Top 30 Heated Moments on the Joe Rogan Experience

Jamie Vernon, more playfully known as Young Jamie, has been with the show since 2012, so he obviously gets along well with Rogan. But there are times when tempers start to flare. Like in “End Of The World #2,” with Rogan hosting both Tim Dillon and political activist Kyle Kulinski[a]. Kulinski is talking about the then-upcoming election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, prompting Rogan to ask a question about voting. Young Jamie answers Joe instead of Kulinski, prompting Joe to not-so-jokingly chastise him. A little bit of bickering and laughing follows, and all Kulinski can do is awkwardly giggle.

Many people come to “The Joe Rogan Experience” to hear about aliens and conspiracy theories, and if that’s what you’re into, then let us turn you towards Steven Greer. Greer is a prominent ufologist, known as the founder of the Disclosure Project and the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence. And boy did he have some stories for Rogan. It’s a great conversation, but Greer’s topics can get pretty wild, and there are some that Rogan just isn’t having. He is quite skeptical throughout the podcast, constantly pushing back against Greer and questioning his many bizarre claims. Things never get outright confrontational, but there’s an undercurrent of tension that never really goes away.

Back in 2015, Rogan hosted the “Survivorman” himself, Les Stroud. Stroud is a nature enthusiast and survival expert, so the conversation - naturally - turns to cryptids. Stroud recalls some weird experiences that he’s had in the wild, which for some reason earns the complete ire of Rogan, who is usually into that sort of thing. The two fight about the existence of Bigfoot and the rest of the podcast is bizarrely uncomfortable, with listeners noting Rogan’s annoyingly arrogant attitude and constant ramblings. Stroud eventually just checks out, likely sick of the bickering and constant interjections.

A deeply controversial guest, Stefan Molyneux is considered a major figure of the alt-right movement, a known white nationalist and, some may say, cult leader who has been banned from the likes of YouTube and SoundCloud. And maybe “Joe Rogan” as well. Molyneux was a semi-regular in the early days of the podcast, having appeared three different times in rapid succession. But by episode 538, you could tell that Rogan was getting sick of the shtick. He was actively fighting back against many of Molyneux’s outlandish claims, and tensions were growing quite hot. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Molyneux has never been back.

Since 2018, Seth Dillon has been the owner and CEO of The Babylon Bee, which is basically the conservative version of The Onion. The website has deep ties to Christianity, so as you can imagine, its owner does not look kindly on abortion. The topic comes up during his visit with the more liberal-minded Rogan, and oh boy does it get testy. Pro choice battles pro life, and as abortion is such a sensitive topic, both sides get quite defensive in their arguments. Things even take a turn for the personal, with Rogan using his own children as a catalyst for the broader pro-choice argument.

Back in November of 2022, Rogan hosted Matt Walsh, a right-wing commentator for The Daily Wire and the man behind controversial documentaries like “What Is a Woman?” But in this case, the discussion is not about gender ideology, but gay marriage. Walsh is a staunch critic of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement, and he makes his stance known on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Rogan disagrees with his guest, claiming that two men should have the legal and moral right to get married. It’s more of a disagreement than an argument, as things never turn outright hostile, but the discussion goes on for quite a long time, and neither side gives an inch in their beliefs.

A tech guru, Moxie Marlinspike is deep into cryptology, being Twitter’s former head of security and the co-author of the encryption used by Google and Facebook. He’s also really good at Rock, Paper, Scissors. So, you know, talented man. Marlinspike bets Rogan that he can beat him, claiming that if he wins, he gets to do a week’s worth of programming on Joe’s show. Rogan immediately gets defensive and shuts the bet down, claiming that it’s worth far too much money to risk. There’s a fine line between pride and arrogance, and some viewers don’t think that Rogan walked it.

Rogan is very passionate about many things, and combat sports is certainly one of them. For those who don’t know, Rogan is a commentator for the UFC and has a rich knowledge of MMA and boxing, which comes up in his discussion with Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy. They discuss the merits of Tommy Fury, a boxer who fights popular influencers like Jake Paul and KSI. Portnoy doesn’t think that Fury is a “real” boxer, as he lacks genuine talent and lives in the shadow of his older brother Tyson, who was once the heavyweight champion. Rogan disagrees, arguing that Tommy has obvious skill and that Tyson should not factor into the discussion. Lots of yelling, cursing, and overlapping occurs. It gets pretty crazy.

