There was once a time when politics ranked lower than MMA and extraterrestrial discussions on The Joe Rogan Experience. But in 2024, Rogan decided to switch things up before the election and brought in Donald Trump as a guest. With that, long-time viewers, who admired the podcast for its range of guests and discussions, were put off… Perceptions began shifting.

This was despite Joe Rogan telling comedian Jimmy Dore in 2020, “I’ve never voted right-wing in my life. Never. Never. I voted Democrat.” To his credit, Rogan’s political views aren’t easy to categorize, but with podcast guests like JD Vance, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, and many more, JRE seems to have entered its political era. And with the latest guest on the show, Graham Linehan (an Irish comedy writer who has openly shared his anti-transgender stance), fans were yet again left dissatisfied.

A Redditor took to the website to share their thoughts on the Linehan episode (#2361), which was released on Wednesday. With a warning that they used AI to write the post, the Redditor began: “… this recent episode with Graham Linehan honestly feels like rock bottom. It epitomizes this far-right cliché that the show has slowly been drifting toward. Instead of thought-provoking dialogue or challenging ideas, it now feels like an echo chamber of grievance politics, internet culture war talking points, and the same tired anti-woke rhetoric.

“I get that Joe wants to push back against mainstream narratives — and that used to be part of the appeal — but lately, it’s felt like there’s barely any balance or nuance. This latest run of episodes has been, in my opinion, the worst stretch in the show’s history. I actually find myself skipping more episodes than I listen to now, and the few I try to sit through are a struggle. Am I the only one feeling this way? Where do you all see the show heading in the next few years if it keeps going down this path?

“Would love to hear what others think — especially if you’ve been listening for a while. I’ve been a longtime listener of The Joe Rogan Experience — going back years now — and I’ve always appreciated the range of guests and conversations the show used to offer. But this recent episode with Graham Linehan honestly feels like rock bottom.”

The Reddit post’s sentiment resonated with many. Fans commented under it:

• “I hate to be this person, but… Joe sold out.”
• “Joe is done! I can only hate listen at this point.”

However, the JRE podcast has also had guests like James Talarico and Bernie Sanders in order to offer a wide range of political ideologies. In fact, Talarico later spoke about his experience featuring on the podcast, and he had only good things to say. He opined that Rogan was someone who represented people who felt like they didn’t belong to either political side. Yet it seems like JRE fans and Redditors haven’t been happy.

• “I don’t know how anyone listens to him consistently now.”
• “I listen to roughly one out of every ten episodes. Even then it can be hard to finish.”

Some fans, however, considered Linehan to be an interesting guest, at least from a creative and diversity standpoint. He had created ‘The IT Crowd’, which is a Sitcom.

• “He was a great guest, but I wish he talked about IT Crowd more—that is a great show.”
• “I thought he was alright.”

But even these reactions were tempered, showing that, while the guest piqued their interest, the overall vibe of the show still didn’t win them over. So, the growing concern among listeners indicates a deeper shift in the show’s identity.

The Joe Rogan Experience, which was once known for exploring everything from science and comedy to combat sports and wellness, is now accused of being repetitive and alienating. What do you think?