CNN has been leveling significant attacks at podcast star Joe Rogan for months, suggesting he be fired for past remarks and even comparing some of his past rhetoric to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Here are 10 of the most inflammatory hits on Rogan from the liberal network.
Joe Rogan's comments are like another Jan. 6
A CNN op-ed on Sunday compared Joe Rogan's past use of the "N-word" in several episodes of his podcast to the January 6 Capitol riot, before the outlet altered the headline by removing the analogy.
The article, which is classified as an analysis, was originally headlined, "Joe Rogan's use of the n-word is another January 6 moment." The analysis opened by noting Rogan "did not join a mob" and rush and deface the Capitol, before nonetheless making the comparison. CNN has since changed the headline to read, "Why shrugging off Joe Rogan's use of the n-word is so dangerous."
"But what Rogan and those that defend him have done since video clips of him using the n-word surfaced on social media is arguably just as dangerous as what a mob did when they stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 last year," CNN senior writer John Blake wrote.
The headline attracted widespread attention and criticism for being over the top. Rogan has apologized for his past language but added he was taken out of context.
Opinion piece: Rogan is far-right because his guests sometimes are far-right
Last month, CNN published an opinion piece, "Don't pretend you don't know what Joe Rogan is all about," by University of Texas at Austin professor Peniel E. Joseph that declared Rogan is far-right because he sometimes has far-right guests on his podcast.
"The far right-wing conservative support for Rogan belies the myth that his show represents a reasonable middle or common ground uniting average Americans untethered to the left-right spectrum of American politics," Joseph wrote. "This myth reflects the lies Americans tell themselves about to race, democracy, free speech and capitalism."
Joseph then claimed Rogan’s fans ignore his wealth, his perspective "often skews far-right" and he’s mastered the ability to trick listeners into thinking he’s relatable.
"His independent perspective often skews far-right (as evidenced by some of his guests, who have included Roseanne Barr, Ted Nugent, Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens and Steven Crowder)," Joseph wrote.
CNN attacks Rogan, says he's used horse dewormer
Rogan provided CNN with plenty of content when he shared with his listeners last September that he contracted COVID and used several drugs in his treatment, including ivermectin.
CNN was all over the controversial admission after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged consumers against the use of ivermectin as treatment for COVID-19.
CNN mocked Rogan with snarky chyrons and multiple segments claiming he took "horse dewormer" to treat coronavirus.
CNN's Don Lemon once the podcast star took a drug "meant for deworming livestock." Another time, Jim Acosta invited Dr. Anthony Fauci on to discuss the situation as the on-screen graphic said, "Joe Rogan says he took widely discredited livestock drug for COVID."
Rogan would eventually confront CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta , who admitted it was improper for the network to claim Rogan took "horse dewormer."
"They're lying at your network about people taking human drugs versus drugs for veterinary," Rogan said when Gupta appeared on his podcast.
"Calling it a ‘horse dewormer’ is not the most flattering thing, I get that," Gupta conceded.
"It's a lie," Rogan pushed back. "It's a lie on a news network … and it's a lie that they're conscious of. It's not a mistake. They're unfavorably framing it as veterinary medicine."
Gupta pointed to the "snarky" statement released by the FDA saying, "You are not a horse. You are not a cow," in order to encourage people to not take ivermectin, but Rogan remained persistent on calling out CNN's coverage of a drug that's been "given out to billions and billions of people" and resulted in a Nobel Prize.
"They shouldn't have said that," Gupta later admitted.
Official CNN statement attacks Rogan as oversensitive after he ripped network's attacks on his ivermectin use
In a highly unusual move by a news organization, CNN offered a defiant response to Rogan after he accused the network of "lying" about his use of ivermectin during his recovery from coronavirus.
"The heart of this debate has been purposely confused and ultimately lost," CNN told the Washington Post's Erik Wemple. "It’s never been about livestock versus human dosage of Ivermectin. The issue is that a powerful voice in the media, who by example and through his platform, sowed doubt in the proven and approved science of vaccines while promoting the use of an unproven treatment for covid-19 — a drug developed to ward off parasites in farm animals."
