Comedian Bert Kreischer recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, and during their conversation he brought up Joe Rogan’s public confrontation with Carlos Mencia over joke theft.
Kreischer credits the incident as a career-defining moment for Rogan, placing it alongside Bill Burr’s legendary Philadelphia rant and Jim Jefferies getting attacked on stage.
Kreischer stated, “That video was I akin to the Philly rant, Jim Jefferies getting punched, that viral moment for you,” Kreischer told Rogan.
The confrontation occurred at a time when Rogan was already established through Fear Factor, making the professional consequences even more significant. “It was also the Mencia video where people could clearly see that I was right,” Rogan explained. “And then we were all a vi*tim. Like we were all hiding at the store.”
Rogan also revealed the disturbing reality of performing at The Comedy Store during Mencia’s era.
“When he would go on stage or he wouldn’t be in the back of the room, if you were on stage, they would flash the light to let you know that he was in the room,” Rogan said. “You know how crazy that is that there’s a guy around that steals so much that they have to flash a light whenever a comic’s on stage and then comics would just start doing crowd work.”
The confrontation between Rogan and Mencia came with real professional costs. Rogan lost his agency representation and was temporarily banned from The Comedy Store. However, Kreischer argues the moment became an advantage for Rogan.
“I think the greatest thing that ever happened to you was that getting kicked out of The Comedy Store, that period of time where you had to reevaluate yourself and you created what you have,” Kreischer said. “You reimagined yourself and made it your own f**king entity and creating this podcast which has changed all of our lives.”
While Rogan has often positioned himself as a defender of comics and a vocal opponent of joke theft, critics point to an uncomfortable contradiction within his own circle. His close friend and frequent podcast guest Brendan Schaub has been accused online of lifting material, earning the unflattering nickname “Thiefer Sutherland.”
A commonly cited example involves Schaub taking credit for a line describing Hulk Hogan’s skin as looking “like a hot dog.” When Rogan asked Schaub where the expression came from, Schaub claimed he’d come up with it a while ago. Fans immediately recognized that the reference is from the popular sitcom ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’
Additionally, Rogan’s 2024 Netflix special ‘Burn the Boats’ drew criticism for featuring a joke about being “gay as s**t.” Viewers noted that the joke was similar to one Schaub had already used.
Rogan’s stance on joke theft seems to be quite selective and hypocritical.
