AUSTIN, TEXAS: Joe Rogan has had thousands of amusing chats with people ranging from billionaire Elon Musk to whistleblower Edward Snowden that have enthralled his listeners. However, with a host as outspoken as Rogan and thousands of interviews under his belt, there are likely to be some episodes where he got into heated arguments with his guests.
Rogan has had his fair share of disagreements with guests, resulting in awkward or emotional moments on the show. Many of these debates have gone viral, with fans commending Rogan for remaining calm and composed the majority of the time. Here are the 4 most heated arguments on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast.
Joe Rogan's 4 most heated arguments
1. Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo discuss flat Earth
One of the few occasions Rogan lost his calm was in an episode with Eddie Bravo, a JRE regular. Bravo, a comedian, and martial arts instructor, is a known believer in conspiracy theories, specifically that the Earth is flat, which provoked a debate between him and Rogan.
In the episode, Bravo asked Rogan and his crew to show him "a real picture" of Earth from space, but quickly dismissed it as "fake." "Why does it look fake?" Rogan inquired, and Bravo responded that the image seems like something out of a movie.
"That's because when they do it in a movie, they try to look like this which is what looks real," Rogan explained. The two men argued, with Bravo stating that representations of a round Earth were "propaganda" but failing to provide Rogan with an image of a flat Earth when he requested one.
Rogan yelled at Bravo, calling his opinions "insane." He exclaimed, "Eddie, you're talking about the Earth being flat!" "You think thousands of scientists have looked into it and they're all wrong? That's so insane!"
2. Joe Rogan and Dave Portnoy talk about Tommy Fury's boxing ability
Things heated up again in one of the episodes with Barstool Sports CEO, Dave Portnoy. When the men were discussing sports, specifically boxing, Portnoy contended that Tommy Fury, the younger brother of professional boxer Tyson Fury, wasn't "a real boxer."
Portnoy said that Tommy was only renowned because of his brother's name, saying, "We would not know who Tommy Fury as if his last name wasn't 'Fury'." "Probably we wouldn't know as much about him," Rogan said, adding, "But still he's a good-looking guy, he's built great, you know, he looks the part."
The talk was largely pleasant at first, until tensions rose as the men viewed boxing tapes of Tommy Fury, with Rogan applauding him and Portnoy objecting. "The guy's fighting looks good. You're crazy if you don't think Tommy Fury is a boxer," Rogan stated.
However, Portnoy continued to request that another video be played, and Rogan became furious, demanding Portnoy to "watch this!"
3. Joe Rogan's argument with Brian Dunning
Rogan met with author Brian Dunning, who claimed in an article that Rogan supported hazardous pseudoscience. From the start of the episode, Rogan appears annoyed with his guest and tries to contradict Dunning's talking points.
The men debated for three hours over everything, with Rogan calling Dunning's points "factually inaccurate on so many different levels." "I don't understand why you wrote it like that," Rogan said. "There are things that you said that I believe that I don't. That I've never said that I do," he added in Episode #441.
Dunning, on the other hand, hit back at Rogan, claiming that multiple assertions he made on the show are made without prior investigation. "I'm sorry, you're against all reasonably-established science and you're trying to make a buck off of people potentially getting killed and I have a huge problem with that," Dunning added.
4. Joe Rogan and Steven Crowder talk about marijuana
Rogan's confrontation with fellow podcast host Steven Crowder during an episode of 'JRE' is possibly his most well-known verbal altercation. Both men drank throughout the episode, which many fans believe contributed to their "unhinged" debate regarding marijuana use and legalization.
Rogan has frequently advocated for the legalization of marijuana, claiming it has numerous benefits; while Crowder is opposed to the drug's use. Crowder said that the legalization of marijuana increased the number of car accidents, to which Rogan replied that he should Google it to see whether it was real.
Rogan cited a 2014 Washington Post op-ed that claimed vehicle fatalities in Colorado were at near-historic lows following marijuana legalization. Crowder, on the other hand, accused Rogan of digging for sources he "wanted" to find.
But their calm discourse devolved into a 40-minute brawl, with Crowder labeling Rogan "a bully" and accusing him of being "hostile." Rogan apologized to Crowder after the program aired, claiming that the show "went off the rails."
"First of all, I genuinely like Steven as a person, and although I might not agree with him about everything I think he's a good man," he wrote. "I take 100% responsibility for it going off the rails, and I'm truly sorry if it upset any of you that listened to it or watched it. We managed to pull it back together at the end, but of course, the s****y parts are all you or I will focus on for a while.
He continued, "My humblest and most heartfelt apologies. I do my best with these things but I, like all of us, am flawed."