Joe Rogan has once again sparked controversy, this time by claiming that “all the media is paid off by the pharmaceutical d**g companies” during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring comedian Dave Landau.
The assertion came as part of a broader discussion about mass slayings, psychiatric SSRIs, and the influence of corporate interests on public discourse—yet the timing and context raise uncomfortable questions about Rogan’s own financial entanglements.
During the podcast, Rogan launched into a critique of the pharmaceutical industry’s relationship with media outlets, suggesting that corporate sponsorship prevents honest reporting about the connection between SSRIs and violence.
He said: “They’re probably on a bunch of SSRI which RFK Jr. is going to apparently do some sort of a large-scale research into the connection between mass s**otings and psychiatric dr**s because it is real and everyone knows it.”
“It’s just this dirty secret that no one talks about because all the media is paid off by the pharmaceutical d**g companies and nobody wants to make this correlation connection,” Rogan declared, referencing RFK Jr.’s plans to investigate links between SSRIs and mass slayings.
Rogan continues: “But the reality is most of these people that have committed mass m**der are on psychiatric medication.”
The irony wasn’t lost on careful listeners. Rogan has spent years promoting Onnit, a supplement company he co-founded, which was sold to consumer goods giant Unilever in 2021 for a rumored sum in the nine-figure range.
Industry insiders have speculated that Rogan personally netted tens of millions of dollars from the deal, with some estimates placing the exit valuation between $250-400 million. While the exact figures remain unverified, the transaction undoubtedly represented a massive financial windfall for the podcast host.
This financial backdrop casts Rogan’s recent enthusiastic endorsements of nicotine in a different light. During conversations on the podcast, Rogan has described nicotine as a “nootropic” and “neuroprotectant,” likening it to products from his own supplement company.
He’s praised nicotine pouches and patches as tools for focus and productivity, echoing marketing language used by brands like Zyn—all while downplaying it’s well-documented health risks and addictive properties.
Scientific research contradicts Rogan’s benign portrayal of nicotine. The substance has been linked to cardiovascular issues, respiratory problems, hormonal disruptions, oxidative stress, and potential DNA damage. The CDC classifies nicotine as highly addictive and particularly harmful to young people, whose brains are still developing.
Despite Rogan’s anecdotal dismissal of withdrawal symptoms, public health agencies have been clear: nicotine alone—regardless of delivery method—poses significant health risks.
The promotional rhetoric around nicotine pouches bears an uncomfortable resemblance to previous waves of tobacco marketing that downplayed health consequences while emphasizing lifestyle benefits.
Rogan’s platform reaches millions of listeners, many of them young men who trust his perspective on health and wellness. When he characterizes nicotine as essentially harmless while simultaneously profiting from the supplement industry and criticizing pharmaceutical companies for similar behavior, the contradiction becomes glaring.
Rogan’s critiques of pharmaceutical influence on media aren’t entirely without merit. The industry does spend billions on advertising, and this financial relationship can influence coverage.
However, his blanket assertion that “all the media is paid off” oversimplifies a complex issue while conveniently ignoring his own commercial interests in the wellness and supplement space—an industry that operates with far less regulatory oversight than pharmaceuticals.
The supplement industry, which generated over $50 billion in revenue in 2021, has long faced criticism for making health claims without the rigorous testing required of pharmaceutical SSRIs.
Rogan’s Onnit promoted products for cognitive enhancement, immune support, and physical performance—claims that exist in a regulatory gray area. By selling to Unilever, Rogan essentially cashed out of an industry he helped popularize, then continued using his platform to promote similar substances like nicotine.
Rogan’s audience deserves transparency about these conflicts of interest. When he discusses the dangers of pharmaceutical influence while having personally profited from selling wellness products to a multinational conglomerate, listeners should understand the full context.
