It wouldn’t be the Oscars without a little bit of politics, right? Host Conan O’Brien certainly thought so when he quipped, “Two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.” A thinly veiled jab at the ongoing war in Ukraine, his remark was one of many moments where Hollywood turned its biggest night into a global town hall. But do audiences really tune in for political sermons? Or is this just another case of celebrities using their golden moment to broadcast personal ideologies? If you ask Joe Rogan, he’d tell you Hollywood needs to get over itself.

During his recent chat with Antonio Brown on The Joe Rogan Experience #2286, the podcasting giant ripped into Hollywood. And why? For turning what should be a celebration of film into a political soapbox. “Like f**k all these other award shows. I didn’t watch the Oscars,” Rogan admitted, before diving into a full-fledged rant about why he finds the whole thing unbearable.

Rogan, voiced his frustration about actors using their acceptance speeches to push political agendas. “I know they’re talking about politics, Ukraine and Gaza and Palestine, You’re making movies. Just make your f**king movies!” he ranted. “This is what we did, we worked real hard, thank you everybody for your hard work. Yayyyyy, we won. That’s it. That’s all I want to hear from you.”

If that wasn’t enough, he took a direct shot at actors who take themselves too seriously, saying, “I’m not interested in someone who lies for a living,  just because you’re famous doesn’t mean what you have to say is important. Especially at a f**king award show.” Sure, we’ve all rolled our eyes when an A-lister uses their three minutes on stage to deliver a morality lecture while clutching a gold trophy, but was Rogan’s take a step too far?

Ironically, while Rogan and many others dismiss the Oscars as an out of touch spectacle, the numbers tell a slightly different story. Despite reports of an initial decline, Nielsen’s finalized data showed that this year’s ceremony actually saw a slight increase in viewership, reaching a five-year high among younger audiences.

But how many of those viewers stuck around for the whole thing, and how many were just waiting for a potential Will Smith moment? Speaking of which Hollywood hypocrisy, Rogan has never shied away from calling it out.

Is Joe Rogan’s fued with Hollywood anything new?

This isn’t the first time Rogan has taken aim at Hollywood’s double standards. Back in 2022, he called out the industry for its contradictory stance on firearms. “Hollywood, in general, is very anti-gun, but they promote guns more than any other media on the planet,” he pointed out, referencing action-packed blockbusters like The Gray Man and Mission Impossible. It’s the classic ‘guns-for-me-but-not-for-thee’ mentality. On screen, firearms solve every problem, whether it’s aliens, terrorists, or rogue government agents. Off screen? The same actors are urging the general public to support gun control. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

And of course, we can’t forget Rogan’s reaction to one of the Oscars’ most shocking moments, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in 2022. “That whole scene, doing that in that manner, in that place, is a great example of what’s wrong with the glorification of just being able to go up to someone and smack them in the face,” Rogan said at the time. Smith later apologized, but Rogan wasn’t buying it. “He was saving face, doing some weird movie thing, like the idea that you think it’s smart while wearing a tuxedo to walk onto a stage in front of the world and smack a comedian for the most mild joke. You just pulled your pants down and took a s**t on the dinner table.”

Rogan has long been vocal about his disdain for what he sees as Hollywood’s moral posturing. Whether it’s gun hypocrisy, virtue signaling speeches, or full-blown award show controversies, he just doesn’t buy into the facade.

At the end of the day, maybe he has a point. Do audiences really tune in to the Oscars for impassioned monologues about world affairs? Or do they just want to see who takes home Best Picture and what wild outfits celebrities are wearing? If the past few years have proven anything, it’s that while the Oscars still have an audience. Their reputation as Hollywood’s biggest night is far from untouchable. So, what about you? Do you think the Oscars should stick to celebrating films, or is there room for activism on Hollywood’s biggest night? Let us know in the comments below.