Joe Rogan is a comedian, commentator and podcaster, who is polarizing to say the least, with the internet often split into two tribes: those who love the podcast host for his outspoken views, and those who find him too tough to bear.
But the host of The Joe Rogan Experience, which is on Spotify and YouTube, is a bona fide internet celebrity, with millions of fans who hang on his every word and a platform that attracts some of the biggest names in business and entertainment – including Tesla founder Elon Musk – to spill the beans in front of his microphone.
Here’s everything you need to know about Joe Rogan.
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Joe Rogan facts
How old is Joe Rogan?
His rebellious nature, outspoken views and social media savvy may make Rogan seem younger than his years, but he’s in fact 53 years old. He also credits his youthful exuberance to testosterone supplements.
Rogan was born in Newark, New Jersey on August 11, 1967. He began his career in comedy before pivoting to mixed martial arts (MMA) and podcasting.
How Tall is Joe Rogan?
The podcaster gives the impression of being a larger than life character, but in fact he’s a pretty average guy when it comes to height.
Standing at 5ft 7in (1.71m), he’s slightly below the global average height for men.
What is Joe Rogan’s net worth?
With a career in comedy, MMA commentating and a successful online persona that includes a podcast empire behind him, Joe Rogan is pretty wealthy.
While exact figures vary, most sources seem to believe he’s worth around $100 million or more, when taking into account his past earnings and his current business interests.
Where does Joe Rogan live?
That $100 million wealth allows Joe Rogan to live in the lap of luxury. In October 2020, he bought a luxurious 10,980-square-foot mansion in Austin, Texas, for a cool $14.4 million.
The eight-bedroom mansion is located on Lake Austin, and inspired by Asian design and architecture. Rogan moved there from a smaller, but still palatial mansion in California, citing the state’s high taxes as one of the reasons he was moving.
How did Joe Rogan Become famous?
Joe Rogan Stand-Up Comedy
Rogan became enamored with comedy after watching Richard Pryor performing. Friends he had at the gym and Taekwondo school he ran encouraged him to take to the stage, pointing out that they frequently made him laugh. He first performed in Boston, Massachusetts, in August 1988.
Two years later, in 1990, Rogan moved to New York City and worked the New York comedy circuit. In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles and fame beckoned. He appeared on an MTV comedy show, which resulted in a Fox sitcom called Hardball. He moved on to NewsRadio, another popular sitcom, which was broadcast on NBC. Rogan also had a Netflix special in 2018.
Joe Rogan in the UFC
Around the same time as he was acting in popular sitcoms, Rogan was watching the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Combining his interest in martial arts and his love of being in front of the camera, he joined the UFC in February 1997, conducting backstage interviews at UFC 12: Judgement Day. Rogan initially left the UFC after two years over a dispute over money.
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In 2002, he returned to the UFC as co-commentator alongside Mike Goldberg, winning awards along the way for his idiosyncratic calls. All the while he was performing gigs and working on TV shows. Rogan eventually left the commentators’ desk behind in 2016.
He’s also appeared in the UFC video games, but dropped out before UFC 4 because he “absolutely hates” doing the voiceover for it.
Joe Rogan Podcast
What is the Joe Rogan Podcast?
One of the reasons for Rogan leaving the UFC was the continued success of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, and the amount of time it took out of his life. Launched in 2009 with Brian Redban, another comedian, it was initially broadcast on Ustream, then moved to YouTube.
Rogan himself has described the podcast as he and his co-host “sitting in front of laptops bullshitting”. Yet the podcast has proved as popular as Rogan’s UFC announcing, winning him multiple awards and being downloaded millions of times.
Some of the biggest guests on the podcast include Elon Musk, who appeared on episode 1169 in a rambling, eye-opening interview, though he has also attracted mainstream celebrities from sports and television: Jay Leno and cyclist Lance Armstrong, as well as Neil deGrasse Tyson, have sat besides Rogan to chat.
Spotify took The Joe Rogan Experience from YouTube with a $100 million deal – one of the largest ever brokered in podcasting – in May 2020. The deal allows Spotify exclusive rights to full episodes of the podcast from January 2021, with short clips still being uploaded onto the YouTube channel Rogan runs.
Joe Rogan’s Opinions
Joe Rogan’s Views on Gaming
In a July 2020 interview on his podcast, Rogan described gaming as “a waste of time” for most people. “Video games are a real problem,” Rogan said. “They’re a real problem. You know why? Because they’re f**king fun. You do them, and they’re real exciting, but you don’t get anywhere.”
His opinion sparked a widespread debate on social media.
Joe Rogan’s Political Views
Rogan is avowedly liberal in his political views, supporting the legalization of cannabis, the use of LSD, gay rights and a Universal Basic Income. He said he would likely vote for Bernie Sanders, but controversially said he would support Donald Trump over Joe Biden, citing his age. “Biden, to me, is like having a flashlight with a dying battery and going for a long hike in the woods, it is not going to work out,” he said. “It’s not going to make it.”
On his podcast, he brings on guests from both sides of the political aisle. Some praise this for providing a more balanced approach. Others have been critical, arguing it gives a platform to potentially harmful views, while Rogan sits on the fence, or will even agree with contradicting views one episode to the next.
