JOE Rogan may be a podcast maestro but his dodgy – and potentially lethal – anti-Covid jab comments have been condemned.
So what is this 'bald icon's' net worth, and is he super-wealthy? We take a look at his billionaire status.
Who is Joe Rogan?
Outspoken Joe Rogan, 53, is one of the world's highest paid and most popular podcast hosts.
From 2001-2006, Rogan hosted Fear Factor before concentrating on stand-up gigs and comedy specials – with a joke about actor Wesley Snipes nearly ended up in a brawl between the pair.
On his Twitter bio, he describes himself as a "stand up comic/mixed martial arts fanatic/psychedelic adventurer, and host of The Joe Rogan Experience".
A standup comedian for more than 20 years, he's had comedy specials aired on Comedy Central and Netflix, including Joe Rogan: Strange Times, where he took on current culture, pro-wrestling, pot laws, cats and vegans in Boston.
But he's also well known in the sporting world, as he commentates on most big UFC fight nights.
He is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, he has been practising kickboxing and Taekwondo for years, and "will destroy most men in Hollywood", warns the Bald Brothers.
In April 2021, he took British former strongman Eddie Hall to task, slating his 'terrible' boxing technique ahead of his fight with Hafthor Bjornsson.
Hall shrugged off his criticizm, saying: “I take no offence to Joe Rogan’s comments. He’s an experienced guy, he knows what he’s talking about, but he doesn’t know the full picture.
"And I’d still love to go on The Joe Rogan Show and tell him a story for everyone to hear.”
The Joe Rogan podcast is Spotify's most popular podcast after the streaming service inked a $100million deal with him in 2020.
The Bald Brothers' website hails him as a 'bald icon', enthusing: "Joe Rogan is the king of all kings when it comes to hosting podcasts.
"Although he has been successful as a stand up comic and as a commentator for the UFC, his best work is definitely what he does with his podcast.
"He has guests come on from literally all backgrounds.
"Famous actors, successful athletes, millionaires, billionaires, politicians, scientists, and any other interesting human being possible."
However, Rogan's been in hot water over his comments about the coronavirus vaccine.
Rogan has been blasted for telling millions of fans that young people should not get the Covid jab because they are "fit and healthy."
The star’s comments came as President Joe Biden pleaded with youngsters to "go get vaccinated now" to help stop the pandemic, which has killed almost 590,000 people in the US.
Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster said he recommended "vulnerable" people get the shot, adding that his parents have had their jabs, while agreeing that it was safe.
But his anti-jab comments have gone viral, with CNET saying: "Rogan's statement comes with a history of inaccurate comments about Covid.
"Covid affects everyone, and doesn't discriminate with age.
"Children and teens typically experience milder symptoms, but many young people – healthy people – have reported not only extreme symptoms, but long lasting impacts on health as they recover from the virus.
"Ironically, even in mixed martial arts, the sport for which Rogan famously provides commentary, multiple young competitors have been laid out for months during difficult recoveries for Covid."
In Brazil, for example, an estimated 1,300 babies had died from coronavirus as of mid-April 2021 – while parents there are also mourning the hundreds of children aged between one and 14 who have also lost their lives to Covid.
And the Sun has reported on kids ending up in hospital, seriously ill with the virus.
Scary cases include a six-year-old boy who was "screaming, convulsing and pulling out his own hair" after being struck down with a Covid-linked disease in the US.
Philip was hospitalized after he developed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), his parents Sammy and Shannon Morado told KDVR.
A month after the Colorado family was diagnosed with Covid-19, Philip fell violently ill.
"He was, like, shaking and screaming and pulling his hair,” Shannon Morado said.
What is his net worth?
The Joe Rogan podcast with Spotify was a mammoth $100million deal.
It's not clear exactly how wealthy he is, but Forbes said in 2020 that "between ad revenue, live shows and YouTube broadcasts of the Joe Rogan Experience program, Rogan made $30million last year, making him Forbes’ highest-paid podcaster of 2019.
"The podcast has evolved into a major money-maker for Rogan."
Andrew Wilkinson, CEO of internet investment firm Tiny Capital, reckons it's "possible that Joe Rogan is podcasting’s first billionaire".
Wilkinson adds that, based on Rogan’s self-reported 200 million downloads per month, he estimates the host is making up to "$240 million per year in podcast advertising revenue".
Showbiz Cheatsheet writes: "From a troubled childhood to being the host of one of the most controversial shows of all time, to standing with Kevin Hart and Jerry Seinfeld as one of the wealthiest stand-up comics in the business, Joe Rogan has been a fantastic success story.
"Spotify announced in May that they had signed an exclusive deal to broadcast Rogan’s show.
"Although Spotify did not comment on how much the deal was worth, a source leaked to The Wall Street Journal that it was upwards of 100 million dollars.
"If true, this would make it the largest agreement in podcast history. After the deal was announced, Spotify’s stock jumped by 11 per cent."
When did he start the Joe Rogan Podcast?
Joe Rogan launched his podcast in December 2009.
"His podcast is one of the greatest things going. It’s like a journey around the known universe, as well as the unknown," wrote Rolling Stone in 2015.
The magazine adds: "He started it with friend and fellow comic Brian Redban, just the two of them smoking weed and chewing the fat, nothing much going on, no grand ambitions.
"Early guests were largely confined to friends from MMA and comedy.
"But then Rogan started to haul in the more far-flung: marijuana activists, former porn stars… rappers, Egyptologists, triathlete vegans, whistle-blowers, mind coaches, insomniacs, experts on toxoplasmosis, and conspiracy theorists of all kinds (Bigfoot, UFOs, chemtrails, JFK, 9/11, the Apollo moon landing)."
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