Joe Rogan called Trump supporters “[expletive] nuts” and “rabid” on Wednesday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, going after the fans who turned on Jelly Roll over his jokes about Trump.
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The rant came during Rogan’s sit-down with comedian Ron White. Trump supporters are [expletive] nuts, man, they’re rabid,” Rogan said. “He represents something other than just a person to them. He represents something, a leader they wish they had. Which is a real problem in our society in general with leaders. We look to them as if they’re something different than every other person that’s ever been a leader before. Like, ‘This is the one that’s gonna save us.’”
The backlash he was talking about started in late August, when Jelly Roll guest-hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! and spent part of his monologue roasting Trump. The country star, who has lost about 300 pounds, compared his own weight loss to Trump’s sinking approval ratings, called Trump a fellow “fat pig,” and said Trump is the pot calling the kettle fat every time he mocks his enemies for their weight. Trump supporters flooded social media vowing to stop listening to his music. Jelly Roll addressed it on air later that week, joking that some people were upset he did not treat Trump with reverence and dignity and reminding them that he goes by the name Jelly Roll.
Joe Rogan was clearly entertained by the segment. He played a clip featuring a montage of Trump calling Chris Christie and others a “fat slob” and admitted the bit was [expletive] hilarious.”
White told Rogan he has always been careful about what he says about Trump for the exact reason Rogan described. “You know, don’t be stupid, Ron. Don’t be stupid,” he said. White also got his own shot in, recalling someone asking him whether Trump was playing checkers or chess. His answer: “He’s playing golf.”
That is where Rogan’s defense of Jelly Roll stopped. He did not say the boycott was unfair. He did not tell Jelly Roll to keep swinging. He said the singer made a bad business move.
“He’s saying jokes. I shouldn’t even say he’s saying stupid things,” Rogan said. “I’m just saying like if you want people to like you, like, going after Trump, and especially from his perspective as a country guy, that’s a giant chunk of your crowd. I wouldn’t have advised him to say that there.”
He added that Jelly Roll will “be fine because he’s super talented,” then closed the topic with, “I wish he didn’t say that stuff, but I mean, it’s just sometimes the juice is not worth the squeeze.”
In one conversation, Joe Rogan called Trump’s base rabid, laughed at the joke that set them off, and still said Jelly Roll should have kept it to himself.
The comments land differently coming from Rogan. He hosted Trump for a nearly three hour interview during the 2024 campaign and endorsed him the night before the election, putting Trump in front of one of the biggest podcast audiences in the world. Now Joe Rogan is describing that same base as people waiting on a savior, while warning entertainers that crossing them is bad for business.