Joe Rogan Is Not a Doctor. Don't Take His Medical Advice.

On an April 23 episode of his podcast, Joe Rogan suggested to his millions of listeners that they don't need to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"People say, do you think it's safe to get vaccinated? I've said, yeah, I think for the most part it's safe to get vaccinated. I do. I do," Rogan said on the podcast. "But if you're like 21 years old, and you say to me, should I get vaccinated? I'll go no. Are you healthy? Are you a healthy person? ... If you're a healthy person, and you're exercising all the time, and you're young, and you're eating well ... like, I don't think you need to worry about this."

Rogan's misinformation contradicts the advice from health experts, who urge all people over the age of 16 to get the vaccine in an effort to stop the spread of the virus, specifically to vulnerable populations. And Rogan's message to his audience comes at a time when the U.S. is at a turning point in the pandemic, attempting to convince millions of Americans who have not gotten the shot to get vaccinated. Currently 37 percent of adults in the U.S. are vaccinated, but the country needs to reach more than 70 percent for the population to be achieve herd immunity, according to the CDC.

In an interview with NBC's Today on Tuesday Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease doctor, called Rogan's comments "incorrect."

"You're talking about yourself in a vacuum. You're worried about yourself and the likelihood and that you're not going to get any symptoms. But you can get infected, and will get infected, if you put yourself at risk," Fauci said in response to Rogan's comments. "So if you want to only worry about yourself and not society, then that's okay ... But if you're saying to yourself, even if I get infected I could do damage to someone else even if I don't have any symptoms at all, that's the reason you have to be careful and get vaccinated."

The CDC has reported that vaccinated people largely "do not carry the virus." This means, even if you are young, and healthy, and exercise, like Rogan suggests, you should still get the vaccine because it would stop you, a healthy person, from spreading COVID to someone who is more at risk. This is basic human decency—and also science!—which Rogan often likes to ignore on his podcast. In June of last year, as the coronavirus was devastating the country, Rogan said that wearing mask is “for bitches.” His guest at the time, Bill Burr, rightly called him out on it responding: "I’m not gonna sit here with no medical degree, listening to you with no medical degree, with an American flag behind you smoking a cigar, acting like we know what’s up, better than the CDC."

Joe Rogan is not a doctor. Joe Rogan is a comedian who made people eat bugs on a reality competition show. Joe Rogan is an MMA commentator. Joe Rogan is a shock jock who thinks of himself as a contrarian and an intellectual because he has given a platform to the likes of Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, Alex Jones, and other far-right, transphobic, and anti-feminist trolls.

Don't take medical advice from Joe Rogan.

But why stop there? Don't take any advice from Joe Rogan.

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