Cenk Uygur, creator and host of the liberal program The Young Turks, has attacked Joe Rogan after he called him "silly" in an appearance on a right-wing podcast.
In a series of tweets, Uygur reacted to Rogan's appearance on YouTuber Tim Pool's Timcast IRL podcast on Tuesday night, which also featured conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Uygur described Rogan as a "meathead" and mocked him for using ivermectin to treat COVID-19 in the tweets sent on Wednesday.
"Apparently Joe Rogan called me 'silly' in an interview. Hilarious. Hey meathead, you're best friends with a certifiable lunatic named Alex Jones," Uygur wrote. "Hard to have any credibility on intelligence after that. And how is the deworming medicine going for you, genius?"
While ivermectin is used to treat horses for parasites and worms, it has been approved for human use to treat infections such as head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.
However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that ivermectin has not been authorized or approved for use in treating COVID-19. Rogan said he got his prescription of ivermectin from a doctor.
The "silly" comment Uygur was referencing was made by Rogan on the Timcast IRL after Jones suggested he is responsible for the "exodus of people" who went from watching mainstream media to tuning in to podcasts such as his.
"After a while, you watch that guy [Uygur] talk and it is obvious. He's a silly person. These are silly people," Rogan said. "There are so many silly people. You don't have to take into consideration their statements on every single thing that happens with every person. You realize they're silly, you know they're silly, that's why you bring them up. Ignore them."
Elsewhere, in a reply about his ivermectin comment, Uygur said how Rogan used to be interesting but now "peddles the same right-wing slop that everyone else does."
He added: "He's telling young guys that being uneducated, being against scientists and doctors and being cruel is being tough."
In another tweet, Uygur wrote: "For right-wingers, I get why you fanboy over Joe Rogan. He now supports all of your wacky ideas. For everyone else, he was just on podcast with [Tim Pool] & Alex Jones, where they talked about how poor [Kyle] Rittenhouse was the victim. Wake up, the guy is a normal right-wing a**hat now."
In September, Uygur said he would accept a $1,000 donation to his network or charity of his choice to take Rogan on in a fight.
"Deal. Easiest $1,000 I ever made," Uygur wrote after a Twitter user suggested the bout.
"You think he's going to assault me? Sure, whatever. That's incredibly dumb. But also wouldn't work. I'm much larger than Joe and I've fought my whole life. I'd end him. But grownups don't do that. I'll send you the PO Box to send check to later."
Rogan has been contacted for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
