Podcast host Joe Rogan criticized the Democratic Party’s shift in values during a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” arguing that Democrats have become increasingly “cultlike” and intolerant, driving away traditionally left-leaning individuals who value free speech and open discourse.
Rogan made the comments during the Friday episode of his podcast, which featured a discussion on how political ideologies have shifted in recent years.
He noted that Republicans have adopted many of the positions traditionally held by liberals, particularly on issues related to free speech, foreign policy, and personal freedom.
“The weirdest thing to me is that we’re in this complete shifting of the polls, where the Republicans now are in favor of free speech,” Rogan said.
“The Republicans want to end the wars. They want to stop contributing to foreign countries. They want comedy to be comedy again. They don’t want restrictions on people’s behavior and thinking.”
Rogan contrasted this with what he described as a rigid and prescriptive set of beliefs promoted by the Democratic Party.
“And the Democrats have developed this sort of like cultlike idea of what everyone should accept. And what’s normal and what’s not normal. And what needs to be elevated in our population. And what needs to be ignored,” he said.
“And it’s just like, god damn, you’re ruining it for everybody that thinks in a left way. Like anybody who’s reasonable — like a reasonable left-thinking person, which is most artists, by the way. And then you get to this point where you’re like, ‘No, I can’t go along with you on all these things.’”
Rogan also accused Democrats of exploiting social and political causes to justify hostile and divisive behavior.
“You’re just a bunch of f**king a**holes who are using these subjects as a way where you can behave incredibly shitty, incredibly uncharitable — like, vicious, mean, ostracizing people from — I don’t want any part of you,” he said.
“I don’t want any part of the way you guys think and behave. And to pretend that you’re doing it for good? You’re gluing yourself to the wall for climate change? The f**k you are.”
He continued, “You’re just a nut. You’re just a crazy, entitled nut. And you’re f**king up society. This is not the way that people should be behaving … And the Republicans are smarter about it now, in this day and age, because they’re like, ‘Hey, we’ll take you in. Hey, it’s fine. Come over to us. You can say whatever you want. Comedy’s back.’”
Rogan’s comments come amid a series of recent polls showing declining support for the Democratic Party.
A joint poll conducted by Puck and Echelon in May found that likely voters described the Democratic Party as “liberal, weak, corrupt.”
Separately, polling from The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Gallup has shown the party reaching record-low favorability levels.
The unfavorable view of Democrats in Congress was reinforced by a July 16 Quinnipiac University poll, which found that only 19% of voters approved of their job performance — the lowest approval rating for congressional Democrats ever recorded by the university’s polling center.
On CNN’s “News Central” Friday, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten discussed the Democratic Party’s standing with voters.
“The Democratic brand is in the basement,” Enten said.
“It is total and complete garbage in the mind of the American public.”
President Donald Trump, who campaigned in 2024 on promises to end censorship, reduce foreign entanglements, and restore freedom of speech, appeared on Rogan’s podcast during the campaign.
The episode, released on October 25, 2024, ran for three hours and had received over 40 million views on YouTube by October 30, 2024.
Rogan publicly endorsed Trump the night before the 2024 presidential election.
