Joe Rogan and Bill Maher are two peas in a pot. Both openly smoke weed. Both host popular talk shows. Both have been targeted by people offended by their commentaries. Both obsess about being canceled.
Here's a sample of Rogan's recent fawning interview with Maher on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Maher: We are both seen as people who are sort of like common-sensical. That is what there is a hunger for I think in America more than anything - common sense.
Rogen: Yes.
Maher: People say to me: "Don't you think you've gotten more conservative?" No, I haven't. The left has gotten goofier.
Rogen: Yes.
Maher: So, I seem more conservative maybe, but it's not me who changed.
Rogen: Yeah.
Maher: I feel like I'm the same guy, but five years ago we hadn't spent $6 trillion to stay home. I understand we had to do something with the pandemic. I'm not sure that was, you know. I remember when a trillion dollars was too much to spend on anything. We didn't spend a trillion to bail out the economy in 2008. We didn't do that. Five years ago no one was talking about abolishing the police. There was no talk about, you know, pregnant men.
Rogen: [laughs]
Maher: Looting was still illegal. [laughs]
"I seem more conservative maybe, but it's not me who changed."
Rogen: [laughs] Isn't that crazy?
Maher: So, have I changed? No. Because if someone had said 20 years ago, "I'm not sure looting is a bad thing," I would've opposed it then. So, I haven't changed. But that I think there is this hunger for - this sort of common sense. Centrism is such a wishy-washy word. But that's sort of what it is. Some people lean a little more to the left, a little more to the right, sometimes it's by issue to issue. I'm always saying to the Democrats, "Just don't be the party of no common sense and you will be surprised by just how amazing success you will have," as opposed to what's going to happen, which is they're going to get their ass kicked in November.
Rogan: People like you are very important to people like me, because you represent to me what it means to be liberal, what it means to me to be left-wing, becasue you're just a normal person who cares about peoples' rights and wants a certain amount of freedom, wants people to get along and work things out amicably.
Maher: Right.
Rogan: The polarization in this country has made it so people like you are rare... If you're out there doing it, it gives people hope... You're like, "Hey, what the fuck is going on?" And everybody's like, "Finally, someone's saying it on TV." They're not fucking saying it on HBO until you say it on HBO.
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Maher: Well, thank you, I appreciate that.
Rogan: It means a lot... What you have is honesty. And people know that and it's why your show works.
Maher: That's also what I always feel my bond with the audience is... My audience was too doctrinated for a while. We have a much better audience now because we've kind of got rid of the groaners, the people for whom I was always too politically incorrect. I was like, "I've been doing this forever. The names of the shows are Politically Incorrect and Real Time and you still come to the show and groan when I say something too real? What fucking show did you think you were coming to?"
Listen to the rest of the interview on Spotify.
Our Take
1. Five years ago no one was talking about abolishing the police.
No one has called for abolishing the police, just defunding.
2. Centrism is such a wishy-washy word. But that's sort of what it is.
At least he admits he's no longer a liberal.
3. We have a much better audience now because we've kind of got rid of the groaners.
Maher repeatedly has criticized audience members who don't agree with him. So much for free speech.
