Joe Rogan Slammed for Suggesting Straight White Men Will Soon Be 'Silenced'

Joe Rogan is facing backlash after he suggested that "woke culture" will soon lead to the silencing of "straight white men." Rogan made the controversial remarks on the latest episode of his Spotify podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, during which he had a conversation with guest Joe List about how he believes "woke" culture has changed comedy.

Speaking to List, Rogan said he has concerns about not being "allowed to talk" due to his "privilege." Rogan said, "you can never be woke enough that's the problem, it keeps going." Explaining that "it keeps going further and further and further down the line," the podcaster said that "if you get to the point where you capitulate, where you agree to all these demands, it'll eventually get to 'straight white men are not allowed to talk.' Because it's your privilege to express yourself when other people of color have been silenced throughout history." Rogan went on to state that people would no longer be able to "go outside" because "so many people were imprisoned" in the past, and said he was "not joking" and "it really will get there" when List began to laugh.

His remarks quickly sparked discussion and controversy online, where many cast doubt that Rogan has to worry about being silent when his podcast has 11 million listeners per episode, according to the Independent, and he also has a Spotify deal estimated to be worth over $100 million. One person tweeted, "someone tell Joe Rogan he got a $100 million podcast deal, he's doing just fine unless he lost his PIN." Another person tweeted, "Joe Rogan, on his international podcast: are straight white men being silenced?" pointing out the contradiction of his words.

Reacting to the remarks, another Twitter user slammed Rogan, writing, "sharing space is not the same as being silenced, you f–." The Nation journalist Elie Mystal asked, "Can Joe Rogan point to one day in American history where straight white men shut the f– up?" Mystal went on to tweet that "if you start the clock in 1787 they've had roughly 85,500 opportunities to give it a rest for A DAY, and have never ONCE let the godd– Earth spin without offering an opinion."

At this time, Rogan has not responded to the backlash sparked by his remarks. The controversy comes just a month after the podcaster faced backlash after stating that "healthy young people" don't "need to worry" about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Rogan later addressed the controversy, stating he is not an "anti-vax person."