But to be fair, Rogan’s mind has been marinated by conspiratorial & anti-Ukraine ideas by many of his vatnik guests long before any of this happened.

18/22

It is extremely sad that Joe Rogan has decided to provide a very one-sided view of the brutal war on Ukraine, without even offering Ukrainians a chance to counter these claims. Instead, he’ll just invite Dave Smith for the 15th time to spread his bullshit narratives.

19/22

Recently, Rogan has started echoing the Trump administration’s views on Canada. On the “JRE Fight Companion” podcast, he stated that “I don’t go to Canada anymore,” and “I’d rather go to Russia.” Of course, he then criticized the Canadian government but not the Russian one.
20/22

Why does Rogan’s opinion matter? Rogan’s podcast is still the most popular in the world, and like Musk, his reach is massive. He has around 15 million followers on Spotify and over 19 million on YouTube, and he has garnered nearly 6 billion video views on YouTube.

21/22

Conclusion: Joe Rogan has gone from being a countercultural icon and podcast pioneer to an illiberal political shill, toeing the line and too afraid to criticize his new masters. That’s why he won’t invite anyone who could challenge his or his buddies’ views on Ukraine.

22/22

The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!

You can order your copy here:

kleart.eu/webshop/p/vatn…