Joe Rogan has issued a free speech warning to MAGA supporters in response to Jimmy Kimmel’s recent suspension.
On his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan weighed in on the controversy surrounding Kimmel, who was temporarily removed from Jimmy Kimmel Live! after comments about the Make America Great Again movement’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death.
Rogan, whose influence in American politics stems from a massive audience—including more than 20.2 million YouTube subscribers—pointed out that if Kimmel could face cancellation, right-wing figures could be next.
Why It Matters
Kimmel returned to air on Tuesday after a weeklong ABC suspension following a monologue about Kirk’s killing. “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
His suspension reignited debate over the balance between free speech and hate speech. While some right-wing voices celebrated Kimmel’s removal, others questioned whether the right itself was embracing cancel culture—something Kirk had opposed.
What To Know
Speaking with guest Andrew Santino on Tuesday, Rogan remarked, “I definitely don’t think that the government should be involved ever in dictating what a comedian can and cannot say in a monologue. That’s f*****g crazy.”
He also criticized right-wing supporters of ABC’s suspension for endorsing government pressure on media, calling it “crazy.”
Rogan warned, “You’re crazy for supporting this because this will be used on you. You don’t think that the f*****g globalist lizard people who run the world are sitting here going: ‘Great. What do we got? Three years. We’ll wait this out. We’ll wait this out. Yeah, let ’em say the government should be involved in censoring people’s speech.'”
Public Reactions
Late-night host Seth Meyers told NBC viewers on Monday, “It is possible to stand up to this kind of bullying and censorship. For example, Trump tried to sue The New York Times, and that suit has already been thrown out. And minutes before we started taping, we got word that our friend Jimmy Kimmel will be back on the air tomorrow.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on X, “For everyone who spoke up and said Trump’s censorship of Kimmel is wrong, your voice mattered.”
President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99 percent positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
What Happens Next
Although Kimmel’s show is back on air, Sinclair and Nexstar—which own many ABC affiliates—continue to block it from airing in certain local markets.
