“Is bro wearing shoulder pads?”: People are reacting to clips of Joe Rogan’s stand-up comedy in the ’90s
Younger generations can't believe a viral clip of Joe Rogan doing comedy over three decades ago that's circulating on the internet right now.
Yes, that very same Joe Rogan you're thinking of.
Joe Rogan's comedy beginnings
Whether you want to or not, you'll definitely know who Joe Rogan is. His podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has been crowned the most-listened-to podcast year after year on Spotify.
However, Rogan is also a very controversial figure. In the past, he's been accused of spreading misinformation during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. In general, Rogan's podcasts are considered to be politically right-leaning, so much so that UFC's Dana White thanked him during President Trump's inauguration speech.
But Rogan wasn't always the podcaster we know today.
He originally got his start on the comedy circuit, having performed stand-up comedy since 1988. While his comedy days are behind him, clips of Rogan performing a comedy set in the '90s are now going viral—and people are losing their minds.
One clip, which has garnered 8.1 million views on X, features Rogan discussing marriage, saying, "Man, I've been hearing the M word too much from my girlfriend, you know what I'm talking about? She brings up marriage a little bit too much. I can't even hear that word. You hear the word, and my brain just shuts off, it's like, 'marriage? click!'"
He continues in the clip, "I'm like, that's a contract. I sign this, I can't have sex with girls for the rest of my life...and I gotta buy you a ring. That deal sucks."
A blast from the past
Some X users were complimentary, with one dubbing him a "genius," and another calling him "the real-life version of Joey from Friends."
This video was also cross-posted to the r/FauxMoi subreddit with the title, "I mean he is technically standing up," where the reaction was less positive.
Some were shocked at how much he had changed since the '90s. "THAT is what he looked like when he was younger??" one Redditor asked. "This is insane to me."
Another Redditor commented, "Same, I would never have guessed it was him."
Elsewhere, users were unsure about Rogan's comedic prowess.
"Joe Rogan might honestly be the worst comedian of all time," one X user wrote. "Good thing he found his niche as a terrible podcaster so we don't have to suffer through his terrible stand up." another added.
While a third declared: "If there’s one person that is awful at comedy, it’s Rogan. Best Podcaster ever...Absolutely diabolical at comedy."
A Reddit user put a positive spin on the situation, saying, "Whenever you feel imposter syndrome, just remember that one of the most famous and successful comedians on the planet fucking sucks at comedy. So maybe you aren't so bad."
So, while Rogan won't be winning any comedy awards anytime soon, netizens have definitely seen a different side to the podcaster.
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