Joe Rogan Sparks Backlash Over Guy Fieri Interview—’Hard to Watch’

Joe Rogan is receiving backlash online following his interview with chef Guy Fieri on The Joe Rogan Experience.

Newsweek reached out to Rogan’s representative via email for comment.

The Context

Joe Rogan, 57, is one of the most popular podcasters in the world thanks to The Joe Rogan Experience, which was launched by the former Fear Factor host in 2009. The show—which has featured conversations with president Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, senator Bernie Sanders, actor Jeremy Renner, cyclist Lance Armstrong and many more—is often number one on Spotify’s podcast charts. At the time of publication, it has 2,323 episodes.

Fieri is an Emmy-nominated television host and restaurant owner known for his successful shows on the Food Network like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. The 57-year-old initially rose to fame in 2006 after winning The Next Food Network Star.

Guy Fieri attends AOL Build to discuss his cookbook “Guy Fieri Family Food” at AOL HQ on October 12, 2016 in New York City. In the inset image, Joe Rogan poses for a portrait before…

Jenny Anderson/WireImage; Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

What To Know

Fieri was featured on the most recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, which was released on Friday.

Following their conversation, Fieri took to X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram to speak out about the interview.

“It was an honor and a pleasure to be a guest on the @joeroganexperience 2.5 hrs just flew by!! Thanks for havin’ me @joerogan,” he wrote on the social media platforms.

What People Are Saying

In the comments underneath the podcast on YouTube, people were quick to call out Rogan for appearing unenthusiastic about Fieri.

YouTube user @aveunit2285 wrote in a comment with 47 likes: “Dam Joe. Not very good hospitality. This was [hard] to watch. Props to Guy for getting through this tuff [sic] podcast.”

@DRlFTIN said in a note with 333 likes: “Guy carried this pod hard. Rogan was having an off day.”

@omarherrera7287 posted a line with 163 likes: “Props to Guy for holding down this episode of JRE… 2+ hours of sassy energy from Joe. Crazy work.”

@DeLong1 shared in a comment with 118 likes: “For some reason i felt like joe didnt wanna do this interview after like 20 min in! Guys the goat [greatest of all time].”

@RestoringMatt added in a message with 101 likes: “Idk what happened with joe on the episode. It’s almost as if Guy begged him to be on and Joe just said okay. I was really excited for this episode, but Joe’s demeanor kinda killed it.”

@jaydee1386 stated in a reply with 93 likes: “Rogan has never been so uninterested and rude to a guest.”

Fans echoed similar comments on Spotify.

matthewbweil said: “I kind of get the feeling that Joe isn’t a big fan of this guy.”

BurritosSayThings wrote: “This is the most passive aggressive I have seen Rogan.”

ShereeJ agreed: “Confused about what happened here. Was Joe in a bad mood or is there something that we don’t know? I have mad respect for Joe and love listening to everything he does. It felt like there was something unsaid…. I felt bad for Guy, because he seemed very excited to be there. I’m not understanding the animosity felt.”

Notacontribution added: “Joe is a total buzzkill this whole episode.”

michaelrball34 voiced: “Joe was low energy for this one. Seemed disinterested.”

Chadwick Von commented: “Is it just me, or does joe seem off and a little uninterested in being there?”

Others, meanwhile, defended Rogan.

YouTube user @justinstgermain5646 wrote: “Great interview!”

Jason Jatsko wrote on Spotify: “Really great episode. Thoroughly enjoyed this entire pod. Guy seems like a genuinely good dude and American Patriot!”

Spotify user Riley agreed, while making a suggestion about Rogan’s producer Jamie Vernon: “Awesome interview! Can we possibly get an interview with Jamie in the future? He’s like your main lookout…. Be nice to see what makes him tick. I’m sure other fans are interested as well?”