When Joe Rogan sat down to record his latest episode with comedian Donnell Rawlings, he probably didn’t expect to be making a wardrobe change mid-conversation. Yet that’s exactly what happened when Rawlings spotted Rogan wearing a K*ll Tony shirt.
The incident began innocuously enough, with Rogan discussing how criticism can be valuable for personal growth. But Rawlings saw an opening to resurrect his five-year-old grievance with K*ll Tony.
He stated: “I hear you, Joe. I tried that with them motherf**ker on your shirt.”
What followed was a tense exchange where Rogan reminded Rawlings of his poor performance on the show, asking directly if he had walked off stage.
Rawlings became visibly agitated, accusing Rogan of provoking him. He said: “You know what you’re doing. You’re being a provocatory right now. You’re provoking me cuz we broke this s**t down and I don’t want to keep going.”
The discomfort reached such a peak that Rogan actually announced he would change his shirt. He told Rawlings, “I didn’t think of this when I was wearing this shirt. I’ll change the shirt.”
Though Rawlings initially protested, Rogan followed through, returning in a Benny the Jet Rodriguez shirt instead.
Rogan returned wearing a different shirt and tried to lighten the mood, saying, “Hey, look. I changed my shirt. No more trigger. Shout out to Benny the Jet.”
Rawlings seemed to relax a bit and responded, “I appreciate that.”
Rawlings has appeared on K*ll Tony multiple times, with each appearance generating controversy. His first Austin appearance during the pandemic ended with him leaving the show after becoming upset during a roast battle with another comedian.
Rather than accepting the moment as part of the show’s unpredictable format, Rawlings has repeatedly claimed he was edited to look bad and that he left because he had other commitments.
In a previous Rogan appearance two years ago, the host actually called Tony Hinchcliffe during the podcast to settle the dispute. Hinchcliffe categorically denied any editing took place and even revealed that Rawlings was photographed visiting a nearby firehouse after leaving, contradicting his claim of having somewhere else to be.
During this latest appearance, Rawlings spent considerable time explaining his perspective. He claimed he only agreed to do K*ll Tony as a favor to Hinchcliffe during the pandemic when quality guests were hard to book. He admitted he didn’t fully understand the show’s format initially, frequently interrupting the one-minute sets and later becoming sensitive when he found himself on the receiving end of jokes.
