Kobe Bryant Fans React After Joe Rogan Weighs in on Ari Shaffir's Over-the-Line Joke

Michael Hein

02/11/2020 11:54 am EST

Kobe Bryant fans are weighing in on Joe Rogan's latest podcast about Ari Shaffir. Shaffir has been under fire for two weeks now, ever since making jokes about Bryant shortly after his death. Many feel that Rogan — a friend and colleague of Shaffir's — has hit the nail on the head.

Rogan talked about Shaffir's indiscretion with his podcast guest Jim Norton last week. The two discussed the style of comedy Shaffir was evidently going for, and how it went horribly wrong.

"He needed to know that there are consequences for just saying ridiculous s— that you're not supposed to say when people die," Rogan said.

Shaffir has often made jokes at the expense of celebrities shortly after they pass away. It is meant as a meta-commentary on the concept of "too soon" jokes, as well as a grim reminder to not take things too seriously.

Among Shaffir's fans and followers, these jokes are well-established and familiar, so most of them likely believed he was being facetious with his joke about Bryant. However, Rogan felt that the danger in these kinds of jokes is that they need to be escalated to keep getting a laugh. Inevitably, this escalation will catapult his words outside of his insular fandom, especially when they concern a worldwide star like Bryant.

"It was so stupid, but it's also what you said earlier, that you gotta keep ramping it up," Rogan said. "When you do outrageous things to get people to be like 'Oh, look at Jimmy, he's crazy,' you get caught in a trap and you keep doing it more and more outrageous."

Shaffir's jokes about Bryant were made in a selfie video he posted on Twitter. In an exaggerated tone, he acted like he was happy that Bryant had died.

"Kobe Bryant died 23 years too late today," his video began. "He got away with rape because all the Hollywood liberals who attack comedy enjoy rooting for the Lakers more than they dislike rape. Big ups to the hero who forgot to gas up his chopper. I hate the Lakers. What a great day!"

When the backlash hit, Shaffir was dropped by his management company. The New York Comedy Club was forced to cancel some shows due to threats reportedly related to Shaffir's joke. Finally, he issued an explanation and an apology on Instagram.

"Every time a beloved celebrity dies I post some horrible s— about them," he wrote in the apology post. "I've been doing it for years now. I like destroying gods. And right when a famous person dies they're at their most worshipped. So as a response to all the outpouring of sympathy on social media, I post something vile. it's just a joke. I don't really hate any of the people."

Shaffir has commenting disabled on Instagram and his account is locked on Twitter. Still, fans have not stopped going after him online. Here is what they thought of Rogan's latest commentary on the situation.

'Finally'

Regardless of what he said or which side he took, many fans were just glad that Rogan had "finally" addressed the controversy surrounding Shaffir. The two comedians are close, with Shaffir sometimes citing Rogan as a kind of industry mentor, and they have done many podcasts together over the years.

'Distancing'

Regular listeners of Rogan were surprised by the way Rogan talked about Shaffir, as if he had watched this whole thing unfold from a distance. They had imagined that Rogan would have more of an inside scoop, perhaps having talked to Shaffir before, during or after this ordeal. If so, Rogan gave no hint of it.

Yes Men

Some of Rogan's die-hard listeners expressed a distaste for Norton, Shaffir or other frequent guests on the podcast. They feel that the other comics are yes-men, agreeing with Rogan and giving him positive feedback on whatever he says because the want to stay in his orbit and benefit from his massive platform.

Still Friends?

After hearing Rogan weigh in on Shaffir's current controversy, many were still not clear on where the two stand in their personal friendship. They argued endlessly on social media about whether Rogan had "thrown" Shaffir "under the bus" and whether they were still on good terms.

'Lost Respect'

Some fans had so much conviction in defending Shaffir that they denounced Rogan over his commentary. They felt that Rogan was trying to steer the public conversation and protect himself from the same ire Shaffir is getting, when the more natural thing for him to do would be to defend his friend.

"[Joe Rogan]'s comedian license is hereby revoked," one fan tweeted.

Double Standard

Shaffir's defenders dredged up the past controversies of Rogan and Norton to support their defense. They wondered how other comedians could denounce Shaffir's shock-value jokes when they themselves had made them in the past.

Low Profile

Finally, more casual listeners of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast were growing confused about why this controversy had gone on so long. They argued that Shaffir was not famous or important enough to merit this amount of discussion.

It is unclear what the future holds for Shaffir. He has four stand-up comedy specials out — the latest one on Netflix — and spent much of 2019 touring with material he said he intended to put on the next recorded special. Plans for that release have not been formalized.

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