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Podcaster Joe Rogan on Friday blasted the idea that podcasters should be taken as seriously as journalists and participate in White House press briefings, declaring, “We talk s—!”
Rogan spoke with comedians Shane Gillis, Mark Normand, and Ari Shaffir, joking about how chaotic President Donald Trump’s recent press gaggles have been, especially given the nature of the format.
“There is a problem at these things,” Rogan said. “Like, say if you have a question and you’re talking to him. Someone else would just talk louder right next to you with a totally different question. It is f—ing annoying. And they don’t care. It’s a bad podcast!”
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Joe Rogan mocked the idea that podcasters should be sat among real journalists, insisting that they, rather than reporting, merely “talk s—.” (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“It’s a bad podcast,” Rogan repeated. “If you hear a guy with a good question, let him go. Let him cook. Let him ask his f—ing question. And if you have a question later, raise your f—ing hand. And when he comes to you, ask your question. But if you’re just yelling over the other guy’s question, a louder, different question. That s—‘s annoying.”
Rogan contrasted this with David Sacks, chairman of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, recalling Sacks’ complaint that the administration had lost the podcasters with recent policies and ought to have given them a front-row seat at news conferences.
“Like, hey, how about no?” Rogan responded. “How about real journalists? How about not have us do that? Also, we’re not going! We’re not going to the f—ing press conferences and sitting in the front row and asking questions to Karoline Leavitt.”
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Joe Rogan attends an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2026. (Allison Robbert/The Washington Post/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We’re not going to go to the press conferences,” he continued. “We’re not press people. We talk s—. OK? And it’s a sickness of our society that people take our opinions so importantly that it’s so significant. It should not be. They do though, unfortunately. And it works, unfortunately.”
Podcasters played a prominent role in the 2024 presidential election, with Rogan interviewing Trump and later endorsing him.
The 2024 campaign was nicknamed the “podcast election” as candidates sought to reach voters through podcasts and other alternative media platforms.
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Joe Rogan and his guests discussed how chaotic a White House press gaggle can be as journalists talk over eachother in order to get the administration’s attention. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was credited with opening up the briefing room to alternative media outlets during her tenure by creating a “new media seat.”
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The seat, located at the front of the room and just steps from the podium, allowed bloggers, social media influencers and others to ask questions of the White House press secretary during briefings.