For many fans, episode 1255 is peak “Joe Rogan Experience.” The date - February 28, 2019. The guests - Eddie Bravo and the ever-controversial Alex Jones. The topics - oh boy, where do we even start? Tower 7. Toxoplasmosis[e]. God. You name it, they talked about it. Or, should we say, yelled about it. The whole episode is nearly five hours of nonsensical, conspiracy-laden rambling, with many a passionate argument thrown in for good measure. It’s one of those conversations where you can tell the participants are good friends but who constantly bicker like salty co-workers. It’s a glorious listen.

In one corner, Flint Dibble[f], a professional archaeologist. In the other, Graham Hancock, a pseudoscientist and the man behind the hotly-debated “Ancient Apocalypse.” Fight! No, really, fight, because these two go at it like you wouldn’t believe. Spanning four and a half hours, the podcast begins friendly enough, with both sides respecting each other and what they bring to the archaeological discussion. But friendliness soon turns to hostility, with Dibble showing disbelief at Hancock’s outrageous claims and pseudoscientific approaches. We’re not sure if it’s hilarious or painfully awkward, but either way, it sure makes for one tantalizing listen.

Martial arts instructor Eddie Bravo is a popular recurring guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” made famous by his outlandish conspiracy theories. In this case, he’s discussing nuclear bombs. Bravo, Rogan, and fellow guest Brendan Schaub discuss the conspiracy theory that nukes are fake and that one has never actually gone off. Bravo brings up some bizarre questions, everyone talks over each other, and Rogan claims that Bravo is “wasting everyone’s time” by arguing against their existence. Even the usually mild-mannered Jamie Vernon gets in on the action and raises his voice against Bravo. Everyone’s worked up, and the bickering makes for some delightfully awkward entertainment.

Stand-up comedian Joey Diaz is another recurring guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and he has been since the podcast’s early days. Rogan brings up the idea of controversial jokes in the midst of the #MeToo movement and asks Diaz if he’s noticed a change in the comedic landscape. Diaz almost immediately gets heated, goes red in the face, and starts defending the use of creative freedom in comedy. He also claims that it’s “too late” for him to stop using certain offensive words, as he “grew up” when they were widely used. There’s no real argument here - it’s just Diaz going off for five minutes about something that he is clearly very passionate about.

We’re going way back for this one. Episode 119 was released on July 5, 2011, and starred both Brian Redban and Jan Irvin. Irvin is another conspiracy theorist, and he hoped to speak to Rogan about some of his beliefs. Irvin got very academic with it and brought along tons of citations and sources, but it was all a little too much for the host. Fans claim that Rogan got irritated with the conversation and that he essentially tuned out after a while. This is quite a contentious episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” as fans debate the merits of Irvin’s arguments and Rogan’s treatment of him.

The recipient of numerous Emmy nominations, Kurt Metzger found great success writing for the sketch comedy program “Inside Amy Schumer.” Schumer came under fire in the mid-2010s and was accused of plagiarizing jokes from other comedians. This is brought up during Metzger’s appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and it results in quite the argument. Metzger passionately defends Schumer from the accusations while Rogan contends that her jokes bore close resemblances to those of other comedians. Metzger is clearly fired up, and Rogan even tells him to chill out and stop being so confrontational. Whether it was the energy drinks or just unfiltered emotion, this conversation is rapid and intense.

Joe Rogan is deeply into health and exercise, so it makes sense that he speaks passionately on the subject. His guest in this episode is Mikhaila Peterson, a podcaster and the daughter of famous psychologist and internet celebrity Jordan Peterson. Peterson argues that overweight individuals don’t have the energy to exercise. Rogan vehemently disagrees and goes on a feverish tangent about discipline. He argues for the merits of focus and a forced adherence to routine, and he believes that those who don’t exercise often make excuses. It’s quite a lengthy argument, and Rogan never quite sees eye-to-eye with Peterson, who remains steadfast in her own opinion.

Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge is a big believer in extraterrestrial activity and discussed UFOs at length on the podcast. Unfortunately, it seems like Rogan wasn’t having any of it. Some fans are of the opinion that Rogan was rude towards DeLonge and that he was overly annoyed with his bizarre claims. It never comes to screams or shouts, but it’s clear that Rogan is simply humoring his guest. This was seemingly confirmed in a later episode with Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, in which Rogan jokingly claimed that “something’s wrong” with DeLonge.

From the show’s premiere in 2009 to 2012, “The Joe Rogan Experience” was produced and semi-hosted by Brian Redban. Unfortunately, he went out on a bit of an awkward note. Redban had a penchant for interrupting, and in this case, it got him in trouble. Near the end of #415 with Justin Foster, Redban brings up some positive reception that he recently received for his stand-up. Rogan saw this as bragging, resulting in some long and awkward bickering between the two. Foster does what he can to defuse the palpable tension, but there’s no hope, and the argument carries on far longer than it needs to. It wasn’t long after this that Redban was permanently replaced by Jamie Vernon.

