One of the main reasons Joe Rogan became so popular was his ability to have interesting and genuine conversations with a wide variety of guests. From fellow comedians, fighters, and medical experts, to showbiz stars and politicians, the UFC commentator can make his guests comfortable and have heart-to-hearts on a wide range of topics. And since he is the biggest podcaster by far in the world, with a platform that rivals many mainstream new networks in reach and influence, it is unsurprising that his guest lists have only increased in prestige.

But, even Rogan, with all his reach and influence is unable to get one legendary guest, as he told Hollywood superstar Woody Harrelson on episode #2277 of the JRE podcast. Harrelson is good friends with country music legend, Willie Nelson and shared some stories with Rogan of them playing chess and dominoes with him.

This prompted the UFC commentator to reveal that “I tried to interview him [Willie Nelson]” on his podcast. And it seems that the Texas resident tried to have Nelson on during the Covid 19 pandemic since Rogan claimed that the reason he didn’t come on was because “he’s scared of COVID.”

“He’s an old guy, you know,” Joe Rogan continued. “I get it. Can’t take a chance of getting infected. A lot of old people I got it. I got the fear because it’s like death is close to them. It’s just they’re too vulnerable. I get it I get why they got roped into it.”

Of course, Nelson is still in good health and even touring at the moment even at the ripe old age of 91. So there is still a chance, maybe a good one that Nelson agrees to come on the JRE podcast in the near future. Especially if the music legend’s good friend, Woody Harrelson puts in a good word. However, there are some worrying signs for Rogan and his podcast that many find very interesting.

Joe Rogan loses top spot in US podcast rankings to left-wing podcast

Joe Rogan has lost his top spot in the US, according to ‘Podscribe’, which ranks podcasts based on the total downloads and views that a podcast gets on YouTube and other platforms. According to the rankings for January 2025, Rogan’s numbers slid 25% from the previous month and totaled 50.3 million views and downloads.

In the top spot was the left-wing anti-Trump politics podcast, ‘Meidas Touch’, which is run by brothers Ben, Brett, and Jordan Meiselas. According to Podscribe, their podcast saw a more than 100% month-on-month increase in its numbers and did a total of 57.5 million views and downloads in January.

But Rogan was still in second place and has a dedicated audience which is still very loyal to him. Some feel that the election of Donald Trump last year and the bombastic way his term in office started may have led to the galvanization of anti-Trump Americans, who flocked to the outspoken left-wing podcast.

Of course, this may well be an outlier and Rogan may regain his top spot soon. With February almost coming to an end, it would be interesting to see the rankings as they would tell us if this loss in the JRE’s popularity is permanent or just a blip. What do you think about Joe Rogan’s wish to have Willie Nelson on his podcast?