He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience , a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, politics, aliens, religion, philosophy, science, martial arts, and hobbies with celebrity guests. His podcast is one of the most influential and most watched podcasts in the world.
Rogan was born in Newark, New Jersey , and began his career in comedy in in the Boston area. After relocating to Los Angeles in , he signed an exclusive developmental deal with Disney and appeared as an actor on several television shows, including Hardball and NewsRadio. In , he started working for the UFC as an interviewer and color commentator. After leaving Fear Factor , Rogan focused on his stand-up career and hosted more comedy specials.
He launched The Joe Rogan Experience in ; by , it was one of the most popular podcasts in the world, regularly receiving millions of plays per episode. Rogan has voiced support for same-sex marriage , recreational drug legalization, universal health care , universal basic income , gun rights , and free speech , while opposing cancel culture and military adventurism. He supported Donald Trump in , having previously endorsed Bernie Sanders in Rogan has been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories , COVID misinformation , and for hosting guests who spread misinformation and pseudoscience.
He recalled, "All I remember of my dad are these brief, violent flashes of domestic violence. But I don't want to complain about my childhood. Nothing bad ever really happened to me. I don't hate the guy. He graduated from Newton South High School in Rogan participated in Little League Baseball and developed an interest in martial arts in his early teens.
I knew that I could do something I was terrified of, and that was really difficult, and that I could excel at it. It was a big deal for me. So I really, really gravitated toward it. I didn't have a direction until I became a stand-up comedian. I was pretty nervous about my future. I couldn't imagine myself working a 9-to-5 job. Rogan had no intention of being a professional comedian, [ 20 ] [ 21 ] but was a fan of comedy from a young age, later saying of Richard Pryor 's special Live on the Sunset Strip , "It affected me in such a profound way.
