Podcast host Joe Rogan is once again one of social media's current laughingstocks after he mistook a sketch about anti-vaxxers from Australian comedy show Gruen for a piece of Australian government "propaganda."
The sketch, which mocks Rogan himself, shows a man in anaphylactic shock refusing an EpiPen using similar arguments anti-vaxxers use against vaccines. Before he passes out, the man asks what Joe Rogan has to say about EpiPens.
Rogan posted the sketch to his Instagram earlier this week, citing it as evidence of how the country's "dystopian police state" has the "dumbest propaganda."
See the post below.
In his caption, Rogan not only took the sketch seriously but regurgitated what has become a common fallacious belief among those on the right--that Australia has become a totalitarian dictatorship because of its strict, and very successful, approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rogan wrote:
"Not only has Australia had the worst reaction to the pandemic with dystopian, police-state measures that are truly inconceivable to the rest of the civilized world, but they also have the absolute dumbest propaganda."
Rogan later added a disclaimer about the video.
"EDIT: apparently this is not a real ad. It's from a satirical show."
American right-wingers have become so fixated on their conspiracy theory about the non-existent totalitarian takeover of Australia that they've taken to staging "Free Australia" protests--a phenomenon that has left actual Australians mystified.
Rogan's embarrassing mistake was a fitting one. A far-right darling who has frequently featured alt-right personalities and conspiracy theorists on his show, he recently went public about treating his own case of COVID-19 with the parasiticide drug Ivermectin.
Many QAnon followers and those on the far-right falsely believe the drug cures the illness caused by the coronavirus and the government is concealing information about its efficacy. Its use has resulted in a handful of deaths.
Rogan's mistake drew several eye rolls—including from the sketch's writer, Kate Holdsworth.
When I wrote Joe Rogan into the @papermoose pro-vaccine ad for @GruenHQ, we could only hope he'd think it was real and share it with his 13 million followers.https://t.co/E9QEwKg6fU
— Kate Holdsworth (@KateHoldsworth_) November 2, 2021
And others on social media couldn't help but laugh at the all too on-the-nose aburdity of his mistake.
You only have to watch @joerogan podcasts with Theo Von to realise he has ZERO ABILITY to understand when a joke is being told. Thinking this video was real is taking things to a new level of stupidity. 😂🤦🏻♂️ #COVID19 #Australia #joerogan https://t.co/oM0b0Q7kO0
— Who The Fook Are These Guys? (@WhoTheFookPod) November 2, 2021
This is the best thing ever. Nature imitates art. 😁
— Free Unsolicited Advice (@FreeUnsolicited) November 2, 2021
🤣🤣🤣 Joe Rogan is a freaking idiot and it kills me https://t.co/QdVSgRxWUC
— Dr. Dré the 2nd (@Dre_TheDoctor) November 3, 2021
In news to absolutely no one renowned flog Joe Rogan as no idea what satire is https://t.co/0EsjpMd4IS
— Vaxxed Prole 👩🏻🎤🧑🏻🦰 (@emgyres) November 3, 2021
So many insist they did "the research" but everyone who shared this ad didn't actually check that it was real.
— Aagcox (@AAgcox) November 2, 2021
In the words of Joe Rogan himself, "I'm not a respected source of information".https://t.co/VcuigM859q
— Junkee (@junkee) November 2, 2021
I'm still howling that Joe Rogan went on a Australia rant again after posting a fake satirical ad from Gruen Transfer that he wasnt even suppose to be tricked by
actually 100% proved one of th points of it that Joe doesnt fact check anything & people still buy it
I miss old Joe pic.twitter.com/b1uNXViURv
— BEERBOY-182 🍹 (@beerboy182) November 2, 2021
What an absolute cockwomble @joerogan STFU, you haven't got a clue about Australia you pig-eyed sack of sh*t pic.twitter.com/xQJwY1Wq5K
— Coco Van Bree (@cocovanbree) November 2, 2021
What an absolute cockwomble @joerogan STFU, you haven't got a clue about Australia you pig-eyed sack of sh*t pic.twitter.com/xQJwY1Wq5K
— Coco Van Bree (@cocovanbree) November 2, 2021
WWJRD? He would share a satirical ad and spread more disinformation in an attempt to malign Australia's epic handling of the pandemic. That's what Joe Rogan would do. Well done @Wil_Anderson! https://t.co/DdkafGQ7h0
— Emery Emery (@emeryemeryii) November 2, 2021
As of this writing, Australia—which is still a democracy, for the record—has had just 1,448 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The United States has had more than 751,000 so far.
@joehas/X