When we think of the UK’s most popular broadcasters, we all know the names that spring to mind. David Attenborough. Graham Norton. Louis Theroux. And yes, the Old Guard of the UK media establishment still holds plenty of sway. But do they really reflect our nation’s cultural preoccupations? Not really – especially when it comes to podcasts. The annual “Wrapped” data drop by streaming giant Spotify suggests that there’s one figure who’s monopolised our collective lugholes like no other: US podcaster Joe Rogan.
As announced by Spotify today, Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has retained its No 1 ranking in the global charts – also claiming the top spot for the UK. Despite his immense popularity, Rogan remains a little-discussed figure within the traditional British media sphere, except for a run of controversies in 2022. Chief among these scandals was his podcast’s platforming of Covid anti-vax conspiracy theorists, which prompted a boycott of Spotify by artists such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Shortly after, Rogan also issued an apology over resurfaced clips of him saying the “n-word” on air. His penchant for allowing misinformation to air unchallenged goes back years; critics have branded Rogan everything from an “idiot” to a “danger to society”. Last year, a group of more than 150 scientists, doctors and healthcare professionals described Rogan as an “enormous threat to public health”. (Rogan apologised for this too, arguing that he had always tried to correct misinformation that had made it to air.)
What does it say about Britain that Rogan has achieved such popularity here? A former comedian, actor and UFC enthusiast, Rogan seems on paper like far too much an American proposition to really thrive in the UK. The Joe Rogan Experience’s chart dominance testifies to the ever-encroaching Americanisation of global (and British) culture. The US’s cultural influence can be seen all over our tastes – in music, in movies, in television. But there is often a perception that we pick and choose the superior stuff, the middlebrow fare. Yes, we’ll take Succession, but leave The Bachelor over there. God knows we’re adept at producing our own trash. But Rogan’s show – jock-like, dull-witted, and distinctively American in its cultural grounding – seems to have made the voyage anyway.
On some level, Rogan’s success attests to Spotify’s own influence on listening habits. Increasingly, listeners are relying on the platform’s curated recommendations when it comes to selecting music or podcasts – and Rogan’s show, which the streamer reportedly spent over $200m acquiring in 2020, is near the forefront of the algorithm. It may be a case of listeners growing more passive, or Spotify simply working out how best to nudge people towards their preferred content. More broadly, it’s an example of just how much the internet has homogenised popular culture.
Of course, an underlying factor in all this is that Rogan’s podcast is not completely without entertainment value. His choice of guests is diverse, many of them entertainers or experts in their field (self-proclaimed or otherwise). Speaking to them, Rogan generally builds up a good rapport. His background in stand-up probably helps with this – while few would describe him as a wit, he’s naturally quite chummy, and his curious, over-gullible conversational manner has birthed a plethora of amusing clips at Rogan’s expense.
Ultimately, the question isn’t what Rogan’s popularity says about the UK. When it comes to misinformation, there are far greater and more specific threats to our national psyche than Rogan’s inane, ill-informed chitchat. But what does it say that Rogan can reach such a peak of prominence in the UK, and yet remain so firmly ignored in traditional media channels? He has become a phenomenon by stealth, a superstar in the shadows. His reputation among devotees may have even been burnished by this cultural snubbing – it lends credibility to his veneer of cultural outsiderdom. But don’t be fooled. Rogan is no longer the “alternative”, the outsider looking in. He’s already in and expanding, filling the room like air. Well, air if we’re lucky – it’s either that or carbon monoxide.
