Joe Rogan started his career in show business as a stand-up comic. And part of being a comic is crossing lines and tackling controversial, awkward topics. And, as a stand-up comic, the 56-year-old has been an outspoken defender of free speech and railed against cancel culture in recent times.
His stances have made him a subject of criticism and controversy. And on the latest Fight Companion episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the Texas resident spoke about how social media has changed over the years and praised his friend Elon Musk.
Joe Rogan says the internet has changed a lot over the past few years
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Speaking about the internet, Joe Rogan observed that it had changed drastically over the years. From being a place of maximal freedom of expression, where one can talk about and say whatever they want, to a much more sanitized and censored space. He explained that once the government got involved in social media and advertisers followed suit, it created pressure on social media giants to enforce censorship on their platforms, making the internet very different from what it was a few years ago.
“Well things have totally changed once the government got involved in censoring social media and all the tech platforms came on board with it. And all the advertisers put pressure on them, that changed everything. Because you think about how wild the internet was and then how tame network television was. Network television is now slightly less tame. And the internet is way different,” he said.
Rogan credits Elon Musk for his handling of Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The UFC commentator said that billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a self-described free speech absolutist, buying Twitter for $44 billion in April last year, gave users a platform where they could post about controversial things that may be censored on other platforms. He was also surprised by the amount of pornography he was seeing on Twitter since Musk took it over.
READ MORE – How Much Does Joe Rogan Earn Per Event? All About His UFC Income and Other Business Sources
“And until Elon bought Twitter, we were kind of fucked because there was not one place where you could just wildly talk sh**. And you go on Twitter any day of the week, you see Obama’s wife is a man and all kinds of crazy sh**. A lot of porn, so much porn on Twitter,” Rogan told his guests.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, although a big proponent of free speech, Musk has been accused by many of going against his stated positions. Detractors criticize him for censoring or banning people who criticize him or whose ideologies he finds abhorrent, like Alex Jones. What do you think about Rogan’s views on social media platforms and Elon Musk? Let us know in the comments section below.
Watch this Story – Joe Rogan on 62-year-old Jean-Claude Van Damme’s insane physical attributes