The Joe Rogan Experience unarguably ranks among the most talked-about podcasts of all time, renowned majorly for the host’s unhinged discussions on everything, from current events, comedy, politics, and aliens to philosophy, science, martial arts, and hobbies with his guests. Be it for some controversy or open slamming of genuine issues, the podcast has gained fame nonetheless.
As unhesitantly unapologetic as this podcast and its host Rogan are, all of these baffling turn of events, perhaps, may not have taken place had it not been for Tom Green. To say the least, the comedian, show host, actor, director, podcaster, and rapper seems to have perfectly planted the genius seeds that led to the creation of JRE and absolutely changed the future of broadcasting.
Tom Green Helped in the Making of The Joe Rogan Experience?
Tom Green has achieved quite a lot of feats throughout his star-studded career, including his ever-so-famous sketch comedy The Tom Green Show which was presented like a talk show but was anything but that. If that wasn’t enough, he further seems to have served as the perfect inspiration for the podcaster, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host, Joe Rogan.
Through a recent tweet on X, @joeroganhq shared the “mad respect” he has for Green with a clip featuring him on Green’s show. This clip had the pair discussing how proper broadcasting could be brought back on track and was captioned as, “Green planting the seed that would change the future of broadcasting. A perfect example of grabbing an opportunity when you see it.”
In the clip, Green explains his idea, mentioning “how cool it is for some kid who just gets to call up and talk to his favorite comedian on the air, look him right in the eyes, and have a goofy conversation.”
He further pointed out how the genre was different with this, saying, “We can sit here and ram. There isn’t that time constraint. There isn’t that pressure.”
Rogan then pointed out that there wasn’t any “corporate pressure” in this either, stating, “The thing that f****d up television, f****d up entertainment in general, is money. They were selling advertising. So everybody has to say certain words, don’t say certain words, don’t bring up certain subjects. You can’t just express yourself, cause you’re expressing yourself to someone who’s selling advertising space, and that f***s up everything.”
Needless to say, that seems to be just what Rogan has gone ahead to do with his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Not only does he talk about anything and everything that he wants to talk about, but he also doesn’t worry about how it could land him in a controversial spot. That said, perhaps the real credit for planting those seeds actually goes to Green at the end of the day.
The Joe Rogan Experience: When It Started to Where It Is Now
The Joe Rogan Experience officially took flight around one and a half decades ago, on December 24, 2009. Initially, Rogan launched it with comedian Brian Redban, its sole co-host and producer until 2012. The podcast’s boost to success wasn’t slow either as, by 2015, it was already one of the world’s most popular podcasts with millions watching every day.
So far, JRE has released 2222 episodes (as of this writing) and is available to be streamed on both YouTube and Spotify. After Spotify’s previous exclusive deal with JRE from 2020 to 2024, earlier this year, Spotify announced a multilayer deal renewal that allows the podcast to be widely distributed to third-party platforms including Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music.
Per Variety, the deal is worth as much as $250 million to Rogan. Additionally, Spotify is handling ad sales for the podcast in the wake of the show being a consistent No. 1 rank holder as the most-listened-to podcast on the platform. The show’s episode with conspiracy theorist Bob Lazar and producer Jeremy Corbell featuring discussions on the possibility of aliens and extraterrestrial life stands as the most-watched episode on YouTube with 62 million views.
Recently, Rogan also took to his podcast to publicly endorse Donald Trump for these ongoing US presidential elections. While recent claims from the podcaster surfaced that YouTube was allegedly trying to suppress his interview with Trump from surfacing on the platform’s search engine (via Forbes), BBC reports his backing Trump could have a massive impact on the elections thanks to his 18 million+ subscribers and followers.
For what it’s worth, Green’s brainstorming idea seems to have worked perfectly in favor of Rogan in spite of all the controversy and praise it has received over the years.
