What did Rainn Wilson say about Oliver Anthony? Joe Rogan mocks The Office star over 'Richmond' criticism

Oliver Anthony, of Rich Men North of Richmond fame, recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast after his song’s massive success. The red-bearded Virginia native, now based in North Carolina, worked as a salesperson in construction plants and paper mills before ranking No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience on Wednesday's (August 30) episode.

Joe Rogan talked to Oliver Anthony about everything, starting with his newfound fame, life, and experiences after Rich Men North of Richmond, the outrage the music video caused on the internet, and the constant trending on social media.

In addition, he also brought to attention what The Office star Rainn Wilson wrote about the song.

On August 20, weeks after Rich Men North of Richmond became a hit, Wilson took to X (formerly Twitter) to state his opinion that instead of dealing with obese people and their welfare, the lyrics of the song should have talked about "CEOs who make 400 times their average workers’ salary" and corporations that go on without paying taxes and more.

On Wednesday, as part of his podcast with Oliver Anthony, Joe Rogan went on record to slam Rainn Wilson for his critical comment and said it was funny when “millionaires talk sh*t about billionaires.”

---

Dwight from The Office critiqued the lyrics of Oliver Anthony’s latest hit

Emmy-winning American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, director, and writer Rainn Wilson, who is famous for playing the role of Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom The Office, recently critiqued Oliver Anthony’s blockbuster song Rich Men North of Richmond on the X platform. He wrote on the social media post:

"If I were writing a song about ‘rich men north of richmond’ I wouldnt talk about obese people on welfare, I’d sing about CEOs who make 400 times their average workers' salary (up from 50 times 30 years ago) & corps that pay zero taxes & offshore tax shelters for billionaires."

However, the comment did not sit well with UFC color commentator, comedian, TV presenter, and podcaster Joe Rogan. During his latest episode of the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience with Oliver Anthony, the man behind Rich Men North of Richmond, Rogan slammed back at Rainn Wilson and said how the song had become a "subject of discussion" and that "everyone was getting involved."

In fact, Joe Rogan scrutinized The Office star and joked:

"There is nothing funnier than millionaires talking sh*t about billionaires. There is nothing funnier about millionaires pretending, ‘These billionaires are out-of-touch.’"

Rogan further continued by saying that it may be time to take Dwight from The Office to any of the southern parts of the nation, such as West Virginia, and make him look at the coal mines and the people who work there to see for himself the “extreme poverty” that the entire Appalachian region is stricken with.

He also added how the areas were already ravished due to impoverishment and people abusing “pills.”

Seeing Rogan chime in and defend his song, Oliver Anthony too joined in the conversation and said that throughout rural Virginia, "poverty" and "drugs" were "big issues." He also stated that it was not just in the rural parts, one can find such conditions even in downtown Richmond, or "any downtown anywhere for that matter."

In addition, Oliver Anthony also said that it appears to him that these problems seem to "exist everywhere now," which is why "the song resonated the way it did." He also mentioned how he knew "what’s true and what’s not" and was letting people on the internet take their time to figure it out too.

Oliver also stated that he was glad to be able to entertain everyone and keep them away from “all the other horrible stuff that’s going on in the world right now,” even if it meant giving them a chance to laugh at or critique him.

Earlier, Joe Rogan praised Oliver Anthony’s song via an Instagram post, which he captioned:

“I love this song. You can’t fake authentic, and Oliver Anthony has it in abundance. ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’.”

Not only that, but Rogan also mentioned the song with former wrestler Hulk Hogan during another one of his podcast episodes, in which the guest praised Anthony for speaking on behalf of the average American and said:

“He’s saying what people think.”

Speculation was high that Oliver Anthony was supposed to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast when the former set foot in the latter’s comedy club in Austin, Texas, last week.

Oliver Anthony, whose real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, became an overnight sensation when his solo folk song and its music video, Rich Men North of Richmond, debuted on YouTube on August 9. It was uploaded by RadioWV and charted at the top in less than a week on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and Billboard Hot 100.

The song is based on the real-world struggles of working-class Americans and has taxation, trafficking, and welfare cheating as some of its themes. It has created quite a stir on the internet, inviting both praise and criticism.