From Hollywood Aspirant to Podcast King: Joe Rogan's Stand-Up Comeback Shock!

The Ultimate Takedown: Joe Rogan's Cringeworthy Comedy Set Exposed

In a shocking turn of events, the king of mixed martial arts commentary, 57-year-old media personality Joe Rogan, was left reeling from a brutal takedown - not on the octagon, but in his own comedy set. A vintage clip of Rogan performing stand-up in the early 1990s has gone viral on social media, leaving fans both amused and bewildered by the former Hollywood heartthrob's transformation.

The X (formerly Twitter) account dedicated to The Joe Rogan Experience podcast posted a cringe-worthy clip that has racked up over 8 million views. In it, Rogan attempts to mine laughs from an old girlfriend's attempts to get him to commit to marriage. But what's truly jaw-dropping is not the jokes themselves, but Rogan's appearance.

The once-handsome comedian has clearly had a few rough years since his Hollywood heyday. Fans were left aghast by his receding hairline and significantly expanded waistline. One commenter quipped, "Bro was handsome?" while another exclaimed, "He had HAIR?!?!" A tongue-in-cheek observer even likened Rogan's transformation to a dramatic weight loss, sarcastically remarking, "How did he go from looking like Ben Affleck to looking like a dry-roasted peanut?"

But it wasn't just Rogan's looks that were on full display; his questionable fashion sense was also put under the microscope. A black blazer with shoulder pads - yes, you read that right - was the centerpiece of his outfit, leaving fans in stitches. "Wearing grandma's shoulder pads [rolling on the floor while laughing emoji]," one X user hilariously chimed in. Another commentator snarked, "Nice shoulder pads queen," while a third skewered the entire look by asking, "Are those shoulder pads? And blazer over a v-neck?"

However, the harshest critiques were reserved for Rogan's comedy skills - or lack thereof. One commenter declared, "He has never been funny. Love Rogan but comedy isn’t his strong suit." Another fan went as far as to call him the "worst comedian of all time," while a third joked that he must have found his true calling in podcasting so fans wouldn't have to suffer through his stand-up routines.

Even Rogan's die-hard fans couldn't defend his stand-up comedy, with one user candidly admitting, "If there’s one person that is awful at Comedy it’s Rogan. Best Podcaster ever. Great commentator. Great at martial arts. Great guy. Absolutely diabolical at comedy."

So, what exactly happened to Joe Rogan? How did a talented comedian like him go from performing in Boston's comedy clubs in 1988 to bombing on stage with such embarrassing frequency?

Rogan's rise to fame began in the late 1980s when he started doing stand-up gigs in Boston. He eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1994, becoming a staple at The Comedy Store - an iconic institution that has launched the careers of countless comedians.

However, it seems Rogan may have found his true calling elsewhere. In addition to his work as a commentator for the UFC, he began hosting the extreme game show Fear Factor in 2000, which ran until 2006. But it was his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, launched in 2009, that truly catapulted him to global fame.

The podcast's massive success - with over 20 million downloads per episode - led Spotify to shell out a whopping $250 million for exclusive rights to the show last year. This deal was a far cry from their previous agreement in 2020, which saw them pay $200 million for the rights.

So, what does this mean for Joe Rogan's comedy career? Will he continue to coast on his podcasting fame or will he attempt to revive his stand-up routine? Only time (and the internet) will tell.