Chair of Australia’s Public Broadcaster Says Joe Rogan Preys on Fear, Anxiety

Rogan and Elon Musk responded to the ABC chair’s comments on X.

Joe Rogan during UFC 274 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 7, 2022. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Chairman Kim Williams has made bold statements regarding the impact of U.S. podcaster Joe Rogan, now the world’s most listened to online influencer.

Williams comments have gone viral attracting the attention of Rogan himself, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and local figures too.

At the National Press Club on Nov. 27, Williams addressed a question from an ABC reporter on how the public broadcaster could compete with Rogan, and capture the “bro market” that forms his listener base.

Rogan is estimated to have millions of listeners spread across various platforms including Spotify (14.5 million per month) and YouTube (17.3 million).

His long-form interview format stretches over three hours, and effectively ushered in a new era of podcasting with influencers the world over trying to emulate the style.

Rogan himself has interviewed guests from across the political spectrum and different fields, including scientists, hunters, and celebrities.

ABC Boss Says Rogan Preys on Fear, Anxiety

The ABC’s Williams gave a scathing critique on Rogan’s influence, while admitting he was not a consumer.

“I’m not sure that I’m the right person to respond to that question, I am not a consumer or enthusiast about Mr. Rogan and his work. I am not one of the 3 billion [listeners, as quoted by the ABC reporter] and I’m unlikely to be 3 billion and one any time soon,” Williams said.

The front entrance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) South Bank office in Brisbane, Australia, on Sept. 2, 2023. Daniel Teng/The Epoch Times

“I think people like Mr. Rogan prey on people’s vulnerabilities, they prey on fear, they prey on anxiety,” the chair added.

“They prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society and they entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part of social narrative.”

Williams said he was in fact dismayed by the fact Rogan was a “source of public entertainment” because he treated the public as “plunder” for malevolent purposes.

During his talk, Williams noted the broadcaster had “become much poorer” as he called for more government support.

Williams took over the ABC in March 2024 and set to work and trying to revive the ailing public broadcaster, which has been criticised for issues like bias reporting.

Counter-Commentary

Rogan responded by sharing a clip of the National Press Club event and wrote, “LOL WUT.”

In a second post, he wrote, “An important fact he left out—they want more money to ‘fight misinformation.’”

Rogan’s post attracted commentary from former Australian special force commando Heston Russell, who previously sued the ABC for defamation and won.

He told Rogan “let’s talk” on X, and referenced his case against the national broadcaster following a 2020 ABC article regarding alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, X owner Elon Musk responded to Rogan’s post, saying, “From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda.”

Pravda was the mouthpiece of the the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.