Joe Rogan spills the truth about why he never did another sitcom after 'NewsRadio'

Joe Rogan has shed light on why he never took on a full-time main cast role in a sitcom after 'NewsRadio.' Rogan also provided an insight into the challenges in the American entertainment industry, Hollywood, and recounted how he departed that realm.

On episode #2300 of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast this month (April 2025), UFC color commentator and podcast mogul Joe Rogan hosted comedian and writer Kyle Dunnigan. Among the topics they discussed was the American sitcom, 'NewsRadio' (which aired from 1995 to 1999), and Rogan's experience as a sitcom star.

Rogan explained that he disliked the stress of that environment and simply wanted to do stand-up comedy:

"I never adjusted to being on television, never did ... I couldn't wait to not do it anymore once I did it ... I had the best version of it -- hilarious cast, brilliant writers. The stress of it. It was just, like, I just wanted to do stand-up [comedy]."

The MMA personality recalled that he knew he'd never get a good sitcom like 'NewsRadio' again, which is why he was relieved when he started hosting the 'Fear Factor' reality TV show because it helped him enter a different entertainment format -- exiting the sitcom realm and not having to deal with actors.

The 57-year-old emphasized that the stressful environment of auditioning, attending award shows and other social events, and "schmoozing" to secure a TV role turned him away.

Rogan explained that being surrounded by people who "desperately want attention" in Hollywood created an anxiety-marred/stressful environment. He said:

"But it was so bizarre. So when I would go to these auditions for other things, it wasn't that big of a deal because I was already on 'NewsRadio.' So if I didn't get these things, it'll be okay. But it was like, still, the anxiety of that. I had money, and it was still like, 'Oh. This is awful.' This whole thing is so stressful and weird.'"

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (4:35-7:55):

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Joe Rogan on choosing podcast and UFC commentary job over entertainment industry roles

On episode #2291 of JRE, Joe Rogan recently hosted fellow comedian Bert Kreischer. Rogan emphasized the significance of hosting 'Fear Factor' back in the day. He deemed it the biggest show on television back then but noted that it still wasn't his end goal.

On that note, Joe Rogan signaled that hosting his own podcast and serving as a UFC color commentator became his main goals as a professional. He even implied that he considered his UFC job to be an honor more than a job for himself. Likening his UFC role to a vacation and a privilege, the martial arts aficionado asserted:

"If you get a job to talk about martial arts to express your love for it and your appreciation for the athletes... what they had to go through to get where they're at... to be able to do that for living, it's an honor!"

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (6:15):