Critics of podcaster Joe Rogan were surprised to see the former comedian and combat sport aficionado praise Barack Obama, calling him "the best of all time."
During a recent episode of his show, Rogan offered high praise of Mr Obama as a statesman and the public face of the United States.
“He didn’t come through on a lot of things,” Rogan said of the former president on Wednesday. “But as far as, like, a representative of the United States, who better than Obama? He’s the best of all time – the most educated and eloquent and even-keeled. And he was a statesman and the way he spoke inspired confidence that truly the wisest amongst us is the king.”
Rogan has come under fire from liberals in the past for holding conservative viewpoints on certain issues and promoting conspiracy theories on his show. He has stated he is a fan of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, disagrees with trans athletes participating in sporting events that match their expressed gender, and was a vocal anti-vaxxer during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he frequently boosted the drug hydroxychloroquine, among other conservative beliefs.
His comments on Mr Obama earned him some tepid praise from liberals and progressives on social media.
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” one user wrote.
Another criticised the podcaster’s fans, saying “there goes the racist demographic of his listener base.”
One user criticised Rogan from the left, saying Mr Obama was the “best ever at blowing up kids maybe,” referencing the former president’s robust and highly criticised drone program that killed numerous civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
However, despite his reputation as another right-wing media pundit, Rogan's political stances, while often conservative, are better described as inconsistent.
While he opposes strict gun control and has blamed "mental health" as the reason for the US' numerous mass shootings, he has also defended abortion rights in the wake of the overturning of Roe v Wade.
“You don’t have a right to tell a 14-year-old girl, she has to carry a rapist’s baby," he told conservative commentator Seth Dillion on his show. "Like, you don’t have the right to tell my 14-year-old daughter, she has to carry her rapist’s baby. You understand that?”
He has also voiced support for universal healthcare, acknowledges that income inequality is a serious issue facing everyday Americans, and formerly said he would support progressive Senator Bernie Sanders in a presidential election.
Despite popular belief, Rogan has stated he is not a supporter of former President Donald Trump and has turned down his attempts to appear on his podcast — which consistently sits at the top of most popular podcast lists — claiming he is “not interested in helping [Mr Trump],” according to Forbes.
