Joe Rogan, the comedian, podcast host, and MMA commentator, recently opened a new comedy club in Nashville, Tennessee, where he took a few jabs at the “f—ing cult” that he says is stifling free speech in comedy.
In a recent interview, Rogan spoke about the need for comedians to push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable, and to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy of political correctness.
“We’re in a situation now where everything is a problem,” he said. “You can’t make a joke about anything without someone getting offended, and it’s not just the woke crowd anymore. It’s this f—ing cult that’s taken over comedy, and it’s killing the art form.”
Rogan also took aim at cancel culture, which he says has become a scourge on the comedy scene, with comedians being forced to self-censor or risk losing their livelihoods.
“We need to fight back against this bullshit,” he said. “We need to push the boundaries of what’s considered acceptable, and we need to welcome back the comedians who’ve been canceled, like Roseanne Barr, and let them do their thing.”
The new comedy club, which Rogan opened in partnership with local restaurateur Dave Anderson, has already welcomed a number of high-profile comedians, including Barr, who was fired from her eponymous sitcom in 2018 after a controversial tweet.
Despite the controversy surrounding Barr, Rogan says he was happy to give her a platform to perform and to push the boundaries of what’s considered acceptable in comedy.
“It’s time for us to stop being afraid to speak our minds,” he said. “We need to fight back against this cult and reclaim our right to free speech and free expression. And if that means taking a few punches along the way, then so be it.”
While Rogan’s comments have drawn criticism from some quarters, they have also won him praise from fans and fellow comedians, who see him as a champion of free speech and a defender of the art form. Whether his new comedy club can succeed in pushing the boundaries of comedy and challenging the prevailing orthodoxy remains to be seen, but Rogan seems determined to give it his best shot.