Comedian Bryan Callen frequently collaborates with Joe Rogan, but that doesn’t stop them from bickering like a married couple. The conversation turns to schoolyard bullies, and Callen makes some bold claims about what he’d do in this position. Rogan and guest Brendan Schaub immediately gang up on him and call out his faux tough guy persona. They lovingly but firmly tell him to cut out the theatrics, and Rogan makes the argument that he’s been hanging out with too many “toxic” people that have warped his beliefs. It’s three straight minutes of Rogan and Schaub ripping into Callen and completely dismantling his ego.

Episode #629 hosted neuroscientist Andrew Hill, and like many episodes of the podcast, the conversation turned to fighting. They debate the merits of aikido, a Japanese martial art that is practiced in well over 100 countries around the world. Rogan argues that it’s one of the least effective martial arts, whereas Hill claims that it has other benefits besides direct hand-to-hand combat. This results in quite a fierce debate, and while it never gets confrontational, it’s clear that neither side is backing down from their firm beliefs. It’s an inherent clash of personality and opinion, and it’s very clear that Rogan doesn’t put much stock in what Hill is saying.

Dr. Mark Gordon was the guest of “The Joe Rogan Experience” #438, and the conversation quickly turned to supplements and hangovers. Gordon claims that an antioxidant called glutathione can help cure hangovers, and maybe even prevent the side effects of alcohol consumption altogether. Rogan couldn’t believe what he was hearing and calmly shared his strong skepticism. He even expressed a desire to call Gordon on his claims, but he felt that he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to do so. Glutathione has indeed been proven to help with fatty liver disease, and it has many other health benefits. Curing hangovers may or may not be one of them.

Conservative comedian Nick Di Paolo is known for his strong political opinions, his appearances on popular radio shows like “Opie and Anthony” and “The Howard Stern Show”, as well as his daily podcast “The Nick DiPaolo Show”. While appearing on “Rogan”, he and the host began arguing about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Rogan stated that Trump was a persistent liar, but Di Paolo begged to differ, sarcastically undermining sources like The Washington Post. Di Paolo held the opinion that the mainstream media was twisting Trump’s words, even asking Rogan at one point to define “lie”. Fed up with his lack of solid arguments or, you know, anything resembling actual facts, Rogan accused Di Paolo of resorting to “Whataboutism”.

We’re going way back for this one. Rogan and visiting comedian Jamie Kilstein began discussing whether it was appropriate to make jokes about sexual assault, which eventually spiraled into a heated debate. The argument turned to whether assault or murder was the “worse” crime, with Rogan arguing that murder is worse. Kilstein countered that there’s a “stigma” attached to being assaulted and that victims are forced to live with the trauma. This results in one of the rare moments in which Rogan truly loses his temper. He actually yells at Kilstein, calls him “crazy”, and tells him that he’s talking nonsense. The fact that Kilstein later had to leave his internet radio show Citizen Radio due to “manipulative, emotionally abusive, and predatory” behavior towards women just adds another level of awkwardness to it all.

Perhaps one of the most controversial figures of our day - to put it both mildly and kindly - Milo Yiannopoulos is a prominent far-right figure who once served as the editor of Breitbart News. He holds many contentious opinions, has been banned from numerous social media sites including Twitter and Facebook, and left Breitbart amid accusations that he supported romantic relationships between adults and children. Presumably all of that contributed to Rogan’s very confrontational approach to his conversation with Milo. The topic turned to Christianity, with Yiannopoulos describing himself as a Catholic. Rogan mocked Yiannopoulos’s beliefs, and Yiannopoulos attempted to end the conversation then and there. However, they both continued to prod, resulting in an awkward and heated conversation about the merits of religion.

While Jack Dorsey is comparatively tame compared to Rogan’s usual guests, that doesn’t mean his appearances on the show went as planned for anyone involved. The first episode with Dorsey was a disaster, with fans deeming it dull and dissing Rogan’s lack of confrontation. This prompted Rogan to apologize on his show. It also resulted in a massive course correction. Dorsey returned to the podcast with Twitter’s chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, answering questions from anti-corporate political commentator Tim Pool. The episode lasted three and a half hours, with Pool warning of a “snowflake avalanche” and arguing that Twitter uses its ban on hate speech to discriminate against conservatives. The conversation was tense, to say the least.

