Joe Rogan gets ripped apart online for entertaining "pathological liar" Mike Benz's Ukraine comments on podcast: "A moron on the Kremlin payroll"

Joe Rogan has elicited severe backlash after hosting Mike Benz on the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast. Several netizens lambasted Rogan for platforming Benz, whom they've accused of perpetuating pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Alternatively, some others supported Rogan and Benz.

On JRE's episode #2237 this week, Rogan hosted ex-U.S. Department of State official, Mike Benz. The latter serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation For Freedom Online, an organization that claims to be a free speech watchdog specializing in protecting freedom of speech online.

Benz alluded to the theory that the U.S. allegedly spearheaded the clandestine U.S.-N.A.T.O. operation of overthrowing the purportedly pro-Russian Ukrainian regime in 2014 and installing a pro-U.S. regime. Benz suggested that the American government actively weaponized media, particularly social media, to censor dissenting views and reduce Russian influence in Ukraine.

The political commentator underscored that the large-scale online censorship commenced in 2014, eventually engulfing America too.

For his part, Rogan has lately received considerable criticism for his views about the current Ukrainian government. He's even been accused of being a pro-Russian propagandist. After hosting Benz, the pro-Kremlin accusations against Rogan have seemingly reached a crescendo, with one user writing on X:

"In a way through participatory disinformation, @joerogan, is also part of the problem."

Some listeners claimed they had already stopped or would stop watching JRE. A commenter implied that the unjust censorship predates the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian conflict while another seemingly agreed with Benz and Rogan's assessment. One fan derided Rogan and tweeted:

"Joe Rogan has turned into an absolute disgrace."

Insinuating that Rogan was controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin, one observer questioned:

"Wholesale fabrication. The only question is if Rogan is thick as pig sh** or on Putin's payroll."

Watch Rogan and Benz address the topic below:

Check out the screenshots of a few tweets below:

Screenshots of tweets

Contrarily, some netizens defended Rogan and Benz in multiple X threads. Many commenters referenced 2014's Maidan Revolution/Ukrainian Revolution. They alluded to the theory that the U.S. government-funded anti-Russian protests, orchestrated a regime change in Ukraine, and installed a pro-U.S. government there to boost America's geopolitical influence in the region.

One user wrote:

"So the 2014 protests were completely organic and not seeded in any way by US funding?"

Another commenter accused the CIA, America's foreign intelligence agency, of partaking in the purported regime-change operation, writing:

"CIA led coup - we are not stupid."

Multiple commenters focused their ire at Rogan and Benz, with one tweeting:

"TL;DR Joe Rogan is a moron on the Kremlin payroll and Mike Benz is a pathological liar."

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of tweets

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Ukrainian boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko's JRE request to Joe Rogan over Russia-Ukraine conflict

Hosting American record producer Scott Storch on JRE, Joe Rogan recently critiqued U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Rogan indicated that Biden and Zelensky's policies were supposedly escalating the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict and could potentially push several countries into World War III.

Ex-boxing heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko later took to X and called Rogan out for "repeating Russian propaganda." Klitschko called for a JRE conversation between himself and the UFC commentator, a request the retired boxer repeated. Meanwhile, Rogan recently claimed he turned down Zelensky's request to appear on JRE.

Watch the much-discussed podcast episode featuring Rogan and Benz below: