Joe Rogan has found himself in new controversy after speaking out against antisemitism on his massively popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
On a recent episode of the “Breaking Points” podcast with guests Crystal Ball and Sagar Ngetti, Rogan said, “The idea that Jewish people aren’t into money is ridiculous. It’s like not into Italian pizza. It’s stupid.”
Rogan’s comments came during a debate about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who was recently removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee by Republicans after he was accused of anti-Semitism. . Omar found himself under fire in 2019 after a tweet denouncing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee resurfaced. In the post, Omar said that American support for Israel is “all about Benjamin.”
The Muslim congresswoman has since apologized for the post, saying she is “grateful to Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me about the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.” Notably, Omar has been a regular critic of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.
“She’s apologizing for talking about ‘it’s all about Benjamin,’ which is just about the money—she’s talking about the money,” Rogan continued on his podcast. ” “It’s not an anti-Semitic statement, I don’t think it is. Benjamin is money.
“Troublingly, at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when increasing numbers of Americans believe in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, [Joe Rogan] will use his vast platform to spread antisemitism about Jews and money,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote in a tweet published Thursday.
Former Congressman Ted Deutch, who now serves as CEO of the American Jewish Committee, also condemned Rogan’s comments, saying they “used the same tropes that have persecuted Jews for centuries.” have been used for.”
Deutch continued, “It’s dangerous to dabble so much in trafficking in hostile stereotypes.”
Rogan and Spotify representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Rogan, whose show ranks as the most popular podcast of 2022 on Spotify, is no stranger to backlash. Seventy episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience” were pulled from Spotify last year for repeated use of the N-word, a controversy that led to the podcast’s host apologizing. Rogan has also come under fire for promoting COVID-19 misinformation on his show — a practice that led to artists such as Neil Young removing their music from the streaming service.
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