Joe Rogan responds after Australian media boss decries ‘abhorrent’ impact | Media

On By Pranco

Chairman of Australia’s national broadcaster claims podcaster preys on ‘people’s vulnerabilities’ and ‘fear’.

The chairman of Australia’s national broadcaster has accused popular podcaster Joe Rogan of exploiting “people’s vulnerabilities” and treating the public like “looting”.

Kim Williams, chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, said on Thursday he found Rogan’s influence “deeply abhorrent” and a source of disbelief.

‘I think people like Rogan take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities. They prey on fear. They prey on fear. They prey on all the elements that contribute to insecurity in society, and they undertake fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as a normal part of the social narrative,” Williams said after speaking to the National Press Club in Canberra.

Williams said he was baffled by the fact that Rogan was a “source of public entertainment, when in reality the public is being treated as plunder for purposes that are actually quite malicious.”

Williams made his comments in response to a reporter’s question about Rogan’s popularity among men and his influence on the U.S. presidential election.

President-elect Donald Trump appeared on Rogan’s podcast ahead of the election for a freewheeling three-hour interview that has racked up more than 52 million views on YouTube.

Some Democrats have criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for not sitting down with Rogan, suggesting that was indicative of her inability to connect with young men.

Harris’ campaign team has said they discussed an interview with Rogan but were unable to set a date due to scheduling conflicts.

Rogan, who has 17.3 million subscribers on YouTube and 14.5 million followers on Spotify, responded to Williams’ criticism in a two-word post on X on Wednesday: “LOL WUT.”

The ABC chairman’s comments also drew swift criticism from conservative voices online, with tech billionaire Elon Musk labeling the ABC as Australia’s “Pravda”, referring to the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

In a subsequent ABC radio interview, Williams expanded on his criticism, saying Rogan had caused “an enormous amount of damage” with his comments about vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rogan has denied being against vaccines, but said he wouldn’t get the COVID vaccine himself because he had antibodies against contracting norovirus and wouldn’t recommend a healthy 21-year-old get the shot.

Williams also decried what he said was the “tremendous backlash” he experienced over his comments.

“What fascinates me is that you say something negative about Joe Rogan – and I have been inundated with the most incredibly vile responses,” he said.