"A vile podcaster advocating violence": Joe Rogan slammed for "Just go and shoot the homeless people" remark

On Thursday, July 14's episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast, the 54-year-old host made controversial comments regarding the homeless population in Los Angeles, California. Rogan seemingly joked about killing some homeless individuals in the episode as he spoke with comedian Tom Segura.

A week after the episode was released, Rogan faced extreme criticism online over his statements. In the episode, Rogan suggested that Segura, and presumably the audience, shoot homeless people.

Amid a plethora of tweets criticizing Rogan's statements, some insinuated that someone might actually be encouraged by the podcaster's dark suggestion about shooting vagrants. One user (@PlzCallMeT) mentioned in a tweet:

"This is not free speech nor a comedian doing a comedy bit. It’s a vile podcaster advocating violence."

A tweet slamming Rogan for his comment (Image via PlzCallMeT/Twitter)

The JRE podcaster is yet to address the controversy spurred by his comments in the episode.

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What did Joe Rogan say about the homeless population in Los Angeles?

In the 1844th episode of the podcast, Joe Rogan was accompanied by guest Tom Segura, who was there to promote his new book I'd Like to Play Alone, Please: Essays. However, their conversation turned dark when Rogan recalled an incident when a homeless person blocked a portion of the road with their belongings, cart, and car. As per Rogan's recollection, he spotted four port-a-potties around the area of the vagrant settlement. He further elaborated on how the road was partially blocked by one of them.

While responding to Joe Rogan's account of the incident, guest Tom Segura pointed out that homeless settlements were actually protected properties. He further claimed that these camps in homeless settlements would be legally protected under California's laws. Segura said:

"When you see stuff like that on the streets, at least in Los Angeles or California, that's protected property. Like by law. That's that person's property by law."

Moments later, the two joked about how a person would be arrested if they tried to move a vagrant's property or belongings. However, Joe Rogan proceeded to share an extreme measure to deal with homelessness in Los Angeles. The former MMA commentator said:

"But they wouldn't arrest you if you shot somebody. Maybe you should just go shoot the homeless people."

To further fuel the controversy, comedian Tom Segura commended Rogan for his idea. He told the host that he "liked" his ideas. Rogan took the joke further and elaborated on his suggestion:

"I mean, nobody does anything about violent crime in LA anymore. It's a f**king joke."

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Joe Rogan receives severe flak from netizens over comments about homeless people

After last week's podcast episode went viral, the host has been lambasted online. Numerous netizens took to Twitter and expressed that Rogan should be held accountable if even one homeless person is shot.

Some tweets further pointed out that this comment was not unexpected from the host, as he has made several controversial statements on his podcast over the years. However, a few tweets also defended Rogan and labeled his comments as jokes.

Meanwhile, advocate of homeless rights and podcast host Theo Henderson told Variety that Rogan's comments were "repulsive." He said:

"It's infuriating because it's not only out of touch, but the reality is that unhoused people are targeted by housed people. To advocate trying to shoot at unhoused people or just giving these dog whistles to people that do not see unhoused people as human beings — I can't believe you'd advocate for it."

As showcased by the Twitter reactions above, several netizens have similar opinions. It remains to be seen whether Rogan will issue an apology for his statements.