Joe Rogan has responded after his name appeared in files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’m in the files for not going,” Rogan said during a recent episode of his podcast with guest Cheryl Hines, the actress and wife of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I would have never gone anyway. It’s not even a possibility that I would’ve ever gone,” he said, adding, “especially after I Googled him.”
Being named in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
Why It Matters
In January, the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of records from its investigative files on Epstein, marking the largest public disclosure to date in the case.
Public interest in the files has been intense for years, fueled by speculation and conspiracy theories. That attention increased again in July 2025 after the FBI and DOJ released a joint memo concluding Epstein died by suicide and did not keep a “client list.”
Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Although his death was ruled a suicide, it prompted renewed scrutiny because of his well-documented connections to public and powerful figures.
Estimates of the number of girls abused by Epstein vary. Accounts range from a few dozen to over 100, though the total number of victims may be higher.
Rogan, who endorsed President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, has previously criticized the Trump administration’s handling of information related to Epstein, describing it as a “line in the sand.”
What To Know
Rogan said he was mentioned in the files for declining to attend and that Epstein had been trying to meet him.
He said that in 2017, a former podcast guest tried to introduce him to Epstein. Rogan said he reacted with disbelief and rejected the idea, though he did not name the guest.
An email released by the Justice Department appears to show physicist Lawrence Krauss offering to connect Epstein with Rogan in a 2017 message after Krauss appeared on Rogan’s show.
In emails reviewed by Newsweek, Epstein wrote that he had seen Krauss on Rogan’s show and asked whether Krauss could introduce them. Krauss responded that he would reach out to Rogan.
During the podcast conversation, Hines asked why someone would make such an introduction. Rogan suggested it might be driven by a desire to ingratiate oneself with wealthy and powerful people, adding that some people become “intoxicated” by proximity to that kind of social circle.
Before addressing his own mention in the files, Rogan and Hines had been discussing the documents more broadly. “It seems very dark,” Rogan said.
Rogan, speaking on his podcast: “It’s not even a possibility that I would’ve ever went, especially after I Googled him.”
What Happens Next
Reactions to the Epstein files continue to spread, while survivors and their advocates are calling for continued public pressure on the Justice Department to release any remaining documents that can legally be made public.
