Joe Rogan defends Kimmel and tells conservatives supporting censorship: ‘Oh my God, you’re crazy’

Joe Rogan attends the UFC 300 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13, 2024. Rogan has chimed in on the suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel amid pressure from the Trump administration, saying the government should not determine what comedians say and that conservatives were “crazy” to support any such interference. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Right-leaning podcaster Joe Rogan has chimed in on the suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel amid pressure from the Trump administration, saying the government should not determine what comedians say and that conservatives were “crazy” to support any such interference.

Disney’s ABC last week took Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show off the air over his comments about the suspected killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. But his show returned on Tuesday night, ending a nearly weeklong standoff that has raised questions about free speech and the First Amendment.

Rogan was an influential supporter of President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign.

“I definitely don’t think that the government should be involved ever in dictating what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue,” Rogan said on his podcast.

He said that if such interference were really happening and conservatives were supporting such behavior they were “crazy” because eventually they themselves would be the target of such censorship.

“The problem is the companies, if they are being pressured by the government – so if that’s real – and if people on the right are like ‘yeah, go get ’em,’ oh my God, you’re crazy. You’re crazy for supporting this because this will be used on you,” he said.

The controversy started last week when Kimmel said the MAGA movement was trying to score political points by saying that Kirk’s alleged killer was not one of its own.

In an emotional monologue after his return, Kimmel urged viewers to stand up to Trump’s threats and said it was never his intention to “make light” of the murder of a young man or to “blame any specific group.”

The Kimmel controversy underscores how politicized opinions and comments around Kirk’s murder have become, with high-profile campaigns urging employers to fire people who make comments perceived as unflattering about Kirk.

It also comes at a time when the president has gone after media companies, specifically when they displease him, as with a $15 billion defamation lawsuit he filed against the New York Times. A federal judge has rejected the lawsuit, saying that the 85-page suit did not follow federal rules for filing civil complaints.

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa, CNN