Kim Williams, chair of Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, has launched a scathing attack on popular podcaster Joe Rogan, accusing him of exploiting public vulnerabilities and treating his audience as “plunder,” Al Jazeera reports.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday, Williams described Rogan’s influence as “deeply repulsive” and expressed disbelief at his popularity. He stated that Rogan “preys on people’s vulnerabilities,” specifically targeting fear, anxiety, and uncertainty to promote conspiracy theories and fantastical narratives as commonplace social commentary.
Williams further criticized Rogan for profiting from his audience, characterizing his actions as “treating the public as plunder for purposes that are really quite malevolent.” His comments followed a reporter’s question about Rogan’s popularity among men and his potential influence on the recent US presidential election.
Rogan’s three-hour interview with then-President-elect Donald Trump garnered over 52 million YouTube views and has been a point of contention. Some Democrats criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for not appearing on Rogan’s podcast, suggesting it hindered her ability to connect with young male voters. Harris’s campaign attributed the lack of an interview to scheduling conflicts.
Rogan, with 17.3 million YouTube subscribers and 14.5 million Spotify followers, responded to Williams’ criticism on X (formerly Twitter) with a simple, “LOL WUT.”
Williams’ comments drew swift backlash from conservative commentators online. Tech billionaire Elon Musk labelled the ABC Australia’s “Pravda,” a reference to the Soviet Union’s state-controlled newspaper.
