In New Netflix Standup Special, Joe Rogan Says He Wishes he Were Gay... So He Can Use Slurs

Ooops, Netflix did it again: They've put out a comedy special filled with inflammatory, if increasingly tired, anti-LGBTQ+ and transphobic content in which standup comic and conspiracy theory peddler Joe Rogan declared that he wishes he were gay... though not for the reasons you might imagine.

Rogan's special "Burn the Boats" began streaming on Netflix on Aug. 3, and, according to reports on the special, the podcaster gave Dave Chapelle a run for his money with a barrage of anti-trans and homophobic jokes.

"Rogan, who has previously made headlines for some of his controversial views that he's discussed on his popular podcast, said during the standup show that America has become too accepting of trans people," the New York Post detailed.

Calling Rogan "weirder than J.D. Vance" for his obsession with gay sex, The Daily Beast provided further details, noting that the comic – who promotes conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine messaging – gave shout outs to disgraced right-wing podcaster Alex Jones and anti-trans "free speech absolutist" Elon Musk, while mining weary anti-LGBTQ+ tropes for his jokes, including baseless right-wing talking points about transgender people and claims that Michelle Obama is actually a man.

Queer people who stand up to humor that trades in stereotypes at their expense, he suggested, are "annoying," while, as for himself, "I'm not even remotely homophobic," the podcaster claimed. "I'm the opposite. I wish I was gay" – the reason for that being that he could get away with calling queer men "faggots."

"Oh, how I miss it so," Rogan said of earlier times when such slurs went unchallenged.

"Although he covered lots of topics," the Daily Beast narrated, "Rogan fixated throughout the hour on men receiving sexual pleasure in ways the comedian felt were unnatural."

That included some far-out material, the DB noted, such as aliens abducting people and giving them unforgettable orgasms with anal probes.

The comic's more earthbound material was scarcely any more credible, though. Of transgender individuals seeking the right to use restrooms that fit their gender identity, Rogan declared, "It's almost like a pervert wizard waved a magic spell on the whole world. With a wave of this wand, you can walk through the women's locker room with a hard cock, and anybody who complains is a Nazi."

Along the same lines, Rogan declared that "You can't just put lipstick on... [and] shit in the women's room," the DB detailed.

"I fully support your right as an adult to do whatever you want that makes you happy. I believe in freedom, and I believe in love," Rogan said, before reversing course with the punchline: "But I also believe in crazy people."

Rogan dismissed pushback on anti-trans remarks as nothing more than critics accusing anyone of questioning trans people's rights of holding a "hate rally," before, confusingly, relating an anecdote about seeing a "dude in a dress" acting in a confrontational manner at a protest for reproductive choice and following up on comments in which he said he believed transgender people genuinely feel they are in the wrong body by suggesting that the "dude in a dress" might have been a right-wing plant.

"First of all, that's probably not even a real trans person," Rogan told his audience. "That's probably a Republican."

The podcaster continued, "That's probably an agent provocateur sent in to discredit your organization with ridiculous behavior. Look. Alex Jones taught me about this shit 20 years ago."

From there, Rogan pivoted to right-wing narratives about COVID vaccinations, stating, "We lost a lot of people during COVID, and most of them are still alive."

"In recent years, Rogan's best known for his popular podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' which has drawn criticism and controversy for his COVID-19 misinformation and anti-vaccine statements," the Post noted.

Added Rogan: "Before COVID, I would've told you that vaccines are the most important invention in human history. After COVID, I'm like, I don't think we went to the moon. I think Michelle Obama's got a dick. I think Pizzagate is real. I think there's direct energy weapons in Antarctica."

Though Rogan was swift to say he doesn't actually believe falsehoods concerning Michelle Obama's gender, he declared, "I believe all that other shit."

Or does he? Rogan seemed to delight in stirring up divisive and false rhetoric targeting trans and queer people under the rubric of being "a professional shit talker."

Seemingly confusing potential sexual attraction and sexual assault, Rogan added: "I love gay men. But I think about gay men the same way I think about mountain lions. I'm happy they're real, but I don't want to be surrounded by them. They're a bunch of dudes who fuck dudes. I don't like my chances!"