Joe Rogan warns Trump against attacking Jimmy Kimmel, praising late-night host's joke about Charlie Kirk

Joe Rogan used his podcast on Tuesday to warn Donald Trump against going after Jimmy Kimmel, while praising Kimmel's monologue about Charlie Kirk and criticizing the Trump administration for pressuring media and late-night hosts. Rogan argued that the government should never dictate what a comedian can say in a monologue, calling it f—ing crazy. He also warned that corporate pressure, if real, could rebound on those who cheered against the late-night host's speech.

Rogan, who had been quiet on the subject since Kimmel's suspension and said he had been elk-hunting, said the case is not about government involvement but about how corporations respond to pressure. He suggested Kimmel's remarks about the “MAGA gang” and Kirk's alleged assassin were meant to land as a joke, and that the suspension was a test of free speech in the age of corporate media.

On the episode, Rogan defended Kimmel's comments as a setup for a joke and praised the host's humor, saying the line was very funny and that the suspension would likely be brief. He predicted Kimmel would return to a standing ovation and that Trump's tweets attacking late-night hosts would fade into the noise. "Look, I certainly think that for Jimmy Kimmel, all this does is help him. It makes his show bigger. There's much more support," Rogan said, adding that there would also be hate, which is not fun.

Rogan criticized the former president for taking time to post about talk-show hosts while running the country, calling it crazy to devote energy to late-night hosts in the middle of governance. He also noted the broader arc of their relationship, describing a once-cozy alliance in the lead-up to the election when Rogan hosted both Trump and Elon Musk on his podcast.

Rogan's stance toward Trump has evolved since then, though he has not shied away from critique. He endorsed Trump on the eve of the 2024 election, but his recent commentary has reflected concerns about the administration’s policies. He has slammed tariffs on Canada as ridiculous and called deportation policies horrific, especially in the wake of reports that innocents had been rounded up and detained alongside gang members in prisons abroad as part of aggressive enforcement efforts.

The exchange underscores Rogan's outsized role in U.S. political discourse and the ongoing frictions surrounding free speech, media pressure, and how public figures respond on social and traditional platforms. While Rogan praised Kimmel's handling of the situation, he warned that any backlash against comedians could set a dangerous precedent for free expression, a theme that resonates across the current political landscape in US politics.