The podfather has spoken. Joe Rogan, the comedian turned massively influential podcaster who endorsed Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in the last two elections, offered some thoughts on the Jimmy Kimmel controversy on Tuesday. He turned on conservatives, with whom he has a large following, calling them “crazy” to celebrate Kimmel’s suspension over comments related to Charlie Kirk. But he also called for the country to come together in a “community” and advocated for some traditionally left-wing solutions, namely, a “strong social safety net.” While going back and forth over whether the U.S. is actually in a state of “culture war,” Rogan nevertheless advocated for policies to counter what he sees as unprecedented societal disruption.
“I definitely don’t think that the government should be involved ever in dictating what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue,” Rogan said. He specifically cautioned conservatives the who celebrated Kimmel’s suspension, warning that such power would inevitably be used against them in the future. Rogan further defended the joke in question as “very funny” and a “great joke.” He argued in a libertarian vein that if audiences are offended by a host’s political bias, the proper response is to stop watching and “let the market decide” the show’s fate.
“Everybody, because they’re online all the time, genuinely believes that there’s this crazy culture war that we have to stand up and fight against,” he said, calling these kinds of feuds a “stupid” distraction from monumental changes happening in the world, such as the rise of artificial intelligence. As an antidote, Rogan passionately urged for a return to a fundamental principle: “We have to be a community … This is the United States of America, we’re supposed to a country, like, we can have differences of opinions.” He added political narratives should not be reduced to “stupid” binary arguments of right versus left.
A crucial component of Rogan’s vision for this community is the implementation of a stronger social safety net, something he sees as urgent due to the rise of AI and automation. He predicted AI will eliminate a vast number of jobs—from transportation and banking to coding and legal professions—and that without preparation, the result will be “chaos.” He returned to an idea he has repeatedly advocated, universal basic income, stating, “You’re going to have to have some way to feed people.”
“When I was a kid my family was on welfare, we were poor,” Rogan said, adding he is thankful for the governmental support that they received. He expanded on this principle to advocate for fundamental securities for all citizens, arguing that basic needs and learning should be guaranteed. “You have to have food, you have to have housing, you should have education, all of it should be free, college-level education,” he added.
The Joe Rogan Experience did not respond to a request for comment.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
