Joe Rogan revealed during episode #2138 of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Tucker Carlson as his guest, that it took approximately five years before his podcast began turning a profit, despite the show eventually becoming one of the most-listened-to programs in the world.
During the conversation, Carlson brought up the far-reaching impact of long-form podcasting, prompting Rogan to reflect on the humble beginnings of his show.
“I never would have predicted that in a million freaking years,” Carlson said of the medium’s rise.
Rogan agreed and recalled launching the podcast from his living room alongside his friend Brian Redband of K*ll Tony. “We did it on a laptop and we had a webcam,” he said, noting the early days were simply about experimenting online before eventually bringing in guests, setting up a proper studio, and ultimately relocating from Los Angeles to Texas.
Rogan was candid about the lack of financial reward in those early years.
“It was just fun for years and years,” he said. “I did it just with no money. There was no money in it forever.”
When Carlson asked how many years it took before the podcast started paying for itself, Rogan answered plainly: “Five.”
“That’s a long time,” Carlson replied.
“Yeah, a long time,” Rogan agreed. “It was making, it was probably like existing. But about five years in, then it started making money, and then it was like, oh, this is a business.”
Even those close to him had doubts about the format. Friends pushed him to shorten episodes, warning that no one would sit through a three-hour show.
“Even my friends, they were telling me how to edit my show,” Rogan said. “They were like, ‘You should edit that, no one’s going to listen at three hours.’ I was like, ‘Then don’t listen, do whatever you want. I’m not making any money doing this. It was just for fun.'”
A turning point came during a stand-up performance at the Chicago Theater. Rogan recalled asking the crowd of 3,700 people how many of them listened to the podcast.
“They went nuts,” he said. “I was like, oh. I thought there was this like thing that I’m doing where a few people are paying attention. I didn’t even know what the numbers were. I didn’t even care.”
