During a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan addressed the controversy surrounding comedians and public figures who attended the UFC 250 event held on the White House lawn for President Trump’s birthday.
Rogan made it clear that he personally encouraged several people to attend and accepted responsibility for any criticism they later received.
“I talked a bunch of people into going that didn’t want to,” Rogan said.
He pointed to comedian Shane Gillis as one example.
“Shane Gillis was thinking about not going,” Rogan explained. “I’m like, ‘Bro, you got to go. It’s going to be epic. It’s going to be a once ever thing. Not a once in a lifetime. Once in anybody’s lifetime. It’s never happened before. It’s probably never going to happen again.'”
Rogan also pushed back against claims that attending the event amounted to a political endorsement. He expressed frustration with people trying to assign partisan motives to those who were there.
“So many people are trying to make it a partisan thing, like they’re mad at people for being there,” Rogan said. “Like, oh, you support Trump. Like, it’s an event at the White House. Doesn’t mean you endorse foreign policy.”
He then dismissed the criticism entirely.
“Like, shut the f**k up. Just please stop.”
According to Rogan, both supporters and critics were reading too much into the event. He argued that neither side should treat it as a major political statement.
“Again, it’s this thing, the ego thing where people are just they just want so badly and on both sides for sure,” Rogan said.
He continued by criticizing those celebrating the event as a broader cultural victory.
“You know, the right celebrates this as a win for masculinity and patriotism and all these different things. Like, okay, settle down. Everybody settle down.”
Rogan went on to describe the White House card as the most remarkable event he has experienced in his decades covering combat sports. He pointed to the massive turnout, including thousands seated on the White House lawn and another 85,000 fans watching from the nearby Ellipse.
“That was the wildest experience that I’ve ever had in my 20 whatever years of calling combat sports,” Rogan said. “There’s nothing even close. Nothing even close.”
