Comedy club tied to Joe Rogan lands in downtown Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin local Joe Rogan just landed a new project in downtown Austin.

The 55-year-old polarizing podcaster, UFC commentator and comedian is behind the launch of the new comedy club, Comedy Mothership.

Rogan announced the launch with a post on social media. It shows Rogan wearing an astronaut suit, holding a cardboard sign that says "Austin Texas." He's also standing next to an alien and located somewhere in space.

The post also shared the dates of the shows starting March 7. Tickets for the shows sold out quickly.

Comedy Mothership took over the iconic The Ritz Theater on East Sixth Street. The venue was built in 1929 and was one of the first theaters in the country to show movies. The shape was revamped in 2007 and turned into a downtown location for Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse.

After filing for bankruptcy, Alamo Drafthouse closed the downtown location citing it was underperforming compared to other locations.

Austin Business Journal reported in March 2022 that a company that bought The Ritz is linked to Rogan.

According to multiple reports, the podcast host and comedian lives in a mansion worth millions of dollars on Lake Austin. He’s also been known to perform in comedy shows downtown.

Rogan had Austin Mayor Steve Adler on his podcast in May 2021 to discuss homelessness response and the city’s camping ordinance.