"I'm not a doctor, I'm a f***ng moron": Joe Rogan pulls back anti-vaccination comments

Following his statement that left netizens concerned, Joe Rogan has now retracted his anti-vaccination comment. Despite his large audience base, the podcast host is not known to be the most reliable source of information out there, stemming from his interest in conspiracy theories, among other things.

“America’s foremost defender of ruling class absurdities.” @joerogan @TuckerCarlson pic.twitter.com/8IcJx12bm6

— Joe Rogan Headquarters (@joeroganhq) April 29, 2021

On his recent podcast, he addressed the issue and talked about how he's "not a respected source of information, even for himself."

He quotes:

"Here's the thing, I'm not a doctor. I'm a f**king moron, and I'm a cage-fighting commentator who's a dirty stand-up comedian who just told you I'm drunk most of the time, among other things. But, I'm not a respected source of information, even for me. If I say things, I'm always asking other people to verify them. I at least try to be honest about what I'm saying."

Following his statement on his previous podcast, Joe Rogan faced severe backlash over his comments regarding vaccination again the coronavirus. Two White House officials even criticized Joe Rogan over his recent vaccine comments and called him out for his lack of authority on the subject.

“I guess my first question would be, did Joe Rogan become a medical doctor while we weren’t looking?" the White House asked. https://t.co/QFRNf3hrwJ

— The Hill (@thehill) April 29, 2021

Despite the severe call-out, many fans stated that Joe Rogan didn't owe anyone an explanation, and he was free to have his own opinion regarding the subject.

Why would anyone take his show as literal fact? People should take what he says and form their own decisions. He's not a news network he doesn't have to fact check anything.

— Steve (@ScuberSt3ve) April 29, 2021

This is insanity. Now @joerogan is not allowed to have his own opinion. Next, they’ll have the FBI knocking at his door. https://t.co/Ycm8EKK4r4

— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) April 29, 2021

Says who? He doesn't owe anyone anything. Especially the woke babies who throw a tantrum whenever they hear something they don't like.

— Rick Rodriguez (@rarodrig6) April 29, 2021

Maybe Joe Rogan can’t say it but I can:If you are young and healthy you don’t need a Covid vaccine.By refusing an experimental drug you are not “propagating the outbreak” — you are exercising a fundamental human right, the right to bodily integrity.Your body; your choice.

— Daniel Kotzin (@danielkotzin) April 30, 2021

Why isn't Joe Rogan allowed to express his opinion on vaccines but everything Bill Gates says treated as gospel?

— Rising serpent 🇺🇸 (@rising_serpent) May 1, 2021

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Joe Rogan clarifies his statement

During a recent podcast with Andrew Santino, Joe Rogan clarified his statement that caused outrage on social media a short while ago. While in conversation, the latter explained that he's not an anti-vaxxer:

"There is some legit science behind this. The thing about this whole thing is I'm not an anti-vac person. In fact, I said, I believe they are safe, and I encourage many people to take it. My parents were vaccinated; I just said I don't think that if you're a young, healthy person, that you need it. Their argument was you need it for other people. But that's a different argument."

Joe Rogan's earlier statement sparked outrage as many listeners thought he asked people not to get vaccinated altogether. However, he clarified this statement and stated that it was an entirely different argument, to begin with, which people took the wrong way:

"If someone said you are a young, healthy 21-year-old person who eats well and exercises, are not at high risk, for coronavirus, but you should think about other people, I would say well that's a different argument. But if you would say, aren't those people vaccinated, and shouldn't we vaccinate the vulnerable people, then we'd have a different conversation. The problem is today, everything's all headlines and highlights, and it's all clickbait which is fine. That's the business."

The 53-year-old also talked about how he respects real journalists who stick their necks out daily to bring people the truth. However, not everyone can do that, and there are many people out there (like himself) who have to make a living any way they can:

"What's the best way to make a living? Here's one way, take a jack*** like me, go over to their podcast, go for this three-hour drunken ridiculous podcast. A lot of time we're drinking, or we're high, and I say stupid stuff."

Following his statements, it's clear to see that Joe Rogan is in the business of entertainment more than fact-checking. He himself said that people shouldn't take him seriously or use his information as facts.

Despite the drama, from an entertainment perspective, Joe Rogan seemingly did nothing wrong. Given the circumstances, it's a good idea for him to avoid the topic of vaccination altogether as of now.