Joe Rogan is coming under fire on social media for making a comment about Jewish people being “into money.” Rogan had been defending Minnesota rep. Ilhan Omar for her 2019 tweet criticizing Israel’s supporters in the U.S. She tweeted, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” referencing the funding politicians receive from organizations such as AIPAC. The tweet has resurfaced in recent days after Republicans voted to remove her from her post on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Rogan addressed the story on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience while speaking with former MSNBC contributor Krystal Ball. The conversation moved on to Ilhan Omar while the two were discussing Rep. Adam Schiff. “It’s crazy,” said Rogan. “Did you see him sitting next to Ilhan Omar, where she’s apologizing for talking about it’s all about the Benjamins? Which is just about money. She’s talking about money. That’s not an antisemitic comment, I don’t think that is. Benjamins are money.” He continued, “The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That’s like saying Italians aren’t into pizza. It’s fucking stupid.”
Joe Rogan’s Comments
The comments were met with plenty of backlash from users on Twitter. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said that the comedian’s comments are “No joke.” He explained: “Disturbing that at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, @joerogan would use his immense platform to spew antisemitic tropes about Jews and money.” In a follow-up, he added: “For centuries, people have used these longstanding tropes to spread vicious lies about the Jewish people. ‘Comedian’ or not, Rogan’s comments are no joke.”
Ian Karmel, a writer for The Late, Late Show with James Corden, jokingly compared Rogan to Kyrie Irving. “Joe Rogan to the Mavericks confirmed,” he wrote, referencing The Nets’ recent blockbuster trade with the Mavericks. Irving has also been criticized for making antisemitic comments in the past. Similar to Irving, this is far from the first controversy Joe Rogan has weathered. In the past, he’s spread vaccine misinformation, said the N-word, and more. Check out the responses to Rogan’s latest drama on Twitter below.
Twitter Reacts
Joe Rogan is being paid $200 million by Spotify, so just imagine how much he’d have gotten if he were Jewish and hence “into money” https://t.co/EvnEQInNhP
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Jon Schwarz
[Via]