Skip to content
Search

Joe Rogan Says He Refused to Meet With Jeffrey Epstein

The podcaster’s name was in the Epstein files when Epstein asked another one of Rogan’s guests for a meeting

Joe Rogan Says He Refused to Meet With Jeffrey Epstein

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Joe Rogan said on his podcast Tuesday that though his name is in the Epstein files, it meant nothing. “Jeffrey Epstein was trying to meet with me,” Rogan told Cheryl Hines, as seen in a clip via The Daily Beast. “I was like, what?” A search of the Epstein Files shows that in 2017, Epstein emailed physicist Lawrence Krauss: “I saw you did the Joe Rogan show, can you introduce me, I think hes funny.” Epstein, a sex offender who trafficked underage girls, died by suicide while in jail in 2019.

Rogan said he never would have met with him anyway. “It’s not even a possibility that I would’ve ever went,” Rogan said. “Especially after I Googled him. It’s like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about?'” Looking back on how Krauss, who’d been a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, suggested introducing the men, Rogan exclaimed, “Bitch, are you high? What the fuck are you talking about?”


When Hines asks why Rogan would meet Epstein, Rogan hypothesized, “If I was a guy who was, like, sucking up to the rich and powerful, if I was really interested in hanging out with rich and powerful people.” He added, “Some people will get intoxicated by being in a circle of rich and powerful people even if they don’t have any ambitions of being one of those people, they just want to be around them.” Rogan described Epstein’s MO as “very clever” since he was getting people like Bill Clinton and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker in his circle.

The Epstein files have shed light on how the financier ingratiated himself among the rich and powerful, and revelations from his emails have had repercussions for those named in them, whether they knew Epstein or not. Several musicians, including Chappell Roan, Orville Peck, and Weyes Blood have ended their relationship with the booking agency the Wasserman Group after founder Casey Wasserman’s name was discovered in correspondence with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. (Wasserman has maintained that he had no relationship with Epstein.) Donald Trump’s, Elon Musk’s, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s names are also in the Epstein files.

More Stories

America’s Toughest Workout Isn’t in a Gym — It’s on the Street

Photographs by SACHA LECCA and JASON MOTLAGH

America’s Toughest Workout Isn’t in a Gym — It’s on the Street

At a community park on Houston’s west side, two bare-chested men are mean-­mugging each other hard, their faces just inches apart, as a crowd howls “Let’s eaaaaaat!” around them. Any passerby on this overcast March afternoon could be forgiven for thinking a bareknuckle fight was about to go down. But this is a weighted-calisthenics battle, a one-­versus-one competition where athletes grind through a high-volume set of exercises ranging from pullups and dips on a bar to pushups, squats, and muscle-ups — an advanced move that combines the pullup and dip into one fluid motion. Within minutes, the full-throttle test of strength and stamina will have their hearts damn near bursting out of their chests and their palms torn to shreds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Who Will Be Attending and Teaching at Kai Cenat’s Streamer University?

Kai Cenat attends the Premiere of Lionsgate's "Michael" at Dolby Theatre on April 20, 2026 in Hollywood, California.

Julian Hamilton/FilmMagic

Who Will Be Attending and Teaching at Kai Cenat’s Streamer University?

After a bit of a hiatus, mega streamer Kai Cenat is back with his flagship program, Streamer University, and for the second consecutive year, he’ll unite a new class of creators for an experience designed to inspire, educate, and equip the next generation of streamers. Cenat made his live-stream return on Monday night (July 6) and officially announced the 2026 roster of students and staff on his YouTube and Twitch channels.

This year, Cenat recruited several of his celebrity friends, including Lizzo and T-Pain, to join the 26-person staff as professors, club directors, and more. Streamer University accepted 120 students for the Class of 2026, which includes familiar faces like former Disney star Skai Jackson, Love Island USA contestant Jeremiah Brown, and rapper-turned-streamer DreamDoll.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ex-NFL Star and Podcaster Marcellus Wiley Arrested for Domestic Battery

Marcellus Wiley

Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

Ex-NFL Star and Podcaster Marcellus Wiley Arrested for Domestic Battery

Marcellus Wiley was arrested Saturday on a charge of domestic battery, the latest in a series of legal issues against the former football player-turned-podcaster.

An inmate search confirms that Wiley was booked into Orange County Corrections in Orlando, Florida on the Fourth of July on one count of domestic battery, where he remained at press time pending his court hearing. TMZ first reported news of Wiley’s arrest, the details of which have not been revealed.

Keep ReadingShow less
World Cup Run Inspires Haiti Amid Gang Violence: ‘We Are a People of Hope’

Haiti fans watch the 2026 World Cup match between Haiti and Scotland, in Petion-ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 13, 2026.

Clarens Siffroy/AFP/Getty Images

World Cup Run Inspires Haiti Amid Gang Violence: ‘We Are a People of Hope’

The blistering noon heat is close to a hundred degrees, but the boys swarming the soccer arena seem to move with extra pace in their step. One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.

Despite the prevalence of armed gangs that control vast swathes of the capital and growing parts of the countryside, the Haitian national football team is playing in its first World Cup in 52 years — an improbable feat of resilience that’s given people something to celebrate amid one of the most relentlessly painful chapters in the country’s history.

Keep ReadingShow less
New York Knicks Will Celebrate Their NBA Title With the Wu-Tang Clan on ‘Fallon’

Jalen Brunson lifting the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy after the Knicks won their first league title in 53 years.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

New York Knicks Will Celebrate Their NBA Title With the Wu-Tang Clan on ‘Fallon’

One of the first stops on the NBA champion New York Knicks’ celebration tour will be The Tonight Show, where they’ll reunite with the Wu-Tang Clan.

On Monday, the Knicks’ star starting five — Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Annoy, and Mikal Bridges — will join host Jimmy Fallon to celebrate the team’s first title in 53 years. Coach Mike Brown and the rest of the team will also be on hand, as will other special guests.

Keep ReadingShow less