The Joe Rogan Experience - How He Built a Podcast Empire

The Joe Rogan Experience is the most listened-to podcast in the world. This episode traces how Joe Rogan — a standup comedian and UFC commentator — built JRE from a loose 2009 experiment with his comedy friends into a media property worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Spotify. Topics covered include the early years and first guests, the comedy world's role in building the show's audience, how a Rogan appearance became the most valuable career move in standup comedy, the first Spotify deal, the Neil Young controversy, why Spotify renewed at a higher number despite the backlash, the Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump appearances, why Kamala Harris didn't appear in 2024, and what JRE's role in the presidential election says about where media influence actually lives right now. Also covers why the show's roots in standup comedy shaped everything about how it sounds and why nobody in traditional media saw it coming until it was too late.

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Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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This is the animal sanctuary mentioned in the February 10 episode.