Comedian and host of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Joe Rogan, who famously (and constantly) critiques cancel culture and laments the days in which “straight, white men are not allowed to talk” amid society’s growing “woke-ness,” is said to have essentially cancelled comedian Carlos Mencia, as it is detailed in a profile on the podcaster for The New York Times on Thursday.
The article, which mentions everything from Rogan’s seven-season stint on “Fear Factor” to the comedian’s thoughts on “woke-ness,” discussed the infamous “joke stealing” incident between Rogan and comic Carlos Mencia–the incident in which he accused the “Mind of Mencia” star of stealing jokes.
The profile then delves into how this occurrence, which the newspaper calls “perhaps the first celebrity cancellation of the modern internet age,” laid the foundation for Rogan’s podcast, famous for its lack of boundaries and incessant takedown of political correctness. A podcast that now has an estimated $100 million dollar deal with Spotify and is still used as a platform for Rogan to basically say whatever he pleases.The irony echoes.
In 2007, Rogan stepped on the Comedy Store stage to confront comic Carlos Mencia about allegations of the latter stealing jokes from other comedians in front of the club’s audience. Brian Redban, Rogan’s friend and eventual podcast co-host, filmed the incident. Initially, Rogan suffered. According to The New York Times, the Comedy Store banned Rogan from the club and the comedian’s agency dropped him.
However, according to the article, Rogan had posted the clips online and had edited them together with footage of Mencia performing jokes alongside other comedians telling similar versions of the jokes first. The video went viral, ruining Mencia’s career and reputation more and more with each click.
“For the majority of comedians, [Rogan] was looked at — still is — as a kind of hero to the cause,” Mencia said in an interview with The New York Times. “It is ironic that a guy who is now saying you shouldn’t cancel anybody at least started the building of his podcast by canceling me.”