In 2019 I wrote an open letter to Joe Rogan, asking him to be more judicious in how he discusses stem cells on his popular – 12.8 million subscribers – podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
Much to my surprise, I didn’t hear back from Joe or his people although I tagged him on Twitter several times. (Yes I’m being sarcastic.)
Would I have liked the opportunity to discuss my letter and its contents – stem cell therapies, stem cell tourism, where we are with the science and approvals – with him? Absolutely.
In early January 2023, I saw an article by Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne titled “My traditional year end interview without the prime minister.” Naturally I was curious and clicked, and then had a good laugh. For those of you who don’t have access to subscriber content, it’s an “interview” – although decidedly one-sided – between the writer and Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
In homage to Mr. Coyne, and because this is likely the closest I will get to interviewing Joe Rogan, here is my own one-sided interview with him.
Q. Thanks for taking time away from podcasting for this interview.
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Q. I understand your podcast covers current events, comedy, politics, philosophy, science, and hobbies.
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Q. You have worked as an actor, a comedian, mixed martial artist and a colour commentator for Ultimate Fighting Championship. And there was your stint as the host of Fear Factor. Would you say this experience has given you expertise to discuss stem cells and to dispense advice to potential patients?
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Q. I can’t find any mention of what you studied in college but I understand you left before graduating. Were you pre-med or in life sciences…? A Reddit thread says you studied “zoology and chemistry. That’s why he knows so much about chimp balls and dimethyltryptamine.” Is that true?
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Q. As recently as September 2022, you had martial arts instructor Eddie Bravo on your show discussing how stem cell injections healed his shoulder injury. You share your own experience and sum it up eloquently with “stem cells are f***ing incredible.” You may recall that I advised against this type of hyperbolic and potentially damaging language when I wrote to you. Do you have anything to say?
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Q. I won’t ask you to comment on the claims made by the Stem Cell Institute Panama or the Cellular Performance Institute in Mexico. I bring them up because you had Dr. Neil Riordan, who is affiliated with the Panama institute, on your podcast, and Eddie Bravo’s glowing testimonial is featured on the homepage of the Mexican institute. Do you get a fee for endorsing these clinics?
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Q. I’d like to talk about COVID-19 and you’ll see why it’s relevant to this conversation. You made some public statements about COVID-19 vaccines not being necessary if you are young, healthy and exercise regularly. There was backlash against what you said, notably from the White House, Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the President, and some media outlets. In response, you said “I’m not a doctor. I’m not a respected source of information, even for me.” (Source: BBC.) Yet you glorify stem cells on your podcast without any disclaimer or caveat. Why is that?
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Q. In January 2022, nearly 300 health care experts, including doctors, scientists and professors, wrote to Spotify expressing concern that The Joe Rogan Experience was “broadcasting misinformation” and making “false and societally harmful assertions.” They wrote that, “This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform.” (Source: CNBC.) Of course you know that Spotify didn’t ban your podcast. Instead it is being more transparent about its platform rules and it has added COVID-19 content advisories to episodes that discuss COVID. Should there be a warning on other episodes where you or your guests share misinformation?
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Q. My final question is do you still think Canada is a communist country?
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Q. Is there anything you’d like to add?
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Thanks for your time today.
I encourage you to watch this video from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on its view of unapproved stem cell treatments.
Stacey Johnson
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