The video, produced by “Samuel Rivera Films,” features narration taken from an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
Joe Rogan—host of popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and the biggest podcast star on Spotify—has once again sparked controversy after posting a video comparing coronavirus vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.
The video, published to Rogan’s Instagram account on Monday afternoon, was produced by “Samuel Rivera Films” and featured orchestral music, as well as imagery of Hitler, Nazi Germany, and scenes from the Holocaust placed alongside images of Black Americans being targeted by police.
“We have to protect these freedoms at all costs, whether you agree with people’s choices or not, because it is the foundation that this country was founded on,” Rogan said during the clip. “Anything that comes along that can inhibit your freedom is by definition anti-American.”
Rogan has long been a lightning rod for controversy. Since signing a $100 million exclusivity deal with Spotify, Rogan has falsely claimed that “left-wing people” started the wildfires in Oregon, a statement for which he later apologized; stated that he doesn’t plan to take the COVID-19 vaccine because he is “healthy” and didn’t feel he “needed it”; and criticized the transgender community by falsely claiming that “dumb people” can be praised simply for “transferring their gender.”
Most recently, Rogan credited ivermectin, a drug with no proven ability to treat COVID-19, as one of the medications that helped him recover from the coronavirus. Ivermectin is not an anti-viral (a drug for treating viruses) and can be dangerous in large doses. According to the FDA, it is possible to “overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.”
While Rogan prides himself on his “question everything” mentality, his podcast has proven to be dangerous in its ability to convey false information to impressionable followers who already question the legitimacy of mainstream science and media.