Is Joe Rogan Losing His Mojo?

Newsweek

30-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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For those scrolling through the platform formerly known as Twitter—now called X—it's become routine to see clips of Joe Rogan heaping praise on its owner, Elon Musk.
"Elon's such a unique character. You can't even put him in the same category as an Einstein, because he's a cultural weirdness," Rogan says in a clip from a January 22 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, resurfaced by an account called Elon Clips, which regularly posts video tributes to the Tesla CEO and X owner.
Joe Rogan: Elon's one of the most unique human beings in all of history.
'Elon's such a unique character. You can't even put him in the same category as an Einstein, because he's a cultural weirdness.
Who's this guy, making memes, cracking jokes, dunking on people, telling… pic.twitter.com/fkzyRWtFXw — ELON CLIPS (@ElonClipsX) April 29, 2025
"Joe Rogan is awesome," Musk replied. "We're lucky to have both of you!" the Elon Clips account responded.
But Rogan himself may not be so grateful for Musk's endorsement. While The Joe Rogan Experience remains one of the most popular podcasts in the country, it has faced growing criticism within his own circle of influence, along with a slight but notable decline in audience since November. The shift comes as Rogan's famously free-wheeling conversations have taken a sharper political turn, moving away from the offbeat blend of comedy, psychedelics, mixed martial arts and contrarian brawling that once defined his broad appeal.
Fissures in the Manosphere
Spotify charts show that Rogan's podcast dropped from its usual top position to second place in January, overtaken by The Shawn Ryan Show. It fell again to third place in February, behind Fall of Civilizations and The MeidasTouch Podcast, before reclaiming second place—this time trailing only comedian Amy Poehler's new show, Good Hang. While Rogan still tallied 51.5 million downloads in February—a 25 percent increase from the previous month—MeidasTouch, a Trump resistance show, surged to 57.5 million downloads, marking a 109 percent spike.
Joe Rogan looks on during UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joe Rogan looks on during UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.These metrics tell only part of the story. The deeper fissures are emerging from within Rogan's own circle of recurring guests, a loosely defined cultural clique sometimes referred to as the "Rogansphere." Comedians, commentators and provocateurs who once orbited his show are now increasingly voicing discomfort with its political drift and with Rogan's unwavering admiration for Musk.
"He's in over his head on so many topics of great consequence," longtime guest and neuroscientist Sam Harris told his listeners last week on his own podcast.
Harris, a fierce critic of President Trump and, more recently, his former friend Musk, has criticized Rogan's pattern of platforming conspiracy theorists and controversial figures without challenging them.
"He'll bring someone in to shoot the shit on 'how the Holocaust is not what you think it was'... or he'll talk to someone like Trump or Tucker Carlson, who lie as freely as they breathe, and doesn't push back... It is irresponsible, and it's directly harmful," Harris said.
While Rogan's closeness to Trump has drawn criticism, it's his sustained devotion to Musk that is now generating the most friction—even among his allies. Musk has become an increasingly toxic and unpopular figure in public discourse, facing mounting criticism over his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts and erratic behavior. Trump's own administration has started to put distance between itself and Musk in recent weeks, concerned that Musk's unpopularity could alienate the former president's base and undermine broader support. Musk routinely polls even lower than Trump in public opinion surveys.
Joe Rogan and Elon Musk in an November 2024 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience."
Joe Rogan and Elon Musk in an November 2024 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience."
The Joe Rogan Experience / YouTube
Yet Rogan has not wavered. He continues to call Musk "one of the smartest people alive" and "a super genius that's been fucked with," even as some of his closest friends mock the billionaire publicly. Comedian Tim Dillon called Musk's White House press conference in January "the grossest and cringiest shit anyone has seen for a long time."
Shane Gillis, another comedian popular in the so-called "manosphere," described Musk as "psychotic" and "fucking weird" for exaggerating his video game skills. During the taping of a recent Netflix special, Kyle Dunnigan impersonated Musk onstage in a biting parody—the audience laughed, but Rogan sat mostly silent, avoiding eye contact, appearing unwilling to signal disloyalty to the tech mogul.
Rogan's alignment with Donald Trump has also created unease among some of his longtime fans. Once celebrated for his role as the curious everyman, Rogan began to shift after hosting Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 election. He went on to publicly endorse the president and later attended his inauguration. At a UFC event earlier this year, Rogan embraced Trump, telling him: "I'm so happy for you, sir."
A Broader Identity Crisis
If there's one thing last year's election proved, it's how quickly media dynamics can shift. The podcast-industrial complex that helped fuel Trump's rise is now crowded with new voices in a space that Rogan has long dominated. Young men, in particular, appear to be feeling some buyer's remorse about Trump, with new polling suggesting the group is swinging away from the president.
A Harvard youth poll released last week told the story. Nearly 60 percent of men aged 18-29 said they disapproved of the president, with 40 percent saying they were worse off than under the Biden administration. As recently as January, 62 percent of that cohort approved of Trump on the economy, according to a different poll from SocialSphere.
These shifts point to a broader identity crisis in the manosphere. Rogan rose to prominence by positioning himself as an open-minded host—someone who welcomed guests from across the ideological spectrum, voiced support for both Bernie Sanders and RFK Jr., and veered from MMA commentary to ayahuasca discussions without warning. His appeal was rooted in his authenticity, unpredictability and ideological ambiguity. But as Medium writer George J. Ziogas observed, The Joe Rogan Experience "has started to feel more like a megaphone for Trumpism than a forum for exploration."
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Joe Rogan during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City.
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Joe Rogan during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City.
Photo by"He was at his best when he asked questions and didn't seem sure of the answers," Ziogas wrote. "Now he just affirms what he already believes."
The shift has not gone unnoticed by his audience. Reddit threads and Discord channels once devoted to parsing episodes now read more like group therapy for disillusioned fans. Some describe Rogan's show as having "lost the plot." Others say they tune in less frequently or skip episodes altogether when they see certain names on the guest list.
Rogan has defended his guest choices and denied any bias in his booking process, saying in a recent episode: "I just think I'd like to talk to this person... I brought him on because I want to find out, like, how does one get involved in the whole conspiracy theory business?"
But even conservative guests like Douglas Murray have cautioned Rogan about promoting revisionist history and what Murray called "very dangerous" ideas.
"I feel you've opened the door to quite a lot of people who now got a big platform, who have been throwing out counter-historical stuff of a very dangerous kind," Murray said to Rogan and the comedian Dave Smith, his other guest, referring to recent episodes featuring Darryl Cooper and Ian Carroll, both accused of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories.
"These guys are not historians; they're not knowledgeable about anything," he added in a clip that went viral as an example of a rare instance of a guest pushing back on Rogan on his own turf.
Rogan responded quietly, "I don't think about it that way. I just think, 'I'd like to talk to that person.'" But the discomfort was clear—similar to the now-viral Netflix clip, in which Rogan sat silently as Elon Musk was roasted. In both cases, his reaction was the same.