Joe Rogan clarified on Friday he was not endorsing Robert Kennedy Jr. for president over former President Donald Trumpafter sparking anger from Trump supporters.
The host of the world's biggest podcast lamented that both the right and the left 'gaslight you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives' during a discussion about theelection with YouTuber Sam Gymlan on Thursday.
'The only one who is not doing that is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,' Rogan said, praising Kennedy as 'only one that makes sense to me.'
When Gymlan asked if Rogan was a fan of RFK Jr. he agreed.
'He's the only one — he doesn't attack people, he attacks actions and ideas, but he's much more reasonable and intelligent,' he said.
But Rogan was forced to roll back what was widely seen as an endorsem*nt of RFK Jr. on Friday after massive MAGA blowback.
'For the record, this isn't an endorsem*nt,' Rogan wrote in a rare post on X on Friday. 'This is me saying that I like RFK jr as a person, and I really appreciate the way he discusses things with civility and intelligence.'
Joe Rogan at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas for his Netflix special
Rogan also praised Trump for his response to the assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania after he was shot in the ear by a gunman.
'I also think Trump raising his fist and saying 'fight!' after getting shot is one of the most American f***ing things of all time,' he said.
Rogan had sparked anger from fired up Trump supporters after a clip from his show indicated that he was supporting RFK for president.
Trump questioned Rogan's apparent endorsem*nt on social media.
'It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring???' Trump asked in a post on Truth Social despite Rogan clarifying his position.
Rogan's praise for Kennedy and subsequent news articles about his 'endorsem*nt' for Kennedy over Trump drew anger from his supporters
'So - I've never been a Joe Rogan fan - can't stand him - yes he has a popular podcast, but I've always thought he was absolutely politically dumb - he's great at figuring things out 2 years after we do,' wroteX.com user @catturd2 on social media to his 2.7 million followers.
Joe Rogan in his podcasting studio in Austin, TX
He pointed out Rogan supported Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016.
'He's the podcast Equivalent of a dumb blonde joke,' @catturd2 concluded.
Human Events editor Jack Posobiec said the moment was further evidence that Rogan was quietly anti-Trump.
'Now you know why Rogan has a blacklist of pro-Trump people on his show,' he wrote on social media, highlighting Rogan's praise of Kennedy.
Rogan's podcast is hugely influential in America because of the size of his audience.
The Joe Rogan Experience has 11 million YouTube subscribers and more than 14 million followers on Spotify. His other job as a UFC expert means he also attracts a large male following, many of whom are hardcore Trump supporters.
During an interview with Kennedy in June 2023, the pair discussed the dark Kennedy family history, government censorship, and the struggles with the government's actions on the coronavirus lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
While Rogan has met and shook hands with Trumpduring his appearances at UFC fights, he has never hosted the former president for an interview.
'Most people don't actually care about your endorsem*nt, we want you to have Trump on your platform,' wrote X.com user 'Johnny Maga' wrote in reply to Rogan's post.
Podcaster Tim Pool, who previously announced his intention to vote for Trump, lamented that Trump's supporters tended to drive away likeminded individuals with their outrage.
'There's a reason they can't get a Rogan endorsem*nt and it's exactly this behavior,' he wrote on social media. 'The top podcast, markedly independent, fair and honest and they decide to go to war with it instead of trying to ally with it.'
On July 9, Trump and Rogan were seen shaking hands at the UFC 290 fight in Las Vegas - and the 77-year-old presidential candidate has since been pushing for an invitation to sit down and record with him
When Gymlan asked if Rogan was a fan of RFK Jr. he agreed
Rogan made headlines last month after he predicted that Kamala Harris was going to win, even though he said was surprised by how quickly the media narrative turned in her favor.
Rogan has frequently criticized Harris and often nocks her 'word salad' speeches.
'I feel like we are in this very bizarre time where people are giving into the bullsh*t in a way that I never suspected people would before,' Rogan argued. 'They just want no Trump, no matter what, and they're willing to gaslight themselves — and by the way, I think Hillary could win.'
Rogaanhas widely criticized President Joe Biden for months for his obvious mental and physical decline and typically sours on establishment politicians.
He has hosted Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on his show multiple times and even hosted Sen. Bernie Sanders in August 2019.
In August 2023, podcaster Patrick Bet-David urged Rogan to interview Trump despite Rogan's public reluctance to do so.
'I don't know – maybe,' Rogan said.'At a certain point in time, it's just like. It would be interesting to hear his perspective on a lot of things.'
