Joe Rogan contracted COVID.
This wouldn’t be a big deal if Rogan wasn’t such a big deal.
Rogan is host of the world’s most popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. It has about 190 million downloads per month. And although I’m not a fan or listener, his influence is undeniable.
The problem is Rogan has previously suggested young people should not get the COVID vaccine. And since contracting COVID, he’s pursued a large range of unproven—and even dangerous—treatments, like invermectin, a horse dewormer.
Rogan claims he isn’t an antivaxxer, but his reach and influence demands a higher standard of care. Whether he likes it or not, a non-trivial number of his listeners will be influenced by his opinion.
Although he’s recovering and “feels great,” he’s a single data point. He’s an anecdote. There’s no evidence proving his treatments will work for anyone else. Whereas nearly all COVID deaths in the US are now among the unvaccinated.
Ugh, for all of us, I wish Rogan hadn’t gone rogue.