Podcaster and isolation tank enthusiast Joe Rogan, who recently signed a deal with Spotify thought to be north of $100 million, faced significant social media backlash on Saturday as more people became aware of an old clip.
In response to accusations about comedian Chris D’Elia’s alleged harassment of underage girls, a Twitter user known as @ChemicalMishap, intending to shine a light on this endemic issue in comedy, went to the vault and found a noxious Rogan appearance from Joey “Coco” Diaz. The 2011 snippet shows Diaz bragging about how he’d use sex as a gatekeeping technique for women trying to break into the club circuit. Rogan claps and laughs, and does not offer even a whiff of an admonishment in the short video.
Diaz, finding himself trending online, reveled in the negative attention.
Many Diaz and Rogan fans joined in, with most of their comments not worth repeating. One retort, though, sums it up well.
Last week, in an interview with Bill Burr, Rogan suggested that wearing a mask during the coronavirus pandemic is “for bitches.” Burr, it is important to point out, did not let Rogan’s anti-mask sentiment slide. This is what a person of virtue does when someone says something outrageous on a podcast.
The CDC, WHO, and Mayo Clinic all recommend wearing masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Over 460,000 people have died worldwide from the disease; 119,000 of those deaths have been in the United States.
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Author Uzodinma Iweala on White Signs at Black Protests
— “George Floyd Was Killed in My Neighborhood”
— 15 Years After Katrina, a Second Storm—Coronavirus—Hits New Orleans
— How Meghan Markle Decided to Finally Speak Out About George Floyd
— Nikkita Oliver on Seattle’s Extraordinary Protests and What Comes Next
— Where J.K. Rowling’s Transphobia Comes From
— From the Archive: The Origin of “Strange Fruit,” Billie Holiday’s Ballad Against Racism
Looking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.