Psychology of a Joe Rogan Fan

Dying to be special when you’re boring

It’s inevitable: Whenever a powerful, popular white man is outed as a bigot, his male fans swarm to protect him. 

Whether it’s a homophobic slur, racism, or sexual harassment—when someone they admire is accused of wrongdoing, mostly young white male fans follow a familiar script: They descend en masse like social media locusts, furiously replying to reporters on Twitter, sharing videos on TikTok, or venting on Reddit. 

These men are often abusive and sometimes threatening. Most of all, they are unrelenting. 

When women came forward about Louis CK jerking off in front of them, for example, fans insisted that the victims were just embittered, and that showing your dick to women who don’t want to see doesn’t count as assault. When incel favorite Jordan Peterson repeatedly spouted misogynist drivel, his followers claimed his words were taken out of context, and that detractors were jealous of Peterson’s career. 

So it’s no surprise that Joe Rogan’s fans have come out in force recently—not just when he was accurately accused of spreading deadly misinformation about Covid, but even after the podcaster’s recent and frequent use of the n-word resurfaced. Defenses of Rogan have run the gamut from Democrats say the word, too and he’s an edgy comedian to the mainstream media feels threatened (they don’t explain how a podcast licensed for 100 million dollars doesn’t constitute ‘mainstream’).

These fans keep bleating that Rogan didn’t use the slur with hate—as if there is any other way to use it—but the truth is that his bigotry is nothing new. In addition to saying explicitly racist and transphobic things on his podcast, Rogan also frequently hosts racist, sexist, and anti-trans guests under the guise of ‘hearing all sides.’ 

What’s telling is that his fans’ supposed interest in remaining open to all viewpoints doesn’t seem to extend to Rogan’s critics. It never occurs to them that their hero’s detractors are exercising the free speech they claim to be so passionate about defending. Instead, we’re told, speaking out against Rogan is censorious. 

There’s a reason for the disconnect. In part it’s because Rogan’s audience fears accountability—they see the culture shifting, and they don’t like the idea of a future where even the most powerful white men could face consequences for their actions. But it’s also something else. 

Rogan’s followers—much like Rogan himself—want to believe that their most mundane, inane, common and often bigoted beliefs somehow make them edgy and interesting. The painful truth they are trying so hard to avoid, with every tweet in defense of the n-word and every rant about ‘free speech’, is that they are actually not special at all. That, in fact—they are boring. As basic and predictable as their racist grandpas. 

Hiding behind high-minded whining about cancel culture mobs is more appealing than owning up to the fact that using the n-word doesn’t make you a maverick: It just makes you another racist white guy. After all, you can’t exactly claim ‘independent’ or ‘nonconformist’ thinking when you’re literally repeating the same old hate, the same old jokes, and the same old lines of defense that every generation of assholes did before you. 

Joe Rogan’s fans like him because he’s boring and familiar. Because he, like them, doesn’t want to change or grow. They want to keep saying racial slurs, keep passing on conspiracy theories and keep up status quo misogyny under the thin veil of ‘just asking questions.’ 

Here’s the good news for them: They don’t have to stop! They can continue to say whatever they want, whenever they want. It’s just that the people around them are allowed to use the power of free speech too. And if you’re horrified by the idea of consequences or criticism, maybe you’re not such tough guys after all. 

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