Podcaster Joe Rogan has been called out online following resurfaced comments about measles.
On an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience released in February, Rogan said measles was “an infection that everyone got when I was a kid, and what happened was you’d get sick for a few days, and then you’d be immune for life.”
“And they’re making it look like everyone’s dying from measles. If you’re dying from measles you’re sick; you’re already compromised, which is exactly what happened with COVID,” he continued.
Newsweek has contacted a representative for Rogan for comment via email.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It typically begins with a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a distinctive red rash that spreads over the body. Measles can lead to serious complications, especially in young children, including pneumonia and brain inflammation. But it is preventable with vaccination.
In 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 50 measles outbreaks and 2,012 cases. That marks a sharp increase from 2024, when 16 outbreaks and 285 cases were reported.
Vaccine skepticism in the U.S. has intensified in recent years because of a combination of factors, including lingering distrust from the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread misinformation on social media and growing political polarization around public health issues.
Rogan’s comments have been criticized by social media users, with some pointing out that the podcaster may have confused measles with chickenpox, and that he was potentially fueling anti-vaccine sentiment.
While both are viral infections, measles is more severe than chickenpox and has a higher risk of serious complications.
Nick Mark, whose bio on X says he is an intensive care physician, wrote on the platform: “Rogan was born 3 years after the measles vaccine was approved. He didn’t see kids with measles growing up. He’s confusing measles and chickenpox.”
Rogan was born in 1967.
“Joe Rogan confuses chickenpox with measles—also forgets that measles wipes out your immune system’s memory to fight other germs,” Eric Feigl-Ding, a public health scientist at the New England Complex Systems Institute, wrote on X.
Others have said disinformation on large-scale platforms must be addressed. The Joe Rogan Experience, which began in 2009, is one of the most popular podcasts in the country. It currently holds the No. 1 spot in Spotify’s “Top Podcasts” chart.
Author Rachel Barr, who has 1.1 million followers on Instagram, wrote in response to Rogan’s comments: “My blood is boiling. We need legislation to protect the public from podcasters, and podcast guests, who confidently tell harmful lies.”
Aaron Blake, a CNN reporter, wrote on X: “Yeah, pretty evident he is mixing measles up with chickenpox, which I imagine lots of people do. (Those people, of course, don’t have shows where they fuel anti-vaccine sentiment with this misinformation.)”
