UPDATED Podcaster/comedian/UFC personality/vaccine mandate opponent Joe Rogan, who announced 3 days ago he had contracted Covid, revealed on Friday that he was in the clear.
Rogan posted a photo to Instagram of what appeared to be a Covid tester that displayed the acronym “CoV2” with a minus sign after it. The accompanying text read, “Tested negative today! Thanks for all the kind wishes!”
It is still unclear if Rogan was vaccinated, but earlier this year he said on his show, “I don’t think that if you’re a young, healthy person, that you need it.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci later called that statement “incorrect.”
“The reason why is, you’re talking about yourself in a vacuum,” said Fauci. “You’re worried about yourself getting infected and the likelihood that you’re not going to get any symptoms. But you can get infected and will get infected if you put yourself at risk.”
The problem is, he continued, that even if young, healthy people don’t get very sick, “you may inadvertently and innocently infect someone who really could have a problem with a severe outcome.”
Watch on Deadline
Related Story
Prince Harry Scorches Joe Rogan Over Vaccination RemarksIn a video that has been viewed 6 million times, the Spotify star said on Wednesday that he “immediately threw the kitchen sink at it.” He then went through a laundry list of treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, the steroid prednisone, a Z-Pac, a vitamin drip and ivermectin, the controversial drug used to deworm horses that has been touted by some conservative pundits.
Due to the surge in hospitalizations among people misusing ivermectin in this way, the FDA has published its findings on its use as a treatment for Covid. “Ivermectin has not been shown to be safe or effective for these indications,” says the FDA page.
While acknowledging that ivermectin is sometimes given to humans in small doses to eliminate worms and parasites, it also notes that the version given to animals is much more potent and can cause overdoses in humans.
(PREVIOUSLY) Longtime UFC commentator and well-compensated podcast host Joe Rogan just took a bruising turn inside his own personal octagon.
“I got back from the road Saturday night, feeling very weary,” a Covid-inflicted Rogan said today in a video he posted on social media. “I had a headache. I felt just run-down.
“Just to be cautious, I separated from my family, slept in a different part of the house,” the rough looking Rogan went on to say. “Throughout the night, I got fevers, sweats. I knew what was going on. I got up in the morning morning, got tested. Turns out, I got Covid.”
You can see all Rogan has to say on his condition now (“I feel pretty f*cking good”), his medical treatment and more below. Note, while he’s been a very vocal opponent of vaccine mandates and passports, the intensely health-conscious Rogan has never revealed if he himself has been vaxxed, before or now:
The immediate fallout for the outspoken comedian is that the September 3 show he was co-headlining with pal Dave Chappelle has been put on pause.
The date at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena now is set for October 24, organizers told ticket holders Tuesday. No reason for the Nashville postponement was unveiled in emails and notices on social media, but now Rogan has spilled the tea, so to speak.
Even before the halt on the duo’s show, it was announced on August 28 that anyone attending the show has to either get a Covid test or show a negative result from a recent previous test – as has become common at many venues Rogan and Chappelle are scheduled to play
Rogan and Chappelle, who shuttered a series of Texas shows after testing positive for Covid himself in January, were also supposed to perform in New Orleans on September 4 at the Smoothie King Center. That show is on hold too. Besides Rogan’s health issue, the aftermath from Hurricane Ida has left the Big Easy without power, among other hurts.
On August 31, Rogan put up a post making it clear all was not well in comedyland, but he didn’t specify why:
Long a proponent of unconventional treatments and homeopathy, Spotify’s $100 million man in April walked back comments that had undermined the need for coronavirus vaccinations.
In pulling back the veil on his own Covid diagnosis now, Rogan let loose with how he isolated himself at home in Austin and pumped himself full of pricey medication, some more popular with the anti-vax crowd than others.
“We immediately threw the kitchen sink at it: all kinds of meds. Monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, Z-pack, prednisone – everything,” Rogan said on Instagram today. “I also got an NAD drip and a vitamin drip, and I did that three days in a row, and here we are on Wednesday, and I feel great.”
Commonly used to wipe out worms in horses, ivermectin has been un-scientifically touted by some as an alternative to getting vaccinated — a claim for which there is no sustainable proof and great potential risk. (UPDATE: In fact, hours are the original posting went up, Facebook-owned Instagram slapped a warning on Rogan’s video that reads: “Some unapproved Covid-19 treatments may cause serious harm. (Source: World Health Organization)” )
But then again, as Rogan said earlier this year when called to task on his previous pandemic kneecapping that young and healthy people didn’t really need to get vaccinated: “This is the thing about this whole thing, people being upset at me. … I’m not an anti-vax person. I’m not a doctor, I’m a f*cking moron, and I’m a cage-fighting commentator who’s a dirty stand-up comedian. … I’m not a respected source of information, even for me.”