"The only thing CNN did wrong here was bruise the ego of a popular podcaster who pushed dangerous conspiracy theories and risked the lives of millions of people in doing so," the network added.
Wemple appeared shocked by the statement, saying it "sounds more like the work of an advocacy group than a journalism outfit."
CNN guest calls on Spotify to sever ties
On Feb. 6, CNN’s "Reliable Sources" featured a large, on-screen chyron that asked, "Should Spotify sever ties with Joe Rogan?" Host Brian Stelter noted the streaming platform had not yet taken action against Rogan before asking his guests if Spotify was simply going to keep Rogan on the podcast airwaves or if his transgressions were "so awful" that the company should go ahead and break ties.
"I think it’s so awful, it should cause them to break ties with him," Insider media reporter Claire Atkinson responded.
"I’m all for free speech, people should be able to say things that other people don’t like. This is a transgression that’s unbelievable. It’s hard to believe Spotify didn’t listen to every single episode before they did this $100 million deal," Atkinson added as Stelter responded, "Yes!" in the background.
"I think this is going to be a difficult week for Spotify," Atkinson said.
Stelter then checked his phone to see if Spotify cut ties with Rogan during the segment.
"They still aren’t saying a word about this," he said.
Jim Acosta suggests Rogan should be fired over n-word montage'
CNN has been forgiving of some of its personalities' missteps over the years, excusing Chris Cuomo's numerous ethical lapses until finally dismissing him in December, and welcoming Jeffrey Toobin back to the airwaves after his Zoom masturbation incident in 2020.
But left-wing anchor Jim Acosta – formerly the network's chief White House correspondent – suggested Rogan should lose his job after a montage of him using the "n word" on his show was published by an account affiliated with the far-left PAC Meidas Touch.
"You and I both know, that compilation right there … that would be enough to put anybody out of a job," he said on Feb. 5. "To me, it seems untenable to have that kind of video surface, that kind of compilation surface, and keep one’s job."
Acosta, apparently still triggered by a five-day-old Meghan McCain tweet mocking his dismal ratings, also shot back at her in triumph over the video of Rogan's comments.
Stelter complains CNN is more trusted than talk show stars like Rogan who ‘make it up as they go along’
CNN's left-wing media correspondent Brian Stelter has been a vocal critic of Rogan and complained earlier this month that his fans don't trust "real newsrooms" like at CNN.
"Not all opinions are created equal," Stelter said. "You think about major newsrooms like CNN that have health departments and desks and operations that work hard on verifying information on COVID-19. And then you have talk show stars like Joe Rogan who just wing it, who make it up as they go along."
"And because figures like Rogan are trusted by people that don’t trust real newsrooms, we have a tension, a problem, that's much bigger than Spotify, much bigger than any single platform," Stelter added.
Stelter was ridiculed for taking shots at Rogan's credibility from his CNN perch.
CNN'S BRIAN STELTER ROASTED FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT AMERICANS TRUSTING JOE ROGAN OVER HIS OWN NETWORK
CNN anchor admits she doesn't know what to do about Rogan
In an unusual display for a news anchor, Alisyn Camerota appeared to effectively shrug her shoulders at what to do about Rogan during a broadcast last week.
"I admit, I'm out of ideas for what to do about Joe Rogan," she said. "I'm officially out of ideas."
Curious critics wondered what exactly Camerota was supposed to do about the podcast star. She went on to say his large platform also afforded him "personal responsibility."
CNN turns to researcher who explains his appeal, warns he's still dangerous and popular
CNN was so perplexed by Rogan's enduring popularity that it turned to a researcher last week to explain to its audience why his is so much larger.
University of North Carolina-Greensboro research fellow Gabriel Wisnewski-Parks, who claims to have watched "hundreds of hours" of "The Joe Rogan Experience," told CNN Business, "What makes him so magnetic to his audience is his very vocal resistance to tribalism," citing Rogan's wide-ranging guests from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and Info Wars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on the right and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and progressive icon Cornel West on the left, saying "this really resonates with people."
Wisnewski-Parks said Rogan remained potentially "dangerous" due to his entrenched audience but also warned against censoring him. The CNN report mourned Spotify would stick with him for the time being, in spite of his "false claims and racist language."
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Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
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