American journalist Gary Taubes is a questionable figure in the field of diet research. Some of his views surrounding carbohydrates, insulin, and obesity have been repeatedly criticized, with books like “Good Calories, Bad Calories” receiving mixed reviews from mainstream publications. This is mirrored in Taubes’s conversation with neuroscientist and diet expert Stephan Guyenet, who penned the acclaimed 2017 book “The Hungry Brain”. He and Taubes get into a very heated argument regarding obesity and insulin resistance, with Guyenet going on a near-twenty minute tangent about the science behind fat storage. The whole episode was tense and hostile, complete with high levels of pettiness and rude condescension.

Despite being an expert martial artist and a founder of his own style of jiu-jitsu, Eddie Bravo is perhaps most well known for his hilarious and often inane ramblings on “The Joe Rogan Experience”. Bravo is a prominent conspiracy theorist and one of the most outspoken proponents of the Flat Earth theory. This belief results in an uncomfortable moment on “The Joe Rogan Experience”, as Rogan dismantles Bravo’s belief, his sources of information, and the Flat Earth theory in general. The argument eventually devolves into incomprehensible screaming. Rogan eventually calls Bravo’s beliefs “insane”. His frustration is readily apparent.

Candace Owens has earned fame and controversy for her pro-Trump politics and outspoken criticism of Black Lives Matter. Owens became national news after the perpetrator of the tragic events in Christchurch in 2019 explicitly mentioned Owens and her influence on him. However, despite her contentious views on everything from race and gun control to queer rights, women’s rights, immigration and the COVID-19 pandemic; it was her flippant comment denying the existence of climate change that prompted a vicious argument between host and guest. Rogan proceeded to bring up scientific studies, exposing her as uninformed and warning her to be careful what she says owing to her public influence.

This famous comedian is perhaps best known as the host of “Adam Ruins Everything”, an educational comedy program that sees Conover debunking popular myths and misconceptions. While appearing on “The Joe Rogan Experience”, Conover and Rogan begin to discuss the idea of trans athletes in professional sports. Outdated terminology notwithstanding, Conover and Rogan represent two distinct sides of the topic, with the guest asserting that sporting events should be as inclusive as possible and the host postulating that trans athletes would have an unfair advantage over their competition. The debate only intensifies when the conversation shifts to the topic of children and gender confirming hormone therapy.

The infamous episode featuring author Brian Dunning was contentious and aggressive from the start. Dunning often writes and speaks on scientific skepticism, being the author of numerous books and the host of the long-running podcast “Skeptoid”. In 2008, Dunning included Rogan on a list he wrote titled “Ten Most Wanted: Celebrities Who Promote Harmful Pseudoscience”. Rogan is irritated from the start, and he continuously counters Dunning’s talking points. This includes Dunning’s claim that “The reason you poop and pee is because you ate more than you needed.” Rogan is typically quite cordial and welcoming to his guests, even the most controversial ones. But in this case, listeners and viewers could feel the tense hostility.

Depending who you ask, Steven Crowder is either a popular conservative commentator known for his contributions to Fox News and daily political show “Louder with Crowder”, or a racist, homophobic, white supremacist and neo-Nazi who’s had his content de-monetized by YouTube on more than one occasion. Rogan and Crowder enjoyed a few drinks throughout this episode, which certainly added to the unhinged animosity between them. The topic of conversation veered towards marijuana use and legislation, with Rogan arguing for its use. A debate regarding marijuana quickly spiraled into a full-on forty-minute argument, with Crowder calling Rogan “a bully” and Rogan throwing back patronizing names like “cutie” and “sweetie”. Rogan later issued an apology through Instagram, writing, “Well, this one went off the rails for a while”. Yeah, that’s one way to put it.


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[a]kyle kuh-LIN-skee https://youtu.be/0HWh52wdUmY?si=mp4sO9oPwuCspQ3y&t=6857
[b]less STRAO-d ("stroud" rhymes with "cloud") https://youtu.be/hblks-lQhVo?si=G3gS7D_677LSxj0K&t=40
[c]steff-FAN MAWLLA-nyoo https://youtu.be/SGYVWrjRMXU?si=zpR1zKwNS7Q3vxe6
[d]MOCK-see MARLIN-spike https://youtu.be/qQYI8nJPGm8?si=gf3SBaf_ShV-inhF&t=58
[e]tockso-plazz-MOH-sis https://www.dictionary.com/browse/toxoplasmosis
[f]Flint Dibble https://youtu.be/--StG8FIrE8?si=3i6h7pih_zV1kcr6&t=1
GRAY-um HAN-cock https://youtu.be/PEe72Nj-AW0?si=M_VPQeN-sQPUwbbb&t=